Vinesauce | |
---|---|
Personal information | |
Origin | New York City, U.S. |
Occupation | Live streamers |
Website | vinesauce |
YouTube information | |
Channels |
|
Years active | 2010–present |
Genres | |
Subscribers | 3.48 million (combined) [lower-alpha 1] |
Total views | 1.33 billion (combined) [lower-alpha 2] |
Associated acts | Jerma985, SiIvaGunner, Cr1TiKaL, Ross O'Donovan, Ranboo, Jabroni Mike, Failboat, Giwi, Geega, Hackerling, Criken, Sneegsnag, Pokelawls, Lythero, Slimecicle, Etalyx, ConnorEatsPants, Star_ |
Last updated: December 19, 2023 |
Vinesauce is a collective of online content creators founded in 2010. [1] The group primarily focuses on video game livestreaming and commentary videos. The group is most notable for content in which video games are corrupted to cause glitches, as well as content covering obscure video games and other media. [2] The popularity of this content has earned media coverage from major video game outlets such as Kotaku , VG247 , PC Gamer and Nintendo Life.
In 2010, content creator Vinny [note 1] formed Vinesauce as a streaming community and YouTube channel. [1] [4] Inspired by both the nascent medium of streaming and a dream he had where he streamed the SNES video game Chrono Trigger , Vinny created an account on Livestream to stream the game, eventually learning aspects of streaming over time. [1] Adopting the alias "Vinny Vinesauce" as his online pseudonym, [1] Vinny later founded the Vinesauce website [4] and recruited other streamers and content creators as members of the community. [1] [5] As the years went by, the group has become independent as most of the members focus more on their individual content. [5]
Vinesauce's content primarily focuses on hacks and mods of various retro games such as Super Mario 64 and its Chaos mod, [2] [6] [7] The Legend of Zelda , [2] [8] [9] Half-Life , [10] [11] Pokémon [12] and Metal Gear Solid. [2] Their content on retro games, in which they employ ROM corruptions and code manipulation to produce random glitches and effects, [2] have been described as creepy and frightening from various media outlets. [2] [13] [14] Vinesauce's process on game corruptions involve the use of a program called the "Vinesauce Corruptor", which arbitrarily recompiles a video game's source code in order to recontextualize the game with new effects. [15] Several of these effects range from humorous in nature to surprising and ghastly, with some corruptions offering new challenges to older games. [15] Maxwell McGee of GamesRadar detailed the process of Vinesauce's corruption videos, stating that "using the Vinesauce corruptor is like tuning a guitar, only instead of making something sound good you want it to sound as horrific as possible without completely falling apart." [15] The group has also played various other video games such as Cyberpunk 2077 , [16] Fallout 4 [4] and Super Mario Maker . [17]
In 2016, Vinesauce received mainstream attention for their livestream of the 1995 virtual world game Active Worlds . [18] [19] [20] Taking place in March 2016, the stream involved Vinny venturing in the virtual world until encountering a user named "Hitomi Fujiko", a player who appeared to exhibit non-player character traits. [21] Vinny had initially assumed Fujiko was a character intended to guide players through the virtual world, but after various interactions with Fujiko, he slowly realized the character had evinced human-like traits. [21] [22] Vinny and Fujiko's interaction escalated with a conversation where Fujiko knew Vinny's name despite him registering his account as Vinesauce; shortly after, Fujiko left the server. [21] 6,000 people watched the stream unfold with many of them attempting to register accounts in order to join Vinny's session, leading to an overload of the game's servers. [18] [21] The stream had led Vinesauce's fan base to uncover clues about the mystery surrounding Fujiko's actions, [18] [20] [21] with Alex Avard of GamesRadar asserting that "the events that followed were mythologized into one of the internet's best creepypasta stories." [23] In 2018, author Andrew Reinhard cited the Active Worlds videos as an example of archaeogaming in the book Archaeogaming: An Introduction to Archaeology in and of Video Games. [24]
In 2021, several of Vinesauce's videos were cited in a mystery about a farming game that never existed. [25] [26] The mystery came into existence when a Reddit user named "Sparta123" wrote a thread on r/tipofmyjoystick describing a farming game akin to Harvest Moon that they tried to recall, with the premise involving a man who manslaughters his wife and tries to hide the body while working as a farmer. [25] [26] Sparta123's post led the game rumor to spread to various social media communities, with users attempting to investigate the existence of the farming game. [25] [26] In a video essay, YouTuber Justin Whang revealed that the premise of the game originated from Vinesauce member Vargskelethor Joel, citing a Reddit post from user "PM_MeYourEars" and a Discord post from "AqueousSnake" that identified an animated clip from one of Joel's streams. [25] [26] Sparta123 later confirmed that Vinesauce Joel's video was "likely the source of the game," [26] and Joel also apologized in a Twitch stream. [25]
In 2014, Vinesauce created the Vinesauce is HOPE charity drive, a variety gaming stream where proceeds go to the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation (PCRF); former Vinesauce member Hootey is credited with the idea for the event. [1] [27] In 2017 the Vinesauce is HOPE stream raised over $137,000 [1] and in 2019 they raised over $218,000. [27]
Red Vox | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Origin | New York City, U.S. |
Genres | |
Years active | 2015–present |
Members |
|
Website | redvoxband |
Red Vox is a rock band formed by Vinny and drummer Mike (Jabroni Mike) in 2015. [1] [28] Their music is primarily alternative rock with influences from psychedelic rock. Vinny has stated that rock bands such as Radiohead, Nirvana, Pink Floyd and Tame Impala were inspirations for the group's music. [1] [28] [29] Their second album Another Light was released in 2017 and peaked at #13 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. [29] [30] They have released 6 albums and 2 EPs in total.
In 2014, Vinesauce interviewed video game developer Edmund McMillen to discuss secrets surrounding his game The Binding of Isaac . [31] [32] [33] In 2020, Vinny appeared in an episode of the Boundary Break web series focused on the out-of-bounds content of Animal Crossing: New Horizons . [34] [35] In 2022, Vinesauce interviewed the actor Jack Mulcahy for starring in Creating Rem Lezar and discussed topics relating to insight on actors and film production. They also discussed the emotional aspects of the film and how Rem Lezar was specifically designed. [36]
Vinesauce's videos have been credited for popularizing Internet memes, such as The Daily Dot citing Vinesauce member Joel's Rollercoaster Tycoon videos as bringing various memes to a wider audience. [37] Vinny's level creations on Super Mario Maker have also inspired similar creepypasta-based levels in the game. [17]
TechRadar cited Vinesauce as one of the 10 best YouTube channels playing games in a 2016 listicle, noting Vinny's Active Worlds videos and the channel's focus on esoteric games and mods. [4] In 2021, Vinesauce was cited as an example of a "comfort creator" in an article from The New York Times . [38]
On September 30, 2022, Vinny was invited by CNN to speak about his experience with the musical-comedy game Trombone Champ . [39] In November 2022, he was again invited by CNN to speak about his experience with the video game Placid Plastic Duck Simulator with Rick Damigella. [40]
Speedrunning is the act of playing a video game, or section of a video game, with the goal of completing it as fast as possible. Speedrunning often involves following planned routes, which may incorporate sequence breaking and can exploit glitches that allow sections to be skipped or completed more quickly than intended. Tool-assisted speedrunning (TAS) is a subcategory of speedrunning that uses emulation software to slow the game down and create a precisely controlled sequence of inputs.
Active Worlds is an online virtual world, developed by ActiveWorlds Inc., a company based in Newburyport, Massachusetts, and launched on June 28, 1995. Users assign themselves a name, log into the Active Worlds universe, and explore 3D virtual worlds and environments that others have built. ActiveWorlds allows users to own worlds and universes, and develop custom 3D content. The browser has web browsing capabilities, as well as voice chat, and basic instant messaging features.
Twitch is an American video live-streaming service that focuses on video game live streaming, including broadcasts of esports competitions, in addition to offering music broadcasts, creative content, and "in real life" streams. Twitch is operated by Twitch Interactive, a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. It was introduced in June 2011 as a spin-off of the general-interest streaming platform Justin.tv. Content on the site can be viewed either live or via video on demand. The games shown on Twitch's current homepage are listed according to audience preference and include genres such as real-time strategy games (RTS), fighting games, racing games, and first-person shooters.
A Let's Play (LP) is a video documenting the playthrough of a video game, often including commentary and/or a camera view of the gamer's face. A Let's Play differs from a video game walkthrough or strategy guide by focusing on an individual's subjective experience with the game, often with humorous, irreverent, or critical commentary from the player, rather than being an objective source of information on how to progress through the game. While Let's Plays and live streaming of game playthroughs are related, Let's Plays tend to be curated experiences that include editing and narration, and can be scripted, while streaming is often an unedited experience performed on the fly.
Narcissa Wright is an American speedrunner and co-founder of the website SpeedRunsLive, which allows speedrunners to race with one another in real time. She previously held the records for the fastest completion of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker on the GameCube, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the iQue Player, Paper Mario on the Wii using Virtual Console, and Castlevania 64 on the Nintendo 64.
Scott Buchanan, known online as Pannenkoek2012, pannenkoek2012, pannenkoek or pannen (,) is a YouTube personality who specializes in highly in-depth and technical Super Mario 64 videos. He is best known for his "A-button challenge" videos, in which he attempts to play Super Mario 64 while pressing the A-button as infrequently as possible. The A-button is the "jump" button, and a normal playthrough of Super Mario 64 can be expected to take thousands of A-presses.
A video game walkthrough is a guide aimed towards improving a player's skill within a particular video game and often designed to assist players in completing either an entire video game or specific elements. Walkthroughs may alternatively be set up as a playthrough, where players record themselves playing through a game and upload or live-stream it to the internet. Walkthroughs may be considered guides on helping to enhance the experience of players, to assist towards unlocking game achievements or simply as a means to socialise with like-minded individuals as a distraction from everyday life.
The live streaming of video games is an activity where people broadcast themselves playing games to a live audience online. The practice became popular in the mid-2010s on the US-based site Twitch, before growing to YouTube, Facebook, China-based sites Huya Live, DouYu, and Bilibili, and other services. By 2014, Twitch streams had more traffic than HBO's online streaming service, HBO Go. Professional streamers often combine high-level play and entertaining commentary, and earn income from sponsors, subscriptions, ad revenue, and donations.
SethBling is an American video game commentator and Twitch video game live streamer known for YouTube videos focused around the 1990 side-scrolling platform video game Super Mario World and the 2011 sandbox video game Minecraft. He created original and derivative video games, devices and phenomena in Minecraft, without using Minecraft mods. He created an interpreter for the programming language BASIC and an emulator for the 1977 home video game console Atari 2600 in Minecraft. In addition to Minecraft builds that run without mods, he created plugins for the game.
Emiliano Rodolfo Rosales-Birou, also known as Emile Rosales and better known by his online alias Chuggaaconroy, is an American YouTuber, Internet personality and Let's Player. Starting his online career in 2008, Rosales-Birou is most notable for his comprehensive walkthrough videos on various video games released on Nintendo platforms, including titles from the Mother, Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Pikmin,Pokémon, and Xenoblade Chronicles series.
Imane Anys, better known as Pokimane, is a Moroccan-Canadian internet personality.
Jason Gastrow, known online as videogamedunkey or simply dunkey, is an American YouTuber known for his YouTube skits and video essays that blend crude humor with video game criticism. As of March 2023, Gastrow's YouTube channel has seven million subscribers, and he has accumulated over three billion views.
Ludwig Anders Ahgren, known mononymously as Ludwig, is an American live streamer, YouTuber, podcaster, comedian, esports commentator, and competitor. Ahgren is best known for his live streams on Twitch from 2018 through late 2021, and on YouTube beginning in late 2021, where he broadcasts video-game-related content as well as non-video-game-related content such as game shows and contests. He is also known for his work as an esports commentator at various Super Smash Bros. Melee tournaments. He is the co-owner of the esports organization Moist Esports. He began streaming full-time on February 16, 2019.
Kayla Marie Sims, also known by her YouTube handle lilsimsie, is an American YouTuber and Twitch streamer. Sims is best known for playing The Sims 4, her collaborations with EA on projects such as The Sims 4: Snowy Escape and The Sims 4: Growing Together, and her charity work for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Charles Christopher White Jr., better known as Cr1TiKaL, MoistCr1TiKaL, or penguinz0 is an American YouTuber and streamer. He is best known for his commentary videos and live streams covering internet culture and video games. White's content is characterized by his monotone voice and deadpan comedic style. In addition, White is the co-founder and co-owner of the esports organization Moist Esports and co-founder and member of the musical duo, the Gentle Men.
Jan, better known as Pokémon Challenges or pChal, is a German Twitch streamer and YouTuber, known for his live streams broadcasting Pokémon content, most notably Nuzlocke Challenges.
On March 14, 2021, American livestreamer Ludwig Ahgren began continuously livestreaming on Twitch. The livestream ended on April 13, 2021, after 31 days. A subathon is a type of livestream in which viewer donations add more time to a descending timer that counts down to the end of the stream. Throughout the streams' duration, Ahgren received 282,191 subscriptions, breaking the previous record set in 2018 by Tyler "Ninja" Blevins of the most concurrent subscribers on Twitch. The subathon's content consisted of talking to his viewers and stream moderators, playing games, and sleeping, among other various daily activities. During Ahgren's sleep breaks his moderators entertained the audience, for which they were financially compensated. Ahgren grossed US$1,434,850 from the stream, before taxes, charity donations, and other deductions. Not including sponsorships, Ahgren profited $202,000.
Eric Morino, better known as PointCrow, is an American YouTuber and Twitch streamer. He is known for online content surrounding video games—most notably The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom—and other real life productions. He has completed several challenges based around Breath of the Wild, and has received media attention for offering a US$10,000 bounty to whoever created a mod that allowed the game to be played in online multiplayer. The mod was released on April 4, 2023, and some of Morino's videos making use of it were issued YouTube copyright strikes by Nintendo shortly after.
Summoning Salt is an American speedrunner and YouTuber known for his video documentaries about the history of speedrunning records. As of February 2024, his channel has over 1.82 million subscribers and more than 195 million views.