YouTube Millionaires: Gaming On YouTube Is A Melting Pot Of Awesome For Logdotzip, And His “Accessibility Is Key”

By 05/19/2016
YouTube Millionaires: Gaming On YouTube Is A Melting Pot Of Awesome For Logdotzip, And His “Accessibility Is Key”

Welcome to YouTube Millionaires, where we profile channels that have recently crossed the one million subscriber mark. There are channels crossing this threshold every week, and each has a story to tell about YouTube success. Read previous installments of YouTube Millionaires here.

This installment of YouTube Millionaires is brought to you by Epoxy. Epoxy-Logo-grey-text-40X120

Tyler Pappas‘ trajectory to YouTube stardom can perhaps be traced back to a preadolescent affinity for a Japanese manga series about gaming. It was by way of Yu-Gi-Oh that the now-24-year-old first found himself to be a part of an online community and came up with the name that would eventually become the banner under which he’d amass an amazing YouTube audience. Logdotzip was conceived way back in 2006, but Pappas didn’t start posting videos to the channel until 2007. In the year’s since, he’s upped his game, embarking on an ambitious two-videos-per-day schedule with uploads showcasing a range of programming rarely seen in the gaming community.

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Logdotzip recently passed one million YouTube subscribers. We caught up with him to talk about the milestone and his video-making career.

Tubefilter: How does it feel to have one million subscribers? What do you have to say to the channel’s fans?

Tyler Pappas: It feels surreal, it feels amazing. It feels like an out of reach dream of mine that finally came true. This is something I thought about almost ten years ago when I first made my YouTube channel, and this dream was only realized because one million other people, for one reason or another, decided it was a good idea to allow me a chunk of their spare time. I am forever in debt to all my subscribers and viewers, my life trajectory has changed completely because of you all. You guys are the best thing in my life.

TF: Where does your username come from?

TP: Oh man, this one has some serious backstory! When I was 10 or 11 I wanted to join an online Yu-Gi-Oh forum, and the forum owner’s username was LordObelisk, after the Yu-Gi-Oh card “Obelisk The Tormentor.” Obelisk was one of three “God Cards” of the show and card game. I thought his name was so cool, so I made my username LordOfGods, and I kept it for a while. I soon realized that there was no way for people to know I was talking about Yu-Gi-Oh, so I shortened LordofGods to LoG so that people wouldn’t be offended. FINALLY, there was a trend to add “.zip” to the end of your forum display name, so my name became LoG.zip, which is now “Logdotzip”. THE ONLY CAPITAL IS THE L!

TF:What makes your channel special, particularly when compared to all the other gaming channels on YouTube?

TP: I think the fact that there can be an appeal for my across various different ages. I have a very wide spread when it comes to the age of my viewers. Apart from my very first handful of videos, my online content features zero swearing and no suggestive material, which makes it extremely accessible and easy for a parent to feel comfortable with their child watching. YouTube is the new TV and a voluntary content filter can be very key. However, I would not say that means my videos are only for younger children. I believe it’s entirely possible to be fun, engaging, and entertaining without having to resort to swearing or mature themes. Accessibility is key.

TF: Are there video types that you feel have worked particularly well for you? Have any of them underperformed?

TP: Two types of videos of mine stand out above the others, the first type being my roleplay / machinima videos, and the other type are my “infotainment” style videos, where I teach or inform the viewer about things that would actually interest them. Those videos usually require a higher production time, so they do not go live as often as my simple gameplay videos, which you could say are the bread and butter of my channel.

Player-vs-Player videos are not my strong point. I can kill computer mobs all day, but when it comes to real people in Minecraft, get me out!

TF: You also make a LOT of different kinds of Minecraft videos. Why the diversity?

TP: I always want my video’s theme to be the undertone of the video. I try to make myself the reason someone comes and stays, and ideally, the reason they come back. My videos are personality driven, where the video’s content isn’t the full focus. I think it’s super important to have a connection with your subscribers where they like YOU, and not just what you bring to their subscription feed.

That said, the fact that I have so many different types of Minecraft videos, allows me to reach enthusiasts from all different areas of interest in the Minecraft community. The game is so sandbox-like in nature with what you can do with it that it’s important to be seen in as many of those niche places as you can.

(Side note for the newbies: There are endless sub-types of Minecraft videos, whether it’s parkour, puzzle, roleplay, adventure, survival, news, redstone, list-based, machinima, etc.)

TF:What is your favorite thing about the gaming community on YouTube?

TP: That it even exists!

I grew up on SNES, Nintendo 64, and PlayStation 2. As far as 10 year old me knew, the gaming community consisted of whoever was home from school and could come over to play Super Smash Bros. I got my first home computer when I was 12, and oh man, all these online strategy guide websites, cheat code websites, video game communities, ONLINE GAMES. Ugh. It was like my life had just begun. Now it’s turned into arguably the biggest community on YouTube, possibly the internet, comprised of people from all different races, ages, genders, and walks of life, all with the common interest of just having a good time playing games!

TF: How do you decide when to do make personal vlogs? How do you find that balance between those vids and gaming vids?

TP: I do vlogs sporadically, often times I’ll do them if I’m out on some adventure I feel is worth filming and sharing, usually when I go to conventions. I would say I have a vlog for every 30 non-vlogs I create. Minecraft is made so that you control your own unique character across all the worlds you play in, and my character is what I prefer my viewers to identify with on screen. Nevermind the man behind the curtains!

I will be launching a second channel shortly, that will feature more mature-themed, non-Minecraft gameplay (among other things!), and I feel like that will be my best opportunity to introduce my actual self into videos more consistently, when that character aspect is taken out of the equation.

TF: If you weren’t making videos, what would you be doing?

TP: I would probably be pursue some sort of voice acting career. I love the idea of being able to create a personality, and then become them. It’s fun to get into character and play with different accents, dialects, and vocal cues. What I love most about voice acting is that it detaches your body from your voice and allows that character aspect to come back. There are so many things you can do in cartoons and animations that you can’t feasibly do in real life. An anvil dropping on your head, riding a firework into space, or one day I’m voicing an earthworm, the next day, a toaster! It’s awesome!!

TF: What’s next for the channel? Any fun plans?

TP: Despite what I said above, the plans for the channel are to downsize and consolidate. Currently, I do two videos almost every single day, and where I’d like to be, is one video a day, but highly produced, and thought out. My best work comes in my edited, semi- or non-gameplay style videos, and the viewership on those specific videos reflects that as well. I’ve recently hired an editor to help assist me with content production, and I work closely with lots of contractors who are experts in their crafts. As I and my brand grow, I need to free up some time to pursue other ventures, such as my upcoming second channel, merchandise prospects, and other projects that I’m not at liberty to discuss! 😉

Epoxy-Logo-grey-textThis installment of YouTube Millionaires is brought to you by Epoxy, the premier company that helps multi-platform creators and digital networks distribute videos, engage with fans, measure success, and grow their communities across the social web. Check out Epoxy’s new Sharing Studio, a place for quickly creating and distributing native social content from your YouTube channels.

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