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Game Changers: Pewdiepie & Markiplier


When the game is changed, it does not always have to be something considering the mechanics, or the way the game is seen by a wide audience. It can simply just be the way it is displayed. And these two you tube titans have definitely changed the way that an entire generation has viewed video games.

Pewdiepe and Markiplier have millions of subcribers between themselves and have struck gold with a demographic of young kids who are either just getting into gaming or are already immersed into it. Both started out with channels that posted "Let's Play" content that started off slow but soon started to hit the ground running and they have both surpassed any of their own personal expectations for themselves, their channels and of their peers.

Before these two came along, yes, there were "Let's Play" you tubers but none that had the massive success and viewcounts that these two would recieve. A lot of people ended up playing a lot of the horror games that they originaly started out playing and reacting to solely because of their videos. One could argue that "Five Nights at Freddy's" out of nowhere gigantic success was in part due to the equally as massive and popular videos made by these two content creators.

And just like James Rolfe before them, their impact on gaming and its culture has its ups and downs. Their particular approach might have really resonated with gamers when they were young and really helepd them become lifelong fans of gaming. But on the flip side it might have also soured or blurred their views on particular games due to the commentary they heard. And some might have just wound up preferring watching people like Marikiplier and Pewdiepie just play through games rather than play them themselves.



A lot of indie games as of late too have been given massive amounts of exposure from Markiplier and Pewdiepie respectfully. And in an age where exposure can come so quickly and fade just as fast, having that kind of boost has been a god send for so many indie game developers over the past few years.

They and others like them may have not changed the game in ways that can be clearly seen, but they have undeniably left their mark on gaming and especially how others view lets plays. And they have also proved that this particular brand of content can have far reaching affects that made waves in the industry just by sitting in a room and playing games and playing it up for the camera. 

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