YouTube was first launched as a public internet video sharing platform way back 2005. From the initial Me at the Zoo video clip uploaded by co-founder Jawed Karim, YouTube grew through the years and as of 2017, has an estimated 7 Billion videos uploaded to it.

Such is the power of YouTube that over 5 billion videos are watched on a daily basis. Of course there are all kinds of videos on YouTube and the platform has to adhere to certain restrictions which are defined by law with regards to the uploads but as long as the upload meets the set standards and proves to be interesting to viewers, the possibility of garnering views to the millions or in certain cases billions has been achieved time and again.

Naturally, topics of interest attract the most views from the general public and one of these is of course gaming. Video and computer games has a huge market and in today’s online age, well, almost everybody plays. Because of this, people involved with games whether they make it or play it have made use of You Tube as a public medium to show and share their passion for gaming.

Game related uploads started to increase that today, around 15% of total YouTube content is related to electronic gaming. To make matters worst, You Tube added a monetization feature for its uploads in the form of advertisements added or posted to the video. By this time, gamers started uploading games that they played in addition to uploads by game reviewers and critics that prompted anyone and everyone who could hold a joystick to join in the fun and populate the bandwagon so to speak.

YouTube was getting massive amounts of uploads from these people and the views where sky rocketing as the activity became sort of an industry in itself. Since almost everyone doing this was a gamer in one way or the other, these YouTubers or uploaders where categorically called YouTube Gamers.

There are several kinds of YouTube gamers and we will present them and what they do in this series of articles which will explore why these gamers have become popular, what is it that they do and why so many are engaged in the activity. To give a brief introduction to what this article series will tackle, let us take a quick look at the major divisions of the YouTube gamer contents one will find on the platform.

To grow a gaming channel and make it survive through the years, one has to come up with something unique that will grab the attention of viewers and maintain it as long as one can. Most you tube gamers would upload their game plays and add commentaries of all sorts to them. From the subdued to the downright psycho and hilarious, many of these gamers are able to maintain the attention of a large following of viewers and as in the case of Felix Ulf Kjellberg (aka PewDiePie) amass a fortune as well.

Some game related companies or certain individuals would put out reviews of the games that they played. Some objective and serious, some based more on opinion and some are balanced and well done. These include reviews from companies like IGN and the personal reviews or rants from people like that angry gamer Joe Vargas known to his fans as Angry Joe.

Another group of YouTube gamers worth mentioning are those who broadcast live their game play mostly on online tournaments and eSport matches from League of Legends to CSGO. There are several Internet streaming services that these people use like YouTube's very own YouTube Gaming and the de facto Twitch. They would then record their game plays and upload it as well onto You Tube for replay and viewer value. eSports events are usually broadcasted to the online public this way. YouTube gamers like Julia Kreuzer (Miss Rage of CSGO fame) has already amassed a large following of admirers through her gameplays and her beauty as well.

Not all gamers upload their game plays. Some upload content related to games, game developments, game companies and to gamers themselves. The content usually depends on the YouTube gamer’s creativity and as long as it is good and can capture the viewers interest, these videos rake in a huge number of views as well. An example is that crazy Polak Oczosinko who writes terrible songs and sings with an equally terrible voice about games and gamers. Guess what, the viewers love it! There's even this Christmas song where he AK’s Santa Claus in the head when he comes to deliver the gifts. This guy is hilariously mad!

Finally and gaining so much popularity are the gamers who create and upload short movies and video clips about their favorite game or created characters which was brought about by the release of Valve's movie making application Source Film Maker. From Team Fortress 2, OverWatch to individual animated creations, Source Film Maker or SFM videos have gained a niche on YouTube with an equally huge following.

Whether it is to provide relevant information, tips, game solutions, entertainment or simply to connect gamers all over the world with one another, YouTube gamers have become a part of the average netizen's life and will continue to do so as both media and the internet moves forward into the future.