Markiplier Redirects Channel to Original Charity Roots

ByJane Scearce Hours

Markiplier posted a vlog to his 2.5 million subscribers last week to give some brief updates and to address the recent communication between him and his expanding fanbase. For the past few weeks, Markiplier and his fans held open dialogues about the current direction of the channel, both in its content as well as its goals as a fan community. Markiplier had made a series of tweets expressing that he’d been thinking about the channel overall and possible concerns from his fans, citing an increased number of “dislikes” on his videos as one thing he’d noticed that lead him to this reevaluation.

Re-Imagining A Growing Fan Community

On Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr, fans shared their thoughts and feelings about how the channel had changed from its origins, showing plenty of support and encouragement while still being honest about how they felt. A popular opinion was that they felt Markiplier was trying too hard to be funny and please his fans in his let’s plays, and that they didn’t want him to feel pressured to change his humor for his increased subscriber count. Some fans also lamented that the charity-oriented goals of the channel which Markiplier has so passionately executed in the past had become much more infrequent. This was the concern Markiplier addressed the most, agreeing with fans that he had let that aspect of the fan community slip in recent months.

For those unfamiliar with the YouTuber, Markiplier has hosted numerous charity livestreams and other fundraising events through his channel since its early days, even contemplating a monthly charity effort at one point. Supported charities in the past have included Child’s Play, Best Friends Animal Society, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, American Cancer Society, and Cancer Research Institute. He has frequently stated that he wants his channel to be “more than just let’s plays” and views his fanbase as an entity for good in the world. On a Facebook post, Markiplier took ownership for the slip in charitable efforts, admitting that he felt he had dropped the ball on informing newer fans about the channel’s direction and goals: “…I think that the channel’s focus has been knocked off its path as we climb higher in the number of subscribers. It’s not anyone’s fault but my own because I simply forget or don’t prioritize the need to inform my new viewers of the amazing community that we have.” Markiplier started doing charity livestreams and fundraisers when his channel was much smaller than its 2.5 million subscribers today, a number which he continues to grapple with.

In his vlog posted early last week, Markiplier summarizes these conversations and informs his fans that he will be reorienting the community towards its original charity-centered spirit. As for his videos, Markiplier has begun monitoring his audio on some of his let’s plays so as to not overdo his characteristic screaming. Throughout the vlog Markiplier stresses the importance of making the channel what his fan community wants it to be, and uniting them for good causes.

You can watch the vlog below, and check out more from Markiplier’s channel here.

“I don’t just want this to be a community that cares about the games that I play, or how I play them, or what I’m doing in terms of the entertainment that we do…The main reason why I need to be responsible about this huge community that we have is that you guys have so much power to change the world.” – Markiplier

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t24zk02fT6A?rel=0]

 

Jane is a media studies major and aspiring polymath at Scripps College. Constantly seeking interesting articles with well-presented arguments, or rewriting them more effectively in her head. She enjoys long walks in Skyrim and those little bottles of gin they give you on airplanes.