YouTube and gaming, both have massive audiences. Particularly, YouTube does not disappoint when it comes to options for targeting ads. And for games, they own the world as one of the most widespread means of entertainment in the 21st century.  Using NeoReach, we have identified audience demographics and the social metrics of the top gaming influencers. 

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Influencer #10

Last but certainly not least on our list, we present the team behind Smosh Games. Since video games can often be solitary activities, viewers can find uploads of multiplayer games on Smosh Games. They play, review and comment on popular games like on their videos call “Honest Video Trailers”. Their channel fits a niche.

This team works well together. They not only own Smosh Games but own 7 other channels including popular ones like Smosh and Shut Up! Cartoons.

Over half of their overall followers are American males who predominantly live in California, Texas, and New York.

Influencer #9

Marco Tulio, Authentic Games centers around Minecraft and Roblox. Even as #9 on this list, Marco’s caters to 10 million YouTube subscribers and this carries over to 4 million followers on other social media platforms.

Differently, females almost tie with male viewers where males are at 52%, and the overall age demographics are young (<16-19 years old). These followers associate with Instagram, PlayStation, and Nike. His fans live in large, gaming countries: Brazil and the United States; specifically, a majority of his United States followers live in California and South Carolina.

Influencer #8

Tom Cassell, The Syndicate Project dedicates content walkthroughs on Halo, Modern Warfare, Call of Duty, Minecraft, The Sims, and others. Despite these games being outdated, he keeps them relevant because of his commentary and skills within the game.

NeoReach identified 82% of Tom’s followers are male, and 69% of his followers are 17-19 years old. His followers brand affinities’ include Call of Duty, Xbox, and PlayStation.

And Tom understands influencer marketing and works with companies through sponsorship such as his promotion for Microsoft’s Xbox One console in 2013 and playing a role of Loki in Marvel Avengers Academy (a mobile game). This expands his fan base to The Syndicate Project’s 1 billion-plus views on YouTube alone.

Influencer #7: 

W2S – Harold Lewis can be described as a young, energetic, and unpredictable gamer from Guernsey – an island off Normandy. He enjoys FIFA video games and doing walkthroughs, and engages challenges to the audience (avg.17-19 yrs.old + males).

What YouTube does best, it dissolves distance. And Harold relates to his audience by getting angry and throws objects when the game doesn’t go well for him. These hilarious angry bits connect to a global community with his top viewers residing in the U.K., the U.S., and the Netherlands.

Influencer #6:

Daniel Middleton is English and owns The Diamond Minecart [nicknamed “DanTDM”]. His YouTube channel entertains 16 million subscribers and peaks at 10.5 billion total views so far. His channel centers around Minecraft walkthroughs, but shares other videos such as daily vlogs and some of his own stories.

Atypical to the rest, his channel pulls in viewers aging 16 years old or younger to 19 years old, but consistently, they’re male viewers (showing 93%) This is reflective of the gaming culture. His followers associate with top brands such as Smosh, Xbox, BBC, Instagram, and Disney.

Influencer #5: 

Samuel de Luque runs the Vegetta777 channel.  Sam follows the top 4 by providing walkthroughs on games like “Minecraft”, “Battlefield”, “Saint’s Row”, and “Garry’s Mod”. Unlike others, he narrates his videos with a story in mind so his video comes off movie-esque. Great influencers and specifically YouTube – TV and radio hybrid – can thrive on storytelling and give their audiences further meaning.  When YouTubers talk through the computer, they’re speaking to their audience in their living rooms or bedrooms; it creates intimacy in the community.

Samuel’s videos attract teenage gamers (17-19 years old) and over half of those viewers being male.

Although 31% of Samuel’s fan base arises from Spain, a majority of the rest of his viewers live in Mexico, Argentina, and the United States, with most of his followers from the U.S. residing in California and Texas. He has a far global outreach compared to the top 4.

Influencer #4: 

Seán McLoughlin – Jacksepticeye – is an avid gamer from Ireland whose channel centers around walkthrough series like the others but adds daily vlogs. His videos feature many popular games: “Happy Wheels”, “Undertale”, “GTA”. His outgoing personality attracts subscribers and creates a community around these games.

Seán’s channel has over 7.6 billion total views! Out of his 16.2 million subscribers, NeoReach tool identified that 96% of his followers are single between the ages of late high school and early college. They consistently associate with top brands: Smosh, Nike, Xbox, and PlayStation.

Influencer #3: 

Evan Fong operates and runs Vanoss Gaming, a video game commentator and successful YouTuber from Canada. He employs interactive elements with his followers such as challenges and skits; he consequently acquired 21.1 million followers.

His videos receive 7-8 billion views per video, exemplifying a high engagement rate. Vanoss Gaming’s followers are mostly 17 to 19-year-olds living in the United States, specifically with 17% of those followers living in California. The channel’s followers associate with top brands: Call of Duty, Smosh, Xbox, and Nike.

Influencer #2: 

  Markiplier is a rising YouTube gaming sensation with 18 million subscribers on YouTube alone, trickling down to other social media platforms at 16 million followers. Markiplier’s horror game walkthroughs are his most prevalent videos, featuring games: “Five Nights at Freddy’s” and “Outlast”. This influence carried him to winning the 2017 Shorty Award for Best in Gaming.

His following consists of mostly 17-19-year-olds. His channel pulls in males at a higher rate [54%]. Most of his followers reside in the United States while the United Kingdom and Canada are next to follow.

Gaming Influencer #1: 

Ranking #1 in our influencer field is Felix Kjellberg – known as PewDiePie. Originally from Sweden, PewDiePie tours his fans through “Let’s Play” videos, where he teaches how to play a certain video game with comedic commentary. This style mostly attracts viewers aging from 17-19 years old and 56% of those viewers being female.

PewDiePie’s major achievements include a 2014 Teen Choice Award and a Shorty Award for Gamer, exemplifying his popularity and prevalence in the gaming realm.

PewDiePie’s 55 million-plus followers found across the world with his top 3 following countries being the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Philippines. His followers associate with top brands including Smosh, Instagram, and Starbucks.

Check out our updated list of the top gaming influencers on YouTube here!