Notes

Minecraft's recent Surge on YouTube Proves that the 'PewDiePie Effect' is still Real

Two months ago, Felix "PewDiePie" Kjellberg did something that his fans had long wanted to see by creating an Minecraft video, and has created more ever since. The result was Kjellberg's most successful month of his career with more than 570 million views in July and kickstarting the trend of a new generation of the biggest YouTube creators.
Minecraft


For the first time since January 2017, Minecraft has surpassed Fortnite as the most-searched game on YouTube. It's evident that Minecraft is enjoying a moment once again. This is similar to the "PewDiePie" Effect one of YouTube's early gaming trends.



The "PewDiePie Effect" is a term that YouTuber and commentator Matthew "MatPat" Patrick used in an interview about creators' influences on the actual market. Kjellberg is a YouTube creator who was criticized for using racist language in a stream of gaming and featuring anti-Semitic imagery within a video, was still operating primarily in the gaming channel. His decision to upload a "Let's Play” series of a particular game usually led to higher sales.



Minecraft isn't dependent on Kjellberg Mojang's crafting game has 91 million monthly players. YouTube is a key element in the game's success. YouTube was the first platform where the game was first discovered. It was the second most-searched word on YouTube in 2014. Ironically, it was because of this popularity - and the creators getting on the bandwagon for attention that Kjellberg never played the game.



"It felt like people were playing it just because it was popular and not because they were [having fun] doing it," Kjellberg said in an interview in a recent video.



Kjellberg said that Minecraft has become his full-time job. He said he is enjoying playing the game and is having fun. In the video, he admitted that he no more pays attention to what others are doing online. He also said that it was "so goddamn liberating."



His efforts have paid dividends. VidIQ is a company that develops tools for YouTube creators to concentrate on their analytics, has discovered that Kjellberg is currently the "top creator of the [Minecraft keyword," according to Rob Wilson, an expert in content strategy. This means that when people look up "Minecraft," many of the videos appearing on the first page are his.



"Essentially PewDiePie has embraced the most fundamental rule of the YouTube playbook," Wilson wrote. Concentrate on a particular topic and convey that topic to your viewers in each video you create.



His reignited interest in the game has led to other YouTube creators taking note of the trend. Sean "Jacksepticeye" McLoughlin, an YouTube creator with more than 22 million subscribers, has started to play the game, too. People have picked up on Minecraft having a moment and have decided to hop on the train before it goes away again. Wilson claims that it's not just Kjellberg. YouTube creator Keemstar's weekly Minecraft tournaments draw attention and traffic. However, Kjellberg's presence is a major reason.



"This will also help explain why some of your favorite YouTubers have suddenly returned to Minecraft, or started dabbling in it, jumping on the wave of a returning trend, in this instance," Wilson wrote. "And I'm not lying to you folks, that's exactly how we are doing it right now. Jumping on a trend."



Kjellberg claims that he's just having fun playing Minecraft and that's a statement he emphasizes in almost all of his videos. However, he also sees the economic advantages. Ryan Wyatt, head YouTube Gaming has stated that Minecraft is not only the top-rated game on YouTube and is one of the most ad-friendly games.



Video games are becoming a harder content category to monetize. Even major companies like AT&T have declared that gaming isn't something they want to advertise on. However, there are some games that advertisers do feel at ease with since they're not seen as violent and they're family-friendly. Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft are three of the most well-known games.



Kjellberg also makes money from his Minecraft obsession with 570 million views in July. Other creators might be tempted to earn more money and hope that the trickle-down effect can boost their income.



The current Minecraft video is proof that the "PewDiePie Effect," a term coined five years ago, is still extremely popular on YouTube.


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