Hey guys--ugh that was going through puberty right there.
Hey guys! So today's video is a little bit different which is why I wanted to
take a minute to sit on the couch and explain to you what it is and why I
would upload it to the channel. So this summer--obviously--has been crazy. There's
been a lot of stuff going on: gone to conventions, there's been a lot of events
that I've been going to, and I know that a lot of you aren't able to attend those
sorts of things; you're either international or you can't afford to
attend
you know conventions or things like that they're not happening in your area. So
this video is a speech that I gave at this year's VidCon. I was fortunate
enough to be selected as one of their keynote speakers for all of the "Creator"
badge holders at the event. Not every YouTuber gets a chance to deliver a
keynote speech so this was a huge opportunity for me and something I was
really proud to be able to do. So I wanted to take the time to to actually
upload this video to you guys so that way even though you might not have been
able to make it to that event you'll still be able to, you know, experience it
in some part on the channel. So anyway without any further ado here is my
speech from VidCon 2016
I hope you enjoy it. And don't worry there's a game theory coming up on Saturday so
if you don't enjoy it
you'll enjoy Part 2 of Pokémon.
[Cool music plays]
Wow! I get really cool music to enter in on. That was that was exciting and then they
just cut it off.
Uh, hey! Hi! I'm, uh, MatPat from Game Theory and Film Theory for the front section
here that knows who I am.
Fantastic, thank you. For, uh, everyone in this side of the room who doesn't know who I
am
Uh, basically what I do on the channels are apply science, math, and history to video
games, movies, and TV to basically ruin your childhood.
Uh, so everything from, you know, Mario is a sociopathic killer to Sonic is slow
to, you know, Finding Dory. Dory is actually a con artist who takes
advantage of Marlin because she doesn't actually have short-term memory loss and
Zootopia
(surprise! surprise!) is not about animals but it's about 1980's crack
cocaine conspiracies.
Uh, you know, your typical YouTube video, right? Yeah! I'm in that part
of YouTube again. It's sweet, uh, but I wanted to come up here today because this is
the- the Creator Summit, right? To tell you about this story that I had from a year
ago that kind of changed the way that- about- change the way that I look at my
own content but also at YouTube in general, right? So this was a year ago, I
was at a gaming convention called SGC in Dallas, Texas--
no one has ever been there before apparently--one, one person is pretending
like they've been there before, and you know I've been going there for the last
three years and it was the end of the Convention and so there were some
speakers still left around lingering there were some other fans who were there
around lingering and we decided, "Hey we have another night in Dallas
let's go to an arcade."
Because that's what gamers do. They play video games. Way to reinforce
the stereotype
So we go to Dave and Busters we go play at the arcade it's a great night
it's a lot of fun
I won at air hockey it was sweet--uh-huh
but then at the end of the night these three kids who had I just met earlier that
evening came up to me and they're like, "Hey, MatPat!
You're not a douche bag."
"E- Excuse me?" *laughter* "What?"
"You're not a douche bag."
Like, "Oh, awesome thank you...
I guess for the compliment; uh, care to explain what's going on here?"
Uh, long story short basically they explained to me that because of the
nature of the videos that we do--which are really research, really scientific
you know the character that I put on in the videos themselves--they thought I was
this arrogant know-it-all prick who was a jerk and in short a douche bag. And I'm
like, "Wow, okay."
Uh-huh, and then something about hanging out with me that night and getting to
play video games together and getting to hang out and talk and just spend some
time together all of a sudden they're like, "Hey! You know what?
MatPat isn't such a douche bag and that's pretty cool and I want to tell
him that." As we're standing in front of that air hockey table and and that
really made me think about who I am and what I do online. Because this whole time
I had thought that like the character that I play on Game Theory was easily
distinguishable from "MatPat the human."
There's MatPat on Game Theory who's like, "Hello internet! Welcome to Game Theory!"
and the-- *Cheers*
Yes! Awesome! Some people like that character. Fantastic! Uh, but apparently
there were people who didn't get that. Like, "Yes, it's a character and it's a
heightened version of myself," but SPOILER ALERT I'm not going around and being
like, "Hey Shigeru Miyamoto from Nintendo! Mario is a sociopathic killer! No
discussions!" 'Dropping the mic' or like, "Hey, Pixar your movies are really depressing!
Aww but that's just a theory! Suck on that!" Or like, "Aww Scott
Cawthon you know Five Nights at Freddy's ruined my life!"
Actually that one's true; I would go around and say that.
But the thing was, you know, there were people out there who were mistaking
"MatPat the character" from "MatPat the human being";
The one with a cat and a stuffed animal and a wife who sits on a couch and plays
video games. And so I realized that, "Hey! YouTube isn't necessarily about the
content, as much." Like, I've been at VidCon for four years now;
it has been four years and every year there's always a panel like this or a
speech or someone.. um.. something where someone is like, "Content is king! Content is
king! Content is king!"
It's the catchphrase of YouTube: if you create good stuff, and you upload it to
YouTube it's gonna rise to the top and you will profit!" That moment made me
realize that that's not entirely true...
Content is important, don't get me wrong! You need to have interesting videos that
are thought-provoking and well produced and and differentiated from everything
else in the space, but what truly matters and what truly brings people back for
more,
is personality. And having a connection with an audience and not being afraid to
be your genuine self. And that seems really cliché to say, right? I'm sure a lot of
people say like, "Aww be yourself! Aww make an authentic connection with your
audience!"
But it's true. Youtube viewers are excited to connect with you as creators
because they want a bigger, you know, they want an older brother or older sister.
They want a friend to hang out with on weekends. They want someone that they can
bring into their bedroom--in a PC way-- on their computers or on their tablets and
sit with and watch their videos as they get ready to go to bed. Or if you're like
ShayCarl types, they want, you know, a mother or father figure that they can
look up to. That's--apparently all based on my fanfictions everyone thinks i'm
going to adopt them--which is weird. Or have sex with Markiplier which is even weirder
Haha, strange. Um, but that's the thing, at the end of the day; they want to get to
know a person.
Yes, you can have a character, and yes, you can have a heightened version of
yourself but they want to get to know you as individuals. And that's the
important thing here. So it made me look at what I was doing online and look at
this show that I had been producing for the last four years and it encouraged
me and inspired me to: "Hey!
do videos that are more about, like, my opinions on things. Things that I'm
passionate about that I wouldn't have covered otherwise. Do things like, "Hey, say
yes to Markiplier and do a FNAF musical or do a rap battle with CaptainSparklez
while sucking helium--or one of the biggest changes that we made on the
channel was doing live streaming on a regular basis. Where it is
me, and my wife, and my cat, and my stuffed animal on the couch playing video games
to say: "Hey!
At this point we have 10 million subscribers across all these channels
but I'm still here; I'm still a person; I'm still a human that you want to hang
out with and I'm listening to you and I can't talk to each and every one of you
individually because there's so many of you, but I want to talk to as many of you
as possible!
I am present and excited to be here with you.
That's what that night at Dave & Buster's taught me.
Dave & Buster's truly like a philosophical place you know revelatory
moments there!
The reason I bring this up, though, is because--and the reason i wanted to talk
about it here--was every year, i get asked at panels, on the-on the show floor
things like that, "How can I be the next PewDiePie?"
"How can I be the next Jacksepticeye?" "I want to be Markiplier." "I want to be
ShayCarl or Grace Helbig or MatPat." You know, "How can that be me?" And the truth is,
you won't be the next PewDiePie, you won't be the next Markiplier, but that's
in a good way
you shouldn't be--because you're not Felix, you're not Mark.
You should be you! There's room enough on the platform for you! You should be the
next "Sarah" or "XXSephirothlover59" or "I do cute cat makeup63"
You know, "CuteGirlHairstylesAreTheBest41" Whatever, like, if you have a
passion you do you, but do
you.
That's important. Because at the end of the day, this--like, yes there are
haters on-on youtube, and yes it sucks when you're like, "I did this thing and I'm
passionate about it and I love this and I hope you guys like it!" and there's always
that one comment that's like, "You are the worst!"
"I hate you!" "You suck!" "You're ugly!" Whatever it is, but you have to remember that
those hundred, those thousand comments on the other side that are like, these are
great! Yes this one might stick with you and it hurts, but 'these' are what you're
doing it for and this is what matters.
Those are people who are accepting you and re- who are accepting you for who
you are and excited and connecting with you in a personal way.
That's what this is about so, no; would I love to be the next Markiplier?
Absolutely! I wish I had a voice as deepest as his, and as sexy as his quite
honestly, like--
[in a deep voice] "No no no no no no!"
Ah-haha It's awesome; he's super cool. But I'm not! I'm not; I'm a nerd with an
over-analytical brain who looks at movies and starts to think up weird
conspiracy theories about them. That's what I do. And you know what? I can't be the
next Markiplier, but I can be the best MatPat that I can be, and that's the
true thing that I wanted to leave you with today: Is that the beauty of YouTube,
is in the "you".
There's always room for you on this platform when there's thousands of
channels coming up, when there's so much competition on the platform,
there's room for you. Don't be afraid to be yourself.
Thank you guys!
*audience cheers*
Give it up for MatPat! *more cheers*