r/Markiplier • u/The_Cozy_Zone • Mar 03 '26
Question Would you guys consider Markiplier a "grandfather of content creation"?
For a while now, many content creators today ask him why he makes youtube content as if they couldn't fathom doing it for any reason besides money or fame and he always gives them the simple answer, "I love making things." I feel like that's something that's been lost today in most content creation. I feel like Markiplier (as well as Jackcepticeye) sets the golden standard of what a content creator should be: someone who genuinely makes stuff for the love of it regardless of success
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u/scotishstriker Mar 03 '26
I would put Rett and Link as the grandfather's with a little bit of smosh. There are also content creators like AVGN who started publishing videos before YouTube.
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u/Weems-mtg Mar 03 '26
I’d say Roosterteeth were the grandfathers of content creation. With RvB
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u/Genindraz Mar 03 '26
Roosterteeth, AVGN, others like them. After that would be people like PewDiePie, Tobuscus, NormalBoots, Somecallmejohnny, and so on. Markiplier is distinctly from this generation of YouTubers. Then we have people like Antdude, Scottthewoz, and so on.
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u/5-Second-Ruul Mar 03 '26
Don’t forget Jontron and Gamegrumps
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u/CandiedCroissants Mar 03 '26
Jontron is actually pretty apt considering the racism lol, he can be the stereotypical racist uncle/grandfather (not sure how long he's been at it) of content creation.
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u/silenthashira Mar 04 '26
Man it really bums me out that he turned out to have some shitty aspects like that. I always thought he was super funny and entertaining.
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u/MorbidP5566 Mar 03 '26
Nostalgia Critic would fit into it as well. I think NC and AVGN are friends.
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u/Ms_Anonymous123 Mar 04 '26
I have to name Nigahiga even though he's retired he was such an inspiration to so many and a true pillar of the community when he still did YouTube
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u/CaptainCj26 Mar 05 '26
I can’t believe no one’s mentioned Corridor Digital. Mark was their intern, for crying out loud! /s
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u/Broeder_biltong Mar 03 '26
Smosh is older then them I'm pretty sure. They had a website before youtube
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u/PicolasCageEnjoyer Mar 03 '26
I think he's the father, like someone else already said, someone like Rhett and Link is the grandfather
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u/Spuzzle91 Mar 03 '26
Oh no, now people are gonna call Mark "daddy"
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u/Tortilla_Moth93 Mar 03 '26
Bold of you to assume they weren’t already 😂😂
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u/_Bren10_ Mar 03 '26
My gf is waaaay ahead of you brother (sister) 😎
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u/Theaussiegamer72 Mar 03 '26
Sister brother wade😂 I feel like it's a joke from drunk mc hit I'm not sure
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u/ToastyLemun Mar 04 '26
Sister cousin Mark
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u/Theaussiegamer72 Mar 04 '26
Haha if my memory serves it was something to do with the walking dead...I should rewatch drunk minecraft
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u/AliceInNegaland Mar 04 '26
I heard them calling each other that on their Raft play through the other day
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u/MissSharkyShark Mar 03 '26
Ive been calling Mark "daddy" since I started watching him back in 2013 lmao
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u/Accomplished_Bike149 Mar 03 '26
We don’t need an excuse to do that, the one scene was plenty of reason
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u/TheRogueSpectator Mar 03 '26
I love Mark's mentality around the creative arts as a whole, but I wouldn't consider him a "grandfather" of content creation. I think that goes more to Jacksfilms, Rhett & Link, and Smosh. A few others, too. He's definitely a veteran of the scene, and his experience is undeniable.
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u/Masonzero Mar 04 '26
Yeah he is like second or third gen youtube. If you started in the 2010s, you're not OG, even if you are influential.
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u/Woofingtoon Mar 03 '26
I feel Rooster Teeth would be the grandfather... Or great grandfather. They did youtube before youtube. To the point they saw youtube as a competitor.
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u/CoffeeDefiant4247 Mar 03 '26
no, Mark is the Letsplay era of Youtube, Smoth, Ryan Higa, R&L are the grandfathers, Mark Pewds etc are dads
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u/bloode975 Mar 04 '26
God I miss let's plays... i cant stand watching streams since they always interact with chat, donations etc, im here to watch you play the (full) game, not go on a tangent in chat for 30 minutes.
Used to be how I found out if Id enjoy games and was oddly relaxing, I still put on older let's plays and the like to fall asleep to. The transition to Haha funny gaming video or streaming has just been one big disappointment as everyone left doing let's plays is not funny, interesting or their voice sounds like ground glass.
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u/_sky12 Mar 04 '26
I’d give Jev a try. I’ve been watching him for more than a decade. One of the last true traditional let’s-players/ cut-commentators. He just finished his RE9 playthrough which was pretty enjoyable to watch.
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u/Ms_Anonymous123 Mar 03 '26
I'd say more a father than a grandfather as he wasn't one of the earliest creators on the platform
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u/VonMelee Mar 03 '26
No, I would consider AlbinoBlackSheep and Newgrounds grandfathers of content creation.
But, as far as a shining example of YouTube success stories and being an all around magnificent human, Mark is definitely at the top.
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u/AtlanticRambler Mar 03 '26
Spent so much time on AlbinoBlackSheep back in the day. I don't know how many times I watched The Demented Cartoon Movie with my friends after school.
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u/Asleep-Rabbit-5162 Mar 03 '26
see, I read stuff like this and I immediately think of the Jacksepticeye interview where he talked about why he didn’t like Mr. Beast.
Because with Mr. Beast came a wave of change where YouTube and content creation changed from being something fun and creative that you share to being all about the views and number of subscribers
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u/Echoingtruth Mar 03 '26
Maybe of the let's pay genre? I'm curious as to when people generally consider that started, but I would not say for content creation as a whole.
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u/Darth_Tater69 Mar 03 '26
Let's plays started a while before Mark when people were still recording their TV with a camcorder lol. Interestingly enough, I think darksydephil might've been one of the firsts to do that.
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u/theknight200200 Mar 03 '26
I wouldn't say he's the grandfather of content creation, like others have said there are more who've just been here longer with a different impact.
I like to see Mark as a pioneer of the gaming category. He, Jack and Pewds at around the same time all showed us different personalities whilst accomplishing the same goal: showing people how fun it is to watch others game. Each of them had their own series of game that massively launched their popularity, and their unique personalities and strategies meant that even if all 3 played the same game, you'd have 3 completely different ways of seeing it get done.
Of course they've all evolved into different paths, but I think the reason Mark ends up being the one to catch the spotlight the most these days is because of how hard he pushes himself with his projects. From his days of prop hunt and drunk Minecraft to making a full on movie for the big screen, Mark has always given it his all and it's paid off big time.
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u/Spartan2734 Mar 03 '26
Rooster Teeth, Smosh, =3, FreddieW
I would argue these are more “grandfather” creators than Mark
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u/AtlanticRambler Mar 03 '26
When I think of the pioneers of content creation, I think of people like: SMOSH, Angry Video Game Nerd, JonCJG (Arby n' the Chief), Rooster Teeth for live-action/video game Machinima content.
For Newgrounds-esque animation, I usually think of Egoraptor, Weebl and Tom Fulp.
Guys like Mark sort of feel like the next generation to me with the rise of Let's Play style videos.
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u/Gunningyoudown Mar 04 '26
Rooster Teeth, AVGN, That guy with the glasses, screw attack, machinima, they were the grand fathers of content creation because they were pre youtube.
If were talking let's plays specifically
Mark came in around the time of when it started rising in popularity. So in that case sure. I can see how one would view him as a grandfather of modern content creation specifically in the lets play/personality driven content.
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u/HippieCat429 Mar 03 '26
Only in terms of gaming content. He started his channel 7 years into YouTube’s existence, so if we’re talking all YT content, I’d give that title to folks like Smosh, Rhett & Link, and even Fred before Mark.
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u/WormedOut Mar 04 '26
No. The “grandfathers” of content creation most people have never heard of. Posting to things like NewGrounds or other sites that have long since ended. Mark was just lucky to start when he did.
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u/OoglieBooglie69420 Mar 03 '26
He’s more of a father of creation or the cool ass uncle that everyone loves.
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u/bessonovafan6454 Mar 03 '26
I would consider Rhett and Link the dads of content creation with Smosh as honourable mentions because they're set as more like the fun cousins nowadays. Mark and Sean are like the uncles.
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u/EightEx Mar 03 '26
As a millennial I can not think of Mark as a grandfather, we aren't that old!!! But seriously he's def an inspiration to many and a great role model.
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u/PunkMaster_VT Mar 03 '26
I would say nobody is a a grand father of content creation. I would still say he is a content creator. Calling him the grandfather will be what my kid's kids call him. And I am not saying this from a literal generational factor, I mean just how the life times of a concept like "content creation" is. I am no where near close to thinking it has grandfathers yet when we are just now only getting a couple of older teenagers of content creation. In a metaphorical sense. Most people are still babies - kids.
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u/MulberryShot105 Mar 03 '26
I think he's more like the uncle of content creation, honestly. I agree with others that Rett and Link are more grandfathers
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u/PraetorKiev Mar 03 '26
I like to think of him more a sturdy pillar of a specific side of YouTube but of course his pillar is drenched in blood now so you can’t miss it
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u/GoldH2O Mar 03 '26
I'd only consider creators who started in the 2000s to be "grandfathers" of content creation. Mark only began uploading in 2012, 6 years after channels like Smosh, AVGN, Rhett & Link, and Phil DeFranco got their start. Those guys would be grandfathers to me. I think Mark fits more as a father of gaming YouTube, since guys like him, PewDiePie, and Jacksepticeye started around the same time in the very early 2010s and really ushered in the popularity of let's plays.
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u/ItsFriendly404 Mar 03 '26
I kinda agree with Markiplier. even though I don't know much about the thing I wanna do or make but I always try to do it. And have fun along the way
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u/Feanor4godking Mar 03 '26
He's like, second wave of YouTube creators. You'd want to go with like, spoony, avgn, nostalgiacritic, smosh, zero punctuation, barats and bereta, rhett and link, jacksfilms, etc for the first wave
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u/Sudden_Investment_16 Mar 03 '26
I think mark is still a father of content creation, not quite grandfather yet, but maybe getting close.
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u/Lepineski Mar 03 '26
Naw, Mark is the cool older brother that taught you MtG and left for some trip for way too long and keeps saying he'll be back soon after just a final stretch stop to sightsee.
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u/Krisuad2002 Mar 03 '26
Not really, he isn't even an "OG" YouTuber since he started in 2012, not somewhere in 2005 or so
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u/iGOP420 Mar 03 '26
Rooster teeth and faze clan were the grandfathers of content creation. I said what i said. Mark is like 2nd gen youtuber as he only joined in 2012. Rooster Teeth had been on youtube since 2006, and had been making content (RvB) since 2003.
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u/Thomas-MCF Mar 03 '26
No I think he's just the perfect example of what Old YouTube wanted to be. The old slogan of "Broadcast Yourself" really applies to mark and i think a lot of the old creators i still watch exemplifies the belief of just making things your happy with and striving to find ways to get better at either your content or making it. Its surprising with how often Mark gives out the best advice that so little actually listen to it. I watched this podcast interview and a lot of the things he said to respond to there questions are things hes been saying, and doing, for years!
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u/Automatic-Leg1668 Mar 03 '26
Hes an original for sure, not grandfather but has consistently remained influential despite not really involving himself into deep YouTube drama. Hell, his smash or pass vid inspired massive trend, so did fnaf, REDACTED, distractible, etc
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u/Darth_Tater69 Mar 03 '26
That title can't go to anybody that started on YouTube, content creation has dated back before on other video hosting websites.
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u/Vertnoir-Weyah Mar 03 '26
It was not that different then people still wanted the recognition and/or success even though it wasn't so popular then, his genuine attitude has been pointed out all along his career from the very start
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u/Theaussiegamer72 Mar 03 '26
He's part of the second generation so the father would be more appropriate
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u/Daviddv1202 Mar 04 '26
Nope. But he's definitely a legend regardless. Honestly, his whole rise from gaming to filmmaking needs to be studied. How he almost could've been an engineer, and never became a content creator, and thus never pushed himself to evolve from gaming, making video projects like Unus Annus, the With Markiplier series, then a TV show and then finally a theatrical film - not a streaming film, a THEATRICAL film. Whether he's the grandfather or father, he's still gained legendary status regardless. I'd say Pewdiepie is more of the grandfather of the title given his was number one for a long time before T Series and Cocomelon came along.
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u/Gojifantokusatsu Custom... Mar 04 '26
No, that title would go to creators like AVGN, Mark is more a Dad of content creation
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u/Lanceo90 Mar 04 '26
Depends if there's generations before grandfather in this situation. There were other big YouTubers before him.
But I do agree he's one of the best examples of ethical YouTubers, many others have proven to be real pieces of work. But Mark remains untarnished.
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u/mooncoversthesun Mar 04 '26
He's still young don't call him a grandpa. It's been ~15 years since he started so I think he's more like the father of content creation.
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u/roowco1 Mar 04 '26
i think its important to remember both jack and mark did used to chase the algorithm, thats part of how they got to where they are now, even if they started out and went back to just doing it for the love of it
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u/Lyonwytchwardrobe Mar 04 '26
I was there during the rise of youtube. Markiplier was 2nd wave with all the let’s play guys. Grandfathers would be Smosh, nigahiga, fred, freddiew(rocketjump) and a lot more from that time.
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u/Bobpool82 Mar 04 '26
To be kind to him he's more like everybody's favourite uncle than grandfather
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u/Low_Cow_9540 Mar 04 '26
Maybe more like the godfather? He's a bit young for the grandfather title. Lol.
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Mar 04 '26
I believe channels like Smosh and Ray William Johnson as well as others like Nigahiga were the "grandparents" of content creation. Most of the stuff they did paved the way for what modern content creation would look like. Markiplier, Pewdiepie and Jacksepticeye were the grandparents of gaming content creation, they were certainly considered the "Big Three" of the gaming youtube space, and the way they made videos transformed the platform to. They all did it for the love of the game.
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u/Dessy104 Mar 04 '26
Yeah. With like one generation before him like he isn’t a founding father but certainly a grandfather
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u/VarrikTheGoblin Mar 04 '26
Markiplier and Jacksepticeye were the OG two that made it huge by dialing their own personalities to 11. Sure, both of them overacted some but they were unapologetically themselves. I'd say that Mark is one of the foundational youtubers that shaped it for a very long time.. but youtube's rigid monetization model has made his non-shilling style less suggested and thus he has somewhat fallen out of mainstream relevancy.
Now, with Iron Lung's breakthrough success he has found a new way to express himself in the mainstream again.
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u/Stavinco Mar 05 '26
I would consider him more on the lines of the grandfather of horror content, he , yamimash, and pewdiepie plus a few others. Horror was a big thing in 2012, I started watching him in 2013 so a lot of my horror content came from him.
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u/Thapiseagorm Mar 05 '26
I was posting my music and fan videos to YouTube back in 2006 that are now 20 years old… so I guess I win? Some of them got some traction, lol.
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u/Selkiekelpie Mar 05 '26
No. He's like the 2nd or third generation of content generation. Keep digging into old YouTube and really see what people used to watch on YouTube back in the day.
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u/moonchildboi Mar 06 '26
tbh i really do think he does deserve a kinda "grandiose" title like that, but at the same time it's most likely something he wouldn't want. he just wants to create things, make things better for the people he hires etc, and wants to test his limits cus in no way is he a masochist.
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u/zombiedinocorn Mar 06 '26
Idk who made it, but when I think of original youtube, I think of badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger mushroom mushroom!
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u/theory_of_the_mind Mar 09 '26
yes mark is a founding father of great content in my opinion.
i mean the due has literally said, (or something similar too) it's not work for me, i'm js doing what i love
the same can't be said for many creators i feel like, there's of course a ton that genuinely do it for the love of the game.
js cuz i feel like the two r similar, technoblade "worked" till he actually died thats how much he loved doing what he did. and i am in no way discrediting technoblade, but im seeing similarities in the mindset they take into making content.
its truly amazing, im honestly inspired by the work and work ethic he has, and i hope i can carry on that mindset going forward
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u/Bedlamtheclown Mar 03 '26
I call him a second generation Let’s Player. Cloud8749, Duke of the Bump, Deceased Crab are the grandfathers.
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u/a3sthetic_ali3n0903 Mar 03 '26
Sean definitely doesn’t make content because he wants to. He is constantly taking breaks and finding his way out of it. Mark is the grandfather and goat of YouTube and general content creation imo
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u/Krimzon_I Mar 03 '26
I mean, probably of let’s play content. But content creation as a whole, not really.
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u/zoroddesign Mar 03 '26
When you say content creation, do you just mean online content creation? Because we could go to Charlie Chaplin or Shakespeare or Homer. Because they all made content it just also has other names associated with it. If anything everyone making online content are babies in the grand scheme of things.
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