Game Development Behind-the-Scenes

Top 10 Gaming YouTubers You Should Know in 2024

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Playing a video game is a thrilling experience because it makes us feel the joys of winning and the sorrows of losing. But, the main reason why gaming has become so popular is that it offers entertainment unlike any other. The development of broadcasting and screen capturing software has made sharing gaming videos online possible, and in a little over a decade of YouTube’s existence, the platform is one of the best sources of gaming videos of all types.

Gaming YouTube channels, such as Jacksepticeye or Vanoss Gaming have millions of subscribers which makes them quite influential. So in this article, we will take a look at some of the top gaming YouTubers and rank them based on their popularity and the number of subscribers their channels have.

Top 10 Gaming YouTubers You Should Know

• VanossGaming
• Markiplier [Mark Edward Fischbach]
• Jacksepticeye [Seán William McLoughlin]
• DanTDM [Daniel Middleton]
• CaptainSparklez [Jordan Maron]
• The Game Theorists [Matthew Patrick]
• Game Grumps [Ross O’Donovan]
• I AM WILDCAT [Tyler Wine]
• H20Delirious [Jonathan Smith]
• PopularMMOs

1. VanossGaming [Evan Fong]

Evan Fong a 26-year-old from Toronto, Canada is the proud owner of one of the most influential gaming channels on YouTube. He is also labeled as one of the highest-paid YouTubers with a net worth of $15.5, second only to his colleague Daniel Middleton. The VanossGaming channel currently has over 23 million subscribers that give Evan a lot of influence on YouTube.

His videos cover all genres of popular video games, such as Grand Theft Auto or Call of Duty and they often feature him and his friends making jokes about the gameplay. The VanossGaming channel was created in 2011 and it currently has over 9 billion total views. Last year Evan launched the Rynx channel which focuses on music, but it is still far from being as influential as the channel that made Even famous.

2. Markiplier [Mark Edward Fischbach]

Even though Mark Fischbach is one of the top gaming YouTubers, his channel Markiplier also features comedy videos. With 20.5 million subscribers and a net worth of some $12.5 million, Mark is unquestionably one of the most influential gamers and YouTubers in the world today.

He mostly produces ‘Let’s Play’ gaming videos and he frequently covers horror and indie games like Slender: The Eight Pages or Surgeon Simulator, but he occasionally covers mainstream games like Minecraft. Mark is also famous for hosting live streams in which he collects donations for charitable causes. The Markiplier channel was created in May 2012 and a few years later, in 2014 it was ranked #61 on New Media Rockstars Top 100 Channels.

3. Jacksepticeye [Seán William McLoughlin]

Seán William McLoughlin is YouTube’s ‘most energetic YouTube commentator’ who currently lives in Brighton, England. He emphasizes his Irish origin by starting all of his videos by saying “Top of the mornin’ to ya laddies! My name is Jacksepticeye!, with a strong Irish accent.

Seán started creating Let’s Play gaming videos in 2012 and just a year later PewDiePie one of the most famous YouTubers ever mentioned him in one of his videos, and the Jacksepticeye channel got over 10.000 new subscribers in less than four days. At the moment, this YouTube channel has 9.4 billion total views and 19 million subscribers. He also appeared on Disney’s Polaris: Player Select show and RTÉ One’s The Late Late Show.

4. DanTDM [Daniel Middleton]

Besides being one of the top gaming YouTubers, Daniel Middleton, the 26-year-old man behind the DanTDM channel is also one of the richest gamers on YouTube with a net worth of $16.5 million. The videos Daniel uploads to his channel focus on different modes of Minecraft, and at first, the majority of his audience were children from 5 to 10 years old.

Daniel started his channel in 2012 under the name The Diamond Minecraft, but he changed it to DanTDM in 2016, since he started uploading videos of other video games such as Roblox games or Tomodachi Life. Currently, the DanTDM channel has 19 million subscribers same as his fellow YouTuber and compatriot Jacksepticeye.

5. CaptainSparklez [Jordan Maron]

A 26-year-old YouTuber, video game developer, and music producer from Los Angles, California, named Jordan Maron has been running the CaptainSparklez channel since 2010. Jordan mostly plays Minecraft in his videos, but he also uploads animations and mod and command block reviews.

His CaptainSparklez channel has over 10 million subscribers, while his other YouTube channels Maron Music, Jordan Maron, and CaptainSparklez2 have significantly fewer subscribers. Jordan often produces Minecraft-themed music video parodies, but in recent years he has also been creating original music for these videos. In 2015 he appeared as CaptainSparklez in the TV series Gamer’s Guide to Pretty Much Everything and the following year he made an appearance on the Bad Internet TV series.

6. The Game Theorists [Matthew Patrick]

Unlike most top gaming YouTubers, Matthew Patrick the man behind this brilliant channel is more focused on education and cultural aspects of video games. As the channel’s name suggests videos often feature several hosts that speak about different aspects of games.

Even though Matthew Patrick’s approach to gaming videos is somewhat unorthodox, his YouTube channel still has over 10 million subscribers. Since 2009, when the channel was initially created, The Game Theorists hosted a number of separate shows such as The SCIENCE or DeadLock. Some of the episodes of these shows are only available on channels hosted by other YouTubers, and you can find only a few episodes on The Game Theorists channel. Besides being a popular Internet personality, Matthew Patrick is also an accomplished writer, actor, and producer who graduated Summa Cum Laude from Duke University.

7. Game Grumps [Ross O’Donovan]

This comedy web series was started by Arin Hanson and Jon ‘JonTron’ Jafari in 2012, and a year later, Dan Avidan joined because Jafari went on to start his own ‘JonTron’ series. Currently, the Game Grumps YouTube channel has 4.5 million subscribers which makes it one of the most influential authorities on gaming.

Most episodes feature two hosts playing a video game, while commenting on the gameplay, stating their opinions, and often talking about unrelated subjects. The web series doesn’t cover a particular gaming genre, and most games the hosts play on the show are suggested by fans. The channel features special holiday-themed episodes that cover holiday editions of video games. Also in some episodes, Arin and Dan play the games alone, even though they frequently have guests on the show.

8. I AM WILDCAT [Tyler Wine]

Since 2011, when this popular gaming channel was created, it has amassed 6.2 million subscribers and over a billion total views. The 26-year old Indiana-based YouTuber named Tyler Wine became popular for his distinctive commentating style which often includes humor and sometimes even cursing.

In the early days of his career as a YouTube commentator, Tyler was mostly producing videos centered around Call of Duty but as he was securing his place among the top gaming YouTubers his videos started featuring Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto, or Garry’s Mode. Tyler has been uploading LetsPlay videos since 2012 to his WILDCATLetPlays channel that currently has a little over 200.000 subscribers. He uploaded videos to his channels weekly or once every two weeks in the past, but now he uploads videos to YouTube almost every day.

9. H20Delirious [Jonathan Smith]

The man behind the H20Delirious channel has managed to remain anonymous for more than a decade. This LetsPlay gaming channel was created in May 2007 and since then the channel’s owner has identified himself as just Jonathon. He even released prank videos in 2015 and 2017 in which he pretended to reveal his true identity.

However, Jonathon is a part of the VanossGaming crew and his H20Delirious channel has over 10 million subscribers which easily places him among the top gaming YouTubers. He creates LetsPlay videos for popular games like Fallout 4, Hitman, Fortnite, or Grand Theft Auto. The 31-old American’s trademark is his psychotic laughter and he is probably the owner of one of the oldest gaming channels on YouTube.

10. PopularMMOs

With more than 14 million subscribers and a net worth of approximately $7 million Patrick Brown, the guy who runs the PopularMMOs channel is one of the most successful gaming YouTubers. The channel was created in 2012 and since then it has hosted Minecraft Mob Battles, LetsPlay videos in epic mode, Arena Battles, and Minecraft Modes VS Maps videos.

Patrick’s wife Jennifer Flagg is also passionate about Minecraft and she has her own gaming channel on YouTube, called GamingWithJen. The couple frequently works on videos together and they’ve developed a series of characters like Captain Cookie or Jelly Bean that often appear in the videos. Patrick’s popular series include Hide & Seek Challenge, World of Warcraft, and The Crafting Dead.

Read More to Get: How to Reverse Search a Video >>

Conclusion

Being a top gaming YouTuber is a full-time job, that can generate a healthy income. The gaming industry is on the rise because a growing number of people enjoy watching videos that show them how to overcome difficulties they encounter in a game. The gamers and Internet personalities we included in this article are extremely influential and their videos reach millions of people around the globe. Do you think their popularity is going to continue to rise? We’d love to hear who’s is your favorite gaming YouTuber, so feel free to let us know in the comments.

If you are looking for the best Female Gamers on YouTube, check our article: Top 10 Female Gamers on YouTube

---

FAQ: Find More about Gaming YouTubers

1. Who is the most popular gaming Youtuber?

PewDiePie is very popular who has 105M subscribers. Besides, Vanoss Gaming, DanTDM, and The Game Theorists are also prevalent among youngsters.

2. How do you become a famous YouTube gamer?

The very first step is to choose the area you are good at. It can be commentary channels or tutorial channels, but it must be the channel you can handle effortlessly. After building your channel, don’t forget to take the feedbacks or comments seriously, and you can try to cooperate with other YouTubers.

3. What equipment do you need to be a YouTube gamer?

Actually, you don’t need too much equipment. All you need is a computer, a camera, a microphone, video editing software like Wondershare Filmora .

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Playing a video game is a thrilling experience because it makes us feel the joys of winning and the sorrows of losing. But, the main reason why gaming has become so popular is that it offers entertainment unlike any other. The development of broadcasting and screen capturing software has made sharing gaming videos online possible, and in a little over a decade of YouTube’s existence, the platform is one of the best sources of gaming videos of all types.

Gaming YouTube channels, such as Jacksepticeye or Vanoss Gaming have millions of subscribers which makes them quite influential. So in this article, we will take a look at some of the top gaming YouTubers and rank them based on their popularity and the number of subscribers their channels have.

Top 10 Gaming YouTubers You Should Know

• VanossGaming
• Markiplier [Mark Edward Fischbach]
• Jacksepticeye [Seán William McLoughlin]
• DanTDM [Daniel Middleton]
• CaptainSparklez [Jordan Maron]
• The Game Theorists [Matthew Patrick]
• Game Grumps [Ross O’Donovan]
• I AM WILDCAT [Tyler Wine]
• H20Delirious [Jonathan Smith]
• PopularMMOs

1. VanossGaming [Evan Fong]

Evan Fong a 26-year-old from Toronto, Canada is the proud owner of one of the most influential gaming channels on YouTube. He is also labeled as one of the highest-paid YouTubers with a net worth of $15.5, second only to his colleague Daniel Middleton. The VanossGaming channel currently has over 23 million subscribers that give Evan a lot of influence on YouTube.

His videos cover all genres of popular video games, such as Grand Theft Auto or Call of Duty and they often feature him and his friends making jokes about the gameplay. The VanossGaming channel was created in 2011 and it currently has over 9 billion total views. Last year Evan launched the Rynx channel which focuses on music, but it is still far from being as influential as the channel that made Even famous.

2. Markiplier [Mark Edward Fischbach]

Even though Mark Fischbach is one of the top gaming YouTubers, his channel Markiplier also features comedy videos. With 20.5 million subscribers and a net worth of some $12.5 million, Mark is unquestionably one of the most influential gamers and YouTubers in the world today.

He mostly produces ‘Let’s Play’ gaming videos and he frequently covers horror and indie games like Slender: The Eight Pages or Surgeon Simulator, but he occasionally covers mainstream games like Minecraft. Mark is also famous for hosting live streams in which he collects donations for charitable causes. The Markiplier channel was created in May 2012 and a few years later, in 2014 it was ranked #61 on New Media Rockstars Top 100 Channels.

3. Jacksepticeye [Seán William McLoughlin]

Seán William McLoughlin is YouTube’s ‘most energetic YouTube commentator’ who currently lives in Brighton, England. He emphasizes his Irish origin by starting all of his videos by saying “Top of the mornin’ to ya laddies! My name is Jacksepticeye!, with a strong Irish accent.

Seán started creating Let’s Play gaming videos in 2012 and just a year later PewDiePie one of the most famous YouTubers ever mentioned him in one of his videos, and the Jacksepticeye channel got over 10.000 new subscribers in less than four days. At the moment, this YouTube channel has 9.4 billion total views and 19 million subscribers. He also appeared on Disney’s Polaris: Player Select show and RTÉ One’s The Late Late Show.

4. DanTDM [Daniel Middleton]

Besides being one of the top gaming YouTubers, Daniel Middleton, the 26-year-old man behind the DanTDM channel is also one of the richest gamers on YouTube with a net worth of $16.5 million. The videos Daniel uploads to his channel focus on different modes of Minecraft, and at first, the majority of his audience were children from 5 to 10 years old.

Daniel started his channel in 2012 under the name The Diamond Minecraft, but he changed it to DanTDM in 2016, since he started uploading videos of other video games such as Roblox games or Tomodachi Life. Currently, the DanTDM channel has 19 million subscribers same as his fellow YouTuber and compatriot Jacksepticeye.

5. CaptainSparklez [Jordan Maron]

A 26-year-old YouTuber, video game developer, and music producer from Los Angles, California, named Jordan Maron has been running the CaptainSparklez channel since 2010. Jordan mostly plays Minecraft in his videos, but he also uploads animations and mod and command block reviews.

His CaptainSparklez channel has over 10 million subscribers, while his other YouTube channels Maron Music, Jordan Maron, and CaptainSparklez2 have significantly fewer subscribers. Jordan often produces Minecraft-themed music video parodies, but in recent years he has also been creating original music for these videos. In 2015 he appeared as CaptainSparklez in the TV series Gamer’s Guide to Pretty Much Everything and the following year he made an appearance on the Bad Internet TV series.

6. The Game Theorists [Matthew Patrick]

Unlike most top gaming YouTubers, Matthew Patrick the man behind this brilliant channel is more focused on education and cultural aspects of video games. As the channel’s name suggests videos often feature several hosts that speak about different aspects of games.

Even though Matthew Patrick’s approach to gaming videos is somewhat unorthodox, his YouTube channel still has over 10 million subscribers. Since 2009, when the channel was initially created, The Game Theorists hosted a number of separate shows such as The SCIENCE or DeadLock. Some of the episodes of these shows are only available on channels hosted by other YouTubers, and you can find only a few episodes on The Game Theorists channel. Besides being a popular Internet personality, Matthew Patrick is also an accomplished writer, actor, and producer who graduated Summa Cum Laude from Duke University.

7. Game Grumps [Ross O’Donovan]

This comedy web series was started by Arin Hanson and Jon ‘JonTron’ Jafari in 2012, and a year later, Dan Avidan joined because Jafari went on to start his own ‘JonTron’ series. Currently, the Game Grumps YouTube channel has 4.5 million subscribers which makes it one of the most influential authorities on gaming.

Most episodes feature two hosts playing a video game, while commenting on the gameplay, stating their opinions, and often talking about unrelated subjects. The web series doesn’t cover a particular gaming genre, and most games the hosts play on the show are suggested by fans. The channel features special holiday-themed episodes that cover holiday editions of video games. Also in some episodes, Arin and Dan play the games alone, even though they frequently have guests on the show.

8. I AM WILDCAT [Tyler Wine]

Since 2011, when this popular gaming channel was created, it has amassed 6.2 million subscribers and over a billion total views. The 26-year old Indiana-based YouTuber named Tyler Wine became popular for his distinctive commentating style which often includes humor and sometimes even cursing.

In the early days of his career as a YouTube commentator, Tyler was mostly producing videos centered around Call of Duty but as he was securing his place among the top gaming YouTubers his videos started featuring Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto, or Garry’s Mode. Tyler has been uploading LetsPlay videos since 2012 to his WILDCATLetPlays channel that currently has a little over 200.000 subscribers. He uploaded videos to his channels weekly or once every two weeks in the past, but now he uploads videos to YouTube almost every day.

9. H20Delirious [Jonathan Smith]

The man behind the H20Delirious channel has managed to remain anonymous for more than a decade. This LetsPlay gaming channel was created in May 2007 and since then the channel’s owner has identified himself as just Jonathon. He even released prank videos in 2015 and 2017 in which he pretended to reveal his true identity.

However, Jonathon is a part of the VanossGaming crew and his H20Delirious channel has over 10 million subscribers which easily places him among the top gaming YouTubers. He creates LetsPlay videos for popular games like Fallout 4, Hitman, Fortnite, or Grand Theft Auto. The 31-old American’s trademark is his psychotic laughter and he is probably the owner of one of the oldest gaming channels on YouTube.

10. PopularMMOs

With more than 14 million subscribers and a net worth of approximately $7 million Patrick Brown, the guy who runs the PopularMMOs channel is one of the most successful gaming YouTubers. The channel was created in 2012 and since then it has hosted Minecraft Mob Battles, LetsPlay videos in epic mode, Arena Battles, and Minecraft Modes VS Maps videos.

Patrick’s wife Jennifer Flagg is also passionate about Minecraft and she has her own gaming channel on YouTube, called GamingWithJen. The couple frequently works on videos together and they’ve developed a series of characters like Captain Cookie or Jelly Bean that often appear in the videos. Patrick’s popular series include Hide & Seek Challenge, World of Warcraft, and The Crafting Dead.

Read More to Get: How to Reverse Search a Video >>

Conclusion

Being a top gaming YouTuber is a full-time job, that can generate a healthy income. The gaming industry is on the rise because a growing number of people enjoy watching videos that show them how to overcome difficulties they encounter in a game. The gamers and Internet personalities we included in this article are extremely influential and their videos reach millions of people around the globe. Do you think their popularity is going to continue to rise? We’d love to hear who’s is your favorite gaming YouTuber, so feel free to let us know in the comments.

If you are looking for the best Female Gamers on YouTube, check our article: Top 10 Female Gamers on YouTube

---

FAQ: Find More about Gaming YouTubers

1. Who is the most popular gaming Youtuber?

PewDiePie is very popular who has 105M subscribers. Besides, Vanoss Gaming, DanTDM, and The Game Theorists are also prevalent among youngsters.

2. How do you become a famous YouTube gamer?

The very first step is to choose the area you are good at. It can be commentary channels or tutorial channels, but it must be the channel you can handle effortlessly. After building your channel, don’t forget to take the feedbacks or comments seriously, and you can try to cooperate with other YouTubers.

3. What equipment do you need to be a YouTube gamer?

Actually, you don’t need too much equipment. All you need is a computer, a camera, a microphone, video editing software like Wondershare Filmora .

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Playing a video game is a thrilling experience because it makes us feel the joys of winning and the sorrows of losing. But, the main reason why gaming has become so popular is that it offers entertainment unlike any other. The development of broadcasting and screen capturing software has made sharing gaming videos online possible, and in a little over a decade of YouTube’s existence, the platform is one of the best sources of gaming videos of all types.

Gaming YouTube channels, such as Jacksepticeye or Vanoss Gaming have millions of subscribers which makes them quite influential. So in this article, we will take a look at some of the top gaming YouTubers and rank them based on their popularity and the number of subscribers their channels have.

Top 10 Gaming YouTubers You Should Know

• VanossGaming
• Markiplier [Mark Edward Fischbach]
• Jacksepticeye [Seán William McLoughlin]
• DanTDM [Daniel Middleton]
• CaptainSparklez [Jordan Maron]
• The Game Theorists [Matthew Patrick]
• Game Grumps [Ross O’Donovan]
• I AM WILDCAT [Tyler Wine]
• H20Delirious [Jonathan Smith]
• PopularMMOs

1. VanossGaming [Evan Fong]

Evan Fong a 26-year-old from Toronto, Canada is the proud owner of one of the most influential gaming channels on YouTube. He is also labeled as one of the highest-paid YouTubers with a net worth of $15.5, second only to his colleague Daniel Middleton. The VanossGaming channel currently has over 23 million subscribers that give Evan a lot of influence on YouTube.

His videos cover all genres of popular video games, such as Grand Theft Auto or Call of Duty and they often feature him and his friends making jokes about the gameplay. The VanossGaming channel was created in 2011 and it currently has over 9 billion total views. Last year Evan launched the Rynx channel which focuses on music, but it is still far from being as influential as the channel that made Even famous.

2. Markiplier [Mark Edward Fischbach]

Even though Mark Fischbach is one of the top gaming YouTubers, his channel Markiplier also features comedy videos. With 20.5 million subscribers and a net worth of some $12.5 million, Mark is unquestionably one of the most influential gamers and YouTubers in the world today.

He mostly produces ‘Let’s Play’ gaming videos and he frequently covers horror and indie games like Slender: The Eight Pages or Surgeon Simulator, but he occasionally covers mainstream games like Minecraft. Mark is also famous for hosting live streams in which he collects donations for charitable causes. The Markiplier channel was created in May 2012 and a few years later, in 2014 it was ranked #61 on New Media Rockstars Top 100 Channels.

3. Jacksepticeye [Seán William McLoughlin]

Seán William McLoughlin is YouTube’s ‘most energetic YouTube commentator’ who currently lives in Brighton, England. He emphasizes his Irish origin by starting all of his videos by saying “Top of the mornin’ to ya laddies! My name is Jacksepticeye!, with a strong Irish accent.

Seán started creating Let’s Play gaming videos in 2012 and just a year later PewDiePie one of the most famous YouTubers ever mentioned him in one of his videos, and the Jacksepticeye channel got over 10.000 new subscribers in less than four days. At the moment, this YouTube channel has 9.4 billion total views and 19 million subscribers. He also appeared on Disney’s Polaris: Player Select show and RTÉ One’s The Late Late Show.

4. DanTDM [Daniel Middleton]

Besides being one of the top gaming YouTubers, Daniel Middleton, the 26-year-old man behind the DanTDM channel is also one of the richest gamers on YouTube with a net worth of $16.5 million. The videos Daniel uploads to his channel focus on different modes of Minecraft, and at first, the majority of his audience were children from 5 to 10 years old.

Daniel started his channel in 2012 under the name The Diamond Minecraft, but he changed it to DanTDM in 2016, since he started uploading videos of other video games such as Roblox games or Tomodachi Life. Currently, the DanTDM channel has 19 million subscribers same as his fellow YouTuber and compatriot Jacksepticeye.

5. CaptainSparklez [Jordan Maron]

A 26-year-old YouTuber, video game developer, and music producer from Los Angles, California, named Jordan Maron has been running the CaptainSparklez channel since 2010. Jordan mostly plays Minecraft in his videos, but he also uploads animations and mod and command block reviews.

His CaptainSparklez channel has over 10 million subscribers, while his other YouTube channels Maron Music, Jordan Maron, and CaptainSparklez2 have significantly fewer subscribers. Jordan often produces Minecraft-themed music video parodies, but in recent years he has also been creating original music for these videos. In 2015 he appeared as CaptainSparklez in the TV series Gamer’s Guide to Pretty Much Everything and the following year he made an appearance on the Bad Internet TV series.

6. The Game Theorists [Matthew Patrick]

Unlike most top gaming YouTubers, Matthew Patrick the man behind this brilliant channel is more focused on education and cultural aspects of video games. As the channel’s name suggests videos often feature several hosts that speak about different aspects of games.

Even though Matthew Patrick’s approach to gaming videos is somewhat unorthodox, his YouTube channel still has over 10 million subscribers. Since 2009, when the channel was initially created, The Game Theorists hosted a number of separate shows such as The SCIENCE or DeadLock. Some of the episodes of these shows are only available on channels hosted by other YouTubers, and you can find only a few episodes on The Game Theorists channel. Besides being a popular Internet personality, Matthew Patrick is also an accomplished writer, actor, and producer who graduated Summa Cum Laude from Duke University.

7. Game Grumps [Ross O’Donovan]

This comedy web series was started by Arin Hanson and Jon ‘JonTron’ Jafari in 2012, and a year later, Dan Avidan joined because Jafari went on to start his own ‘JonTron’ series. Currently, the Game Grumps YouTube channel has 4.5 million subscribers which makes it one of the most influential authorities on gaming.

Most episodes feature two hosts playing a video game, while commenting on the gameplay, stating their opinions, and often talking about unrelated subjects. The web series doesn’t cover a particular gaming genre, and most games the hosts play on the show are suggested by fans. The channel features special holiday-themed episodes that cover holiday editions of video games. Also in some episodes, Arin and Dan play the games alone, even though they frequently have guests on the show.

8. I AM WILDCAT [Tyler Wine]

Since 2011, when this popular gaming channel was created, it has amassed 6.2 million subscribers and over a billion total views. The 26-year old Indiana-based YouTuber named Tyler Wine became popular for his distinctive commentating style which often includes humor and sometimes even cursing.

In the early days of his career as a YouTube commentator, Tyler was mostly producing videos centered around Call of Duty but as he was securing his place among the top gaming YouTubers his videos started featuring Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto, or Garry’s Mode. Tyler has been uploading LetsPlay videos since 2012 to his WILDCATLetPlays channel that currently has a little over 200.000 subscribers. He uploaded videos to his channels weekly or once every two weeks in the past, but now he uploads videos to YouTube almost every day.

9. H20Delirious [Jonathan Smith]

The man behind the H20Delirious channel has managed to remain anonymous for more than a decade. This LetsPlay gaming channel was created in May 2007 and since then the channel’s owner has identified himself as just Jonathon. He even released prank videos in 2015 and 2017 in which he pretended to reveal his true identity.

However, Jonathon is a part of the VanossGaming crew and his H20Delirious channel has over 10 million subscribers which easily places him among the top gaming YouTubers. He creates LetsPlay videos for popular games like Fallout 4, Hitman, Fortnite, or Grand Theft Auto. The 31-old American’s trademark is his psychotic laughter and he is probably the owner of one of the oldest gaming channels on YouTube.

10. PopularMMOs

With more than 14 million subscribers and a net worth of approximately $7 million Patrick Brown, the guy who runs the PopularMMOs channel is one of the most successful gaming YouTubers. The channel was created in 2012 and since then it has hosted Minecraft Mob Battles, LetsPlay videos in epic mode, Arena Battles, and Minecraft Modes VS Maps videos.

Patrick’s wife Jennifer Flagg is also passionate about Minecraft and she has her own gaming channel on YouTube, called GamingWithJen. The couple frequently works on videos together and they’ve developed a series of characters like Captain Cookie or Jelly Bean that often appear in the videos. Patrick’s popular series include Hide & Seek Challenge, World of Warcraft, and The Crafting Dead.

Read More to Get: How to Reverse Search a Video >>

Conclusion

Being a top gaming YouTuber is a full-time job, that can generate a healthy income. The gaming industry is on the rise because a growing number of people enjoy watching videos that show them how to overcome difficulties they encounter in a game. The gamers and Internet personalities we included in this article are extremely influential and their videos reach millions of people around the globe. Do you think their popularity is going to continue to rise? We’d love to hear who’s is your favorite gaming YouTuber, so feel free to let us know in the comments.

If you are looking for the best Female Gamers on YouTube, check our article: Top 10 Female Gamers on YouTube

---

FAQ: Find More about Gaming YouTubers

1. Who is the most popular gaming Youtuber?

PewDiePie is very popular who has 105M subscribers. Besides, Vanoss Gaming, DanTDM, and The Game Theorists are also prevalent among youngsters.

2. How do you become a famous YouTube gamer?

The very first step is to choose the area you are good at. It can be commentary channels or tutorial channels, but it must be the channel you can handle effortlessly. After building your channel, don’t forget to take the feedbacks or comments seriously, and you can try to cooperate with other YouTubers.

3. What equipment do you need to be a YouTube gamer?

Actually, you don’t need too much equipment. All you need is a computer, a camera, a microphone, video editing software like Wondershare Filmora .

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Playing a video game is a thrilling experience because it makes us feel the joys of winning and the sorrows of losing. But, the main reason why gaming has become so popular is that it offers entertainment unlike any other. The development of broadcasting and screen capturing software has made sharing gaming videos online possible, and in a little over a decade of YouTube’s existence, the platform is one of the best sources of gaming videos of all types.

Gaming YouTube channels, such as Jacksepticeye or Vanoss Gaming have millions of subscribers which makes them quite influential. So in this article, we will take a look at some of the top gaming YouTubers and rank them based on their popularity and the number of subscribers their channels have.

Top 10 Gaming YouTubers You Should Know

• VanossGaming
• Markiplier [Mark Edward Fischbach]
• Jacksepticeye [Seán William McLoughlin]
• DanTDM [Daniel Middleton]
• CaptainSparklez [Jordan Maron]
• The Game Theorists [Matthew Patrick]
• Game Grumps [Ross O’Donovan]
• I AM WILDCAT [Tyler Wine]
• H20Delirious [Jonathan Smith]
• PopularMMOs

1. VanossGaming [Evan Fong]

Evan Fong a 26-year-old from Toronto, Canada is the proud owner of one of the most influential gaming channels on YouTube. He is also labeled as one of the highest-paid YouTubers with a net worth of $15.5, second only to his colleague Daniel Middleton. The VanossGaming channel currently has over 23 million subscribers that give Evan a lot of influence on YouTube.

His videos cover all genres of popular video games, such as Grand Theft Auto or Call of Duty and they often feature him and his friends making jokes about the gameplay. The VanossGaming channel was created in 2011 and it currently has over 9 billion total views. Last year Evan launched the Rynx channel which focuses on music, but it is still far from being as influential as the channel that made Even famous.

2. Markiplier [Mark Edward Fischbach]

Even though Mark Fischbach is one of the top gaming YouTubers, his channel Markiplier also features comedy videos. With 20.5 million subscribers and a net worth of some $12.5 million, Mark is unquestionably one of the most influential gamers and YouTubers in the world today.

He mostly produces ‘Let’s Play’ gaming videos and he frequently covers horror and indie games like Slender: The Eight Pages or Surgeon Simulator, but he occasionally covers mainstream games like Minecraft. Mark is also famous for hosting live streams in which he collects donations for charitable causes. The Markiplier channel was created in May 2012 and a few years later, in 2014 it was ranked #61 on New Media Rockstars Top 100 Channels.

3. Jacksepticeye [Seán William McLoughlin]

Seán William McLoughlin is YouTube’s ‘most energetic YouTube commentator’ who currently lives in Brighton, England. He emphasizes his Irish origin by starting all of his videos by saying “Top of the mornin’ to ya laddies! My name is Jacksepticeye!, with a strong Irish accent.

Seán started creating Let’s Play gaming videos in 2012 and just a year later PewDiePie one of the most famous YouTubers ever mentioned him in one of his videos, and the Jacksepticeye channel got over 10.000 new subscribers in less than four days. At the moment, this YouTube channel has 9.4 billion total views and 19 million subscribers. He also appeared on Disney’s Polaris: Player Select show and RTÉ One’s The Late Late Show.

4. DanTDM [Daniel Middleton]

Besides being one of the top gaming YouTubers, Daniel Middleton, the 26-year-old man behind the DanTDM channel is also one of the richest gamers on YouTube with a net worth of $16.5 million. The videos Daniel uploads to his channel focus on different modes of Minecraft, and at first, the majority of his audience were children from 5 to 10 years old.

Daniel started his channel in 2012 under the name The Diamond Minecraft, but he changed it to DanTDM in 2016, since he started uploading videos of other video games such as Roblox games or Tomodachi Life. Currently, the DanTDM channel has 19 million subscribers same as his fellow YouTuber and compatriot Jacksepticeye.

5. CaptainSparklez [Jordan Maron]

A 26-year-old YouTuber, video game developer, and music producer from Los Angles, California, named Jordan Maron has been running the CaptainSparklez channel since 2010. Jordan mostly plays Minecraft in his videos, but he also uploads animations and mod and command block reviews.

His CaptainSparklez channel has over 10 million subscribers, while his other YouTube channels Maron Music, Jordan Maron, and CaptainSparklez2 have significantly fewer subscribers. Jordan often produces Minecraft-themed music video parodies, but in recent years he has also been creating original music for these videos. In 2015 he appeared as CaptainSparklez in the TV series Gamer’s Guide to Pretty Much Everything and the following year he made an appearance on the Bad Internet TV series.

6. The Game Theorists [Matthew Patrick]

Unlike most top gaming YouTubers, Matthew Patrick the man behind this brilliant channel is more focused on education and cultural aspects of video games. As the channel’s name suggests videos often feature several hosts that speak about different aspects of games.

Even though Matthew Patrick’s approach to gaming videos is somewhat unorthodox, his YouTube channel still has over 10 million subscribers. Since 2009, when the channel was initially created, The Game Theorists hosted a number of separate shows such as The SCIENCE or DeadLock. Some of the episodes of these shows are only available on channels hosted by other YouTubers, and you can find only a few episodes on The Game Theorists channel. Besides being a popular Internet personality, Matthew Patrick is also an accomplished writer, actor, and producer who graduated Summa Cum Laude from Duke University.

7. Game Grumps [Ross O’Donovan]

This comedy web series was started by Arin Hanson and Jon ‘JonTron’ Jafari in 2012, and a year later, Dan Avidan joined because Jafari went on to start his own ‘JonTron’ series. Currently, the Game Grumps YouTube channel has 4.5 million subscribers which makes it one of the most influential authorities on gaming.

Most episodes feature two hosts playing a video game, while commenting on the gameplay, stating their opinions, and often talking about unrelated subjects. The web series doesn’t cover a particular gaming genre, and most games the hosts play on the show are suggested by fans. The channel features special holiday-themed episodes that cover holiday editions of video games. Also in some episodes, Arin and Dan play the games alone, even though they frequently have guests on the show.

8. I AM WILDCAT [Tyler Wine]

Since 2011, when this popular gaming channel was created, it has amassed 6.2 million subscribers and over a billion total views. The 26-year old Indiana-based YouTuber named Tyler Wine became popular for his distinctive commentating style which often includes humor and sometimes even cursing.

In the early days of his career as a YouTube commentator, Tyler was mostly producing videos centered around Call of Duty but as he was securing his place among the top gaming YouTubers his videos started featuring Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto, or Garry’s Mode. Tyler has been uploading LetsPlay videos since 2012 to his WILDCATLetPlays channel that currently has a little over 200.000 subscribers. He uploaded videos to his channels weekly or once every two weeks in the past, but now he uploads videos to YouTube almost every day.

9. H20Delirious [Jonathan Smith]

The man behind the H20Delirious channel has managed to remain anonymous for more than a decade. This LetsPlay gaming channel was created in May 2007 and since then the channel’s owner has identified himself as just Jonathon. He even released prank videos in 2015 and 2017 in which he pretended to reveal his true identity.

However, Jonathon is a part of the VanossGaming crew and his H20Delirious channel has over 10 million subscribers which easily places him among the top gaming YouTubers. He creates LetsPlay videos for popular games like Fallout 4, Hitman, Fortnite, or Grand Theft Auto. The 31-old American’s trademark is his psychotic laughter and he is probably the owner of one of the oldest gaming channels on YouTube.

10. PopularMMOs

With more than 14 million subscribers and a net worth of approximately $7 million Patrick Brown, the guy who runs the PopularMMOs channel is one of the most successful gaming YouTubers. The channel was created in 2012 and since then it has hosted Minecraft Mob Battles, LetsPlay videos in epic mode, Arena Battles, and Minecraft Modes VS Maps videos.

Patrick’s wife Jennifer Flagg is also passionate about Minecraft and she has her own gaming channel on YouTube, called GamingWithJen. The couple frequently works on videos together and they’ve developed a series of characters like Captain Cookie or Jelly Bean that often appear in the videos. Patrick’s popular series include Hide & Seek Challenge, World of Warcraft, and The Crafting Dead.

Read More to Get: How to Reverse Search a Video >>

Conclusion

Being a top gaming YouTuber is a full-time job, that can generate a healthy income. The gaming industry is on the rise because a growing number of people enjoy watching videos that show them how to overcome difficulties they encounter in a game. The gamers and Internet personalities we included in this article are extremely influential and their videos reach millions of people around the globe. Do you think their popularity is going to continue to rise? We’d love to hear who’s is your favorite gaming YouTuber, so feel free to let us know in the comments.

If you are looking for the best Female Gamers on YouTube, check our article: Top 10 Female Gamers on YouTube

---

FAQ: Find More about Gaming YouTubers

1. Who is the most popular gaming Youtuber?

PewDiePie is very popular who has 105M subscribers. Besides, Vanoss Gaming, DanTDM, and The Game Theorists are also prevalent among youngsters.

2. How do you become a famous YouTube gamer?

The very first step is to choose the area you are good at. It can be commentary channels or tutorial channels, but it must be the channel you can handle effortlessly. After building your channel, don’t forget to take the feedbacks or comments seriously, and you can try to cooperate with other YouTubers.

3. What equipment do you need to be a YouTube gamer?

Actually, you don’t need too much equipment. All you need is a computer, a camera, a microphone, video editing software like Wondershare Filmora .

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Creative Commons Legalities Explained Simply

How to Use Creative Commons Copyright Licenses [Complete Guide]

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

You might have noticed that, when you post a video, you get to choose how you want to copyright it: standard license, or creative commons. You’ve also probably noticed that when you looking for royalty-free music or stock footage a lot of it is licensed through creative commons.

So, what exactly are creative commons ?

To hold the copyright to a creative work means that you own it, and anybody who wants to use your work for anything (i.e. uses a song you composed in their YouTube video) has to do so on your terms. When you license your work through creative commons you do not give up your rights to your creative work (a common misconception).

When you use a creative commons license you are outlining the terms under which other creators are allowed to use your creations in their projects for free if they credit you for your work.

If you do not want anyone using your work for free in any context, you stick to traditional copyrighting.

But if you’ve created a piece of music, a photograph, or a clip that you wouldn’t mind other people using, potentially as a way to get your name out there, you might want to consider creative commons.

There are 6 different creative commons licenses. Which is right for you will depend on your answers to these two questions:

Are you okay with a creator making money off of something they create using your work?

Are you okay with a creator producing a derivative of your work?

To say ‘no derivatives’ is to say ‘I’m okay with people using it, so long as they don’t change it’. One example of a derivative is a techno remix of a song. If you are alright with other creators making derivatives of your work, you may also want to require them to ‘ShareAlike’. ShareAlike means that the creator of that techno remix of your song has to use the same creative commons license you used for your original to distribute the remix.

An example of a derivative someone might make of a YouTube video would be auto-tuning it to make a song or cutting up your video to make one that’s just ‘the funny parts’.

Here are the 6 creative commons licenses, and a chart you can use as a quick reference tool.

Attribution – CC BY

If you’re using music or other media with this license, all you need to do is credit the artist.

If you license your video this way, people can do whatever they like with any element of it (video or sound) so long as they credit you. I.e. if someone wanted to mute your clips and use you as stock footage in a bigger project, they could.

Attribution-ShareAlike – CC BY-SA

If you use music, photos, or any other media licensed this way, then you must both credit the artist and license your video this same way. Meaning, you can’t use YouTube’s standard license and must instead allow for others to use your work the way you are using the licensed media.

If you apply this license to your video, you’re saying you don’t mind people using all or portions of your video for their project so long as they allow others to use their work in the same way.

Attribution-NoDerivs – CC BY-ND

This one can get tricky.

Essentially, you can use media licensed this way so long as you don’t alter it or create a different version. For example, you can’t take a song licensed this way and use it in a mashup with another song. That part is clear. Where it gets tricky is when you want to use a song in your video.

Under normal copyright rules, using a royalty-free song in the background of your video would not count as creating a derivative. The definition of derivative according to creative commons is a bit broader and includes ‘syncing’. This means you can’t take an ‘Attribution-NoDerivs’ song and create any kind of music video for it.

For example, you can’t edit clips of yourself snowboarding so that they’re in sync with a song that has this license.

Whether or not you can play the song in the background of your vlog while you are speaking can be a bit of a grey area. In theory, it shouldn’t be a problem, but if you’re accessing the music through a social site like SoundCloud then it might be best to ask the artist first.

There’s no reason to license your YouTube videos this way. If people cannot alter your video, all that’s left is for them to repost it. Even though they’d also be crediting you, they’d still essentially be stealing views and ad revenue from your original video.

Attribution-NonCommercial – CC BY-NC

If you’re using stock footage, music, or stock photos licensed this way then you should still be able to monetize your video. YouTube monetization and commercial use are different things. However, there is a lot of confusion about this issue, and chances are the rights holder intends for this license to mean ‘no monetization’.

What you definitely could not do with a NonCommercial license is to use the song/other media in an actual commercial for a product, including product placement that a brand is paying you for.

If you license your video this way, people can use it in whatever way they like so long as they credit you and don’t try to make money off of it. Once again, that doesn’t mean they can’t use it in a YouTube video which they monetize because, technically, they’d be making money off of the ad that ran ahead of the video and not the video itself.

The thing to be careful of with this license is that it’s not ‘ShareAlike’. So, if you license your video this way somebody could use your clips as stock footage and then provide them - as part of their project – for free to a third person to use in a project they were making money off of.

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike – CC BY-NC-SA

Music and other media with an ‘Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike’ license can be used in and altered for your videos, so long as you aren’t making money off those videos. You must also use this same license for the video you create using elements licensed this way.

If you license your video this way, people can use it or a portion of it in their project if they credit you. They must also use this same license for their video if they do. This protects you from the situation where a third person who never licensed your original content is making money off of it.

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs – CC BY-NC-ND

There aren’t many situations where you would be using media licensed this way in your YouTube videos. You can’t alter it, sync videos to it, or make money from any video that uses it.

You also probably shouldn’t use this license for your videos. ‘NoDerivs’ means there are not many ways people could use your content, except to repost full videos and steal your views.

Edit Video with the Most Excellent Video Editor

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

You might have noticed that, when you post a video, you get to choose how you want to copyright it: standard license, or creative commons. You’ve also probably noticed that when you looking for royalty-free music or stock footage a lot of it is licensed through creative commons.

So, what exactly are creative commons ?

To hold the copyright to a creative work means that you own it, and anybody who wants to use your work for anything (i.e. uses a song you composed in their YouTube video) has to do so on your terms. When you license your work through creative commons you do not give up your rights to your creative work (a common misconception).

When you use a creative commons license you are outlining the terms under which other creators are allowed to use your creations in their projects for free if they credit you for your work.

If you do not want anyone using your work for free in any context, you stick to traditional copyrighting.

But if you’ve created a piece of music, a photograph, or a clip that you wouldn’t mind other people using, potentially as a way to get your name out there, you might want to consider creative commons.

There are 6 different creative commons licenses. Which is right for you will depend on your answers to these two questions:

Are you okay with a creator making money off of something they create using your work?

Are you okay with a creator producing a derivative of your work?

To say ‘no derivatives’ is to say ‘I’m okay with people using it, so long as they don’t change it’. One example of a derivative is a techno remix of a song. If you are alright with other creators making derivatives of your work, you may also want to require them to ‘ShareAlike’. ShareAlike means that the creator of that techno remix of your song has to use the same creative commons license you used for your original to distribute the remix.

An example of a derivative someone might make of a YouTube video would be auto-tuning it to make a song or cutting up your video to make one that’s just ‘the funny parts’.

Here are the 6 creative commons licenses, and a chart you can use as a quick reference tool.

Attribution – CC BY

If you’re using music or other media with this license, all you need to do is credit the artist.

If you license your video this way, people can do whatever they like with any element of it (video or sound) so long as they credit you. I.e. if someone wanted to mute your clips and use you as stock footage in a bigger project, they could.

Attribution-ShareAlike – CC BY-SA

If you use music, photos, or any other media licensed this way, then you must both credit the artist and license your video this same way. Meaning, you can’t use YouTube’s standard license and must instead allow for others to use your work the way you are using the licensed media.

If you apply this license to your video, you’re saying you don’t mind people using all or portions of your video for their project so long as they allow others to use their work in the same way.

Attribution-NoDerivs – CC BY-ND

This one can get tricky.

Essentially, you can use media licensed this way so long as you don’t alter it or create a different version. For example, you can’t take a song licensed this way and use it in a mashup with another song. That part is clear. Where it gets tricky is when you want to use a song in your video.

Under normal copyright rules, using a royalty-free song in the background of your video would not count as creating a derivative. The definition of derivative according to creative commons is a bit broader and includes ‘syncing’. This means you can’t take an ‘Attribution-NoDerivs’ song and create any kind of music video for it.

For example, you can’t edit clips of yourself snowboarding so that they’re in sync with a song that has this license.

Whether or not you can play the song in the background of your vlog while you are speaking can be a bit of a grey area. In theory, it shouldn’t be a problem, but if you’re accessing the music through a social site like SoundCloud then it might be best to ask the artist first.

There’s no reason to license your YouTube videos this way. If people cannot alter your video, all that’s left is for them to repost it. Even though they’d also be crediting you, they’d still essentially be stealing views and ad revenue from your original video.

Attribution-NonCommercial – CC BY-NC

If you’re using stock footage, music, or stock photos licensed this way then you should still be able to monetize your video. YouTube monetization and commercial use are different things. However, there is a lot of confusion about this issue, and chances are the rights holder intends for this license to mean ‘no monetization’.

What you definitely could not do with a NonCommercial license is to use the song/other media in an actual commercial for a product, including product placement that a brand is paying you for.

If you license your video this way, people can use it in whatever way they like so long as they credit you and don’t try to make money off of it. Once again, that doesn’t mean they can’t use it in a YouTube video which they monetize because, technically, they’d be making money off of the ad that ran ahead of the video and not the video itself.

The thing to be careful of with this license is that it’s not ‘ShareAlike’. So, if you license your video this way somebody could use your clips as stock footage and then provide them - as part of their project – for free to a third person to use in a project they were making money off of.

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike – CC BY-NC-SA

Music and other media with an ‘Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike’ license can be used in and altered for your videos, so long as you aren’t making money off those videos. You must also use this same license for the video you create using elements licensed this way.

If you license your video this way, people can use it or a portion of it in their project if they credit you. They must also use this same license for their video if they do. This protects you from the situation where a third person who never licensed your original content is making money off of it.

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs – CC BY-NC-ND

There aren’t many situations where you would be using media licensed this way in your YouTube videos. You can’t alter it, sync videos to it, or make money from any video that uses it.

You also probably shouldn’t use this license for your videos. ‘NoDerivs’ means there are not many ways people could use your content, except to repost full videos and steal your views.

Edit Video with the Most Excellent Video Editor

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

You might have noticed that, when you post a video, you get to choose how you want to copyright it: standard license, or creative commons. You’ve also probably noticed that when you looking for royalty-free music or stock footage a lot of it is licensed through creative commons.

So, what exactly are creative commons ?

To hold the copyright to a creative work means that you own it, and anybody who wants to use your work for anything (i.e. uses a song you composed in their YouTube video) has to do so on your terms. When you license your work through creative commons you do not give up your rights to your creative work (a common misconception).

When you use a creative commons license you are outlining the terms under which other creators are allowed to use your creations in their projects for free if they credit you for your work.

If you do not want anyone using your work for free in any context, you stick to traditional copyrighting.

But if you’ve created a piece of music, a photograph, or a clip that you wouldn’t mind other people using, potentially as a way to get your name out there, you might want to consider creative commons.

There are 6 different creative commons licenses. Which is right for you will depend on your answers to these two questions:

Are you okay with a creator making money off of something they create using your work?

Are you okay with a creator producing a derivative of your work?

To say ‘no derivatives’ is to say ‘I’m okay with people using it, so long as they don’t change it’. One example of a derivative is a techno remix of a song. If you are alright with other creators making derivatives of your work, you may also want to require them to ‘ShareAlike’. ShareAlike means that the creator of that techno remix of your song has to use the same creative commons license you used for your original to distribute the remix.

An example of a derivative someone might make of a YouTube video would be auto-tuning it to make a song or cutting up your video to make one that’s just ‘the funny parts’.

Here are the 6 creative commons licenses, and a chart you can use as a quick reference tool.

Attribution – CC BY

If you’re using music or other media with this license, all you need to do is credit the artist.

If you license your video this way, people can do whatever they like with any element of it (video or sound) so long as they credit you. I.e. if someone wanted to mute your clips and use you as stock footage in a bigger project, they could.

Attribution-ShareAlike – CC BY-SA

If you use music, photos, or any other media licensed this way, then you must both credit the artist and license your video this same way. Meaning, you can’t use YouTube’s standard license and must instead allow for others to use your work the way you are using the licensed media.

If you apply this license to your video, you’re saying you don’t mind people using all or portions of your video for their project so long as they allow others to use their work in the same way.

Attribution-NoDerivs – CC BY-ND

This one can get tricky.

Essentially, you can use media licensed this way so long as you don’t alter it or create a different version. For example, you can’t take a song licensed this way and use it in a mashup with another song. That part is clear. Where it gets tricky is when you want to use a song in your video.

Under normal copyright rules, using a royalty-free song in the background of your video would not count as creating a derivative. The definition of derivative according to creative commons is a bit broader and includes ‘syncing’. This means you can’t take an ‘Attribution-NoDerivs’ song and create any kind of music video for it.

For example, you can’t edit clips of yourself snowboarding so that they’re in sync with a song that has this license.

Whether or not you can play the song in the background of your vlog while you are speaking can be a bit of a grey area. In theory, it shouldn’t be a problem, but if you’re accessing the music through a social site like SoundCloud then it might be best to ask the artist first.

There’s no reason to license your YouTube videos this way. If people cannot alter your video, all that’s left is for them to repost it. Even though they’d also be crediting you, they’d still essentially be stealing views and ad revenue from your original video.

Attribution-NonCommercial – CC BY-NC

If you’re using stock footage, music, or stock photos licensed this way then you should still be able to monetize your video. YouTube monetization and commercial use are different things. However, there is a lot of confusion about this issue, and chances are the rights holder intends for this license to mean ‘no monetization’.

What you definitely could not do with a NonCommercial license is to use the song/other media in an actual commercial for a product, including product placement that a brand is paying you for.

If you license your video this way, people can use it in whatever way they like so long as they credit you and don’t try to make money off of it. Once again, that doesn’t mean they can’t use it in a YouTube video which they monetize because, technically, they’d be making money off of the ad that ran ahead of the video and not the video itself.

The thing to be careful of with this license is that it’s not ‘ShareAlike’. So, if you license your video this way somebody could use your clips as stock footage and then provide them - as part of their project – for free to a third person to use in a project they were making money off of.

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike – CC BY-NC-SA

Music and other media with an ‘Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike’ license can be used in and altered for your videos, so long as you aren’t making money off those videos. You must also use this same license for the video you create using elements licensed this way.

If you license your video this way, people can use it or a portion of it in their project if they credit you. They must also use this same license for their video if they do. This protects you from the situation where a third person who never licensed your original content is making money off of it.

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs – CC BY-NC-ND

There aren’t many situations where you would be using media licensed this way in your YouTube videos. You can’t alter it, sync videos to it, or make money from any video that uses it.

You also probably shouldn’t use this license for your videos. ‘NoDerivs’ means there are not many ways people could use your content, except to repost full videos and steal your views.

Edit Video with the Most Excellent Video Editor

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

You might have noticed that, when you post a video, you get to choose how you want to copyright it: standard license, or creative commons. You’ve also probably noticed that when you looking for royalty-free music or stock footage a lot of it is licensed through creative commons.

So, what exactly are creative commons ?

To hold the copyright to a creative work means that you own it, and anybody who wants to use your work for anything (i.e. uses a song you composed in their YouTube video) has to do so on your terms. When you license your work through creative commons you do not give up your rights to your creative work (a common misconception).

When you use a creative commons license you are outlining the terms under which other creators are allowed to use your creations in their projects for free if they credit you for your work.

If you do not want anyone using your work for free in any context, you stick to traditional copyrighting.

But if you’ve created a piece of music, a photograph, or a clip that you wouldn’t mind other people using, potentially as a way to get your name out there, you might want to consider creative commons.

There are 6 different creative commons licenses. Which is right for you will depend on your answers to these two questions:

Are you okay with a creator making money off of something they create using your work?

Are you okay with a creator producing a derivative of your work?

To say ‘no derivatives’ is to say ‘I’m okay with people using it, so long as they don’t change it’. One example of a derivative is a techno remix of a song. If you are alright with other creators making derivatives of your work, you may also want to require them to ‘ShareAlike’. ShareAlike means that the creator of that techno remix of your song has to use the same creative commons license you used for your original to distribute the remix.

An example of a derivative someone might make of a YouTube video would be auto-tuning it to make a song or cutting up your video to make one that’s just ‘the funny parts’.

Here are the 6 creative commons licenses, and a chart you can use as a quick reference tool.

Attribution – CC BY

If you’re using music or other media with this license, all you need to do is credit the artist.

If you license your video this way, people can do whatever they like with any element of it (video or sound) so long as they credit you. I.e. if someone wanted to mute your clips and use you as stock footage in a bigger project, they could.

Attribution-ShareAlike – CC BY-SA

If you use music, photos, or any other media licensed this way, then you must both credit the artist and license your video this same way. Meaning, you can’t use YouTube’s standard license and must instead allow for others to use your work the way you are using the licensed media.

If you apply this license to your video, you’re saying you don’t mind people using all or portions of your video for their project so long as they allow others to use their work in the same way.

Attribution-NoDerivs – CC BY-ND

This one can get tricky.

Essentially, you can use media licensed this way so long as you don’t alter it or create a different version. For example, you can’t take a song licensed this way and use it in a mashup with another song. That part is clear. Where it gets tricky is when you want to use a song in your video.

Under normal copyright rules, using a royalty-free song in the background of your video would not count as creating a derivative. The definition of derivative according to creative commons is a bit broader and includes ‘syncing’. This means you can’t take an ‘Attribution-NoDerivs’ song and create any kind of music video for it.

For example, you can’t edit clips of yourself snowboarding so that they’re in sync with a song that has this license.

Whether or not you can play the song in the background of your vlog while you are speaking can be a bit of a grey area. In theory, it shouldn’t be a problem, but if you’re accessing the music through a social site like SoundCloud then it might be best to ask the artist first.

There’s no reason to license your YouTube videos this way. If people cannot alter your video, all that’s left is for them to repost it. Even though they’d also be crediting you, they’d still essentially be stealing views and ad revenue from your original video.

Attribution-NonCommercial – CC BY-NC

If you’re using stock footage, music, or stock photos licensed this way then you should still be able to monetize your video. YouTube monetization and commercial use are different things. However, there is a lot of confusion about this issue, and chances are the rights holder intends for this license to mean ‘no monetization’.

What you definitely could not do with a NonCommercial license is to use the song/other media in an actual commercial for a product, including product placement that a brand is paying you for.

If you license your video this way, people can use it in whatever way they like so long as they credit you and don’t try to make money off of it. Once again, that doesn’t mean they can’t use it in a YouTube video which they monetize because, technically, they’d be making money off of the ad that ran ahead of the video and not the video itself.

The thing to be careful of with this license is that it’s not ‘ShareAlike’. So, if you license your video this way somebody could use your clips as stock footage and then provide them - as part of their project – for free to a third person to use in a project they were making money off of.

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike – CC BY-NC-SA

Music and other media with an ‘Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike’ license can be used in and altered for your videos, so long as you aren’t making money off those videos. You must also use this same license for the video you create using elements licensed this way.

If you license your video this way, people can use it or a portion of it in their project if they credit you. They must also use this same license for their video if they do. This protects you from the situation where a third person who never licensed your original content is making money off of it.

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs – CC BY-NC-ND

There aren’t many situations where you would be using media licensed this way in your YouTube videos. You can’t alter it, sync videos to it, or make money from any video that uses it.

You also probably shouldn’t use this license for your videos. ‘NoDerivs’ means there are not many ways people could use your content, except to repost full videos and steal your views.

Edit Video with the Most Excellent Video Editor

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett