Videogamedunkey

Last updated

videogamedunkey
VideoGameDunkeyProfileLogo.jpeg
Gastrow's YouTube icon, drawn by OneyNG [1]
Personal information
Born
Jason Gastrow

(1991-01-30) January 30, 1991 (age 33)
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • reviewer
  • Internet personality
Spouse
Leah Gastrow
​
(m. 2019)​
Children1
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2010–present
Genres
Subscribers7.47 million [2]
Total views3.87 billion [2]
Network Independent (formerly Machinima, Maker Studios. and Curse LLC)
YouTube Silver Play Button 2.svg100,000 subscribers2012
YouTube Gold Play Button 2.svg1,000,000 subscribers2014
Last updated: May 27, 2023

Jason Gastrow (born January 30, 1991), 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.

Contents

Career

Gastrow has been publishing videos online since 2003. [3] Initially, he created Flash animations that he uploaded on the website Newgrounds under the username "MeatwadSprite". Examples include "Great Yoshi Migration", his first video, and a parody of the Village People song "Y.M.C.A." called "F.U.C.K." [3] [4] On the H3h3 Podcast, Gastrow said he wanted to be an animator when he was young. [5]

Gastrow started his current YouTube channel, videogamedunkey, in 2010, with a video of him performing a speedrun of the 1991 game Battletoads . [6] Gastrow recalled that the name "videogamedunkey" came about when he was playing Left 4 Dead with a friend. He "told him to pet a donkey or something," and after trapping his friend in the game, told him he would release him if he said "go go magic dunk". [5] In a 2015 Reddit thread, Gastrow mentioned that his channel's profile picture was designed by Newgrounds animator and YouTuber Chris O'Neill. [7] By September 2015, the videogamedunkey channel had 1.8 million subscribers. [8] Gastrow's videos have collectively generated over three billion views. [3] Outside of YouTube, Gastrow is active on Twitter [9] and has pages on Facebook and Reddit. He and his wife Leah also run Dunkey's Castle, an online merchandise shop. [5]

Gastrow primarily covers video games on his channel. This includes posting reviews, playthroughs, video essays, and montages. [3] [5] He has also reviewed films, such as The Shining . [5] During his channel's initial years, Gastrow was primarily known for his coverage of the 2009 multiplayer online battle arena game League of Legends . According to Yannick LeJacq of Kotaku , Gastrow "had a special place in the League of Legends universe for consistently producing some of the best, and definitely the funniest, material in the game's massive community". [10] However, he quit making League videos in September 2015, after he was banned for "toxic" behavior, such as repeatedly insulting other players on his team in the in-game chat. [8] Gastrow is also known for popularizing jokes about Knack (2013) and its sequel Knack II (2017), titles for the PlayStation 4, to the point that the games "became the internet's favorite punchline". [11]

Gastrow initially signed a contract with internet entertainment platform Machinima, Inc., which according to him took a large cut of his earnings from advertising. In 2013, Gastrow switched from Machinima to Maker Studios, which reportedly took more revenue than Machinima. Microsoft offered to pay if he made four videos for Xbox Live's Summer of Arcade. Shortly after Gastrow uploaded the first video, in which he lambasted the game he was playing, Microsoft took down the video and canceled the deal. Gastrow has since worked with Curse LLC, which he has praised. [12] Gastrow reportedly earns up to US$1.7 million a year, [3] and he is "likely the highest-earning cultural commentator with connections to Madison". [13]

In December 2020, Gastrow released a video in which he stated he would stop making "good videos" and instead switch to a daily schedule. He subsequently released shorter videos on a daily basis that satirized his stated plans and featured clickbait titles. For example, a purported Minecraft video involved Gastrow playing as the default Steve avatar from Minecraft in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate . According to his wife, the switch in content format was because he was "feeling frustrations about the current YouTube landscape and worried about the future", where his and other channels' past curated content has been "overshadowed by the latest trends and low effort stuff" from larger channels. Polygon noted that the videos performed better than Gastrow's previous content, anticipating that he was exemplifying the current problems with YouTube to bring the situation to light and would eventually return to his normal curated content. [14]

In August 2021, Gastrow joked in a live stream that Kanye West's then-upcoming album Donda would sample a song from the animated short film Strawinsky and the Mysterious House (2012); upon the album's release, the track "Remote Control" sampled the exact clip, leading fans to theorize that West's team watched Gastrow's stream. [15] [16]

In November 2022, Gastrow uploaded a video criticizing Sonic Frontiers , which resulted in the game being review bombed on Metacritic. Gastrow stated he did not intend for the video to spark review bombing and accused Sonic fans of leaving negative reviews to make his fans look bad. [17] [18]

Bigmode

In September 2022, Gastrow and his wife Leah launched Bigmode, a video game publishing company specializing in publishing indie games. [19] Gastrow stated in a video announcing the new company, "I think we're going to bring insane value to the table and the bottom line is: help good games succeed and help them continue to succeed into the future". [20] Leah said their ultimate goal was to "put together a catalogue of unique, high-quality games that can be enjoyed for many years". [21] The announcement received some mixed reactions from journalists and indie developers. [22] In January 2023, Bigmode announced its first title, Animal Well , [23] which was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Windows in May 2024. [24]

Views and style

According to himself, Gastrow sometimes writes a script for a video and records voice-overs during post-production, while other times recording along as he plays. Gastrow's videos depicting League of Legends and Overwatch (2016) are examples of the latter; he stated in an interview that he "would try to cut out the funniest parts." [5] Gastrow's most viewed video, "Ultimate Skyrim", depicts him playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) using a variety of user-created modifications to the point of breaking the game. [3] Gastrow has cited people he knows, Adult Swim television series such as Aqua Teen Hunger Force , Space Ghost Coast to Coast , and the Tim & Eric shows as inspiration, and has said he enjoys watching videos by YouTubers ProJared and Gaming Historian. [5]

According to Tone Madison's Reid Kurkerewicz, Gastrow is an example of "new games criticism", a reviewing approach inspired by New Journalism. [13] Gastrow has been noted as a "fierce consumer advocate, deeply skeptical of corporate marketing machines." [3] For instance, he has criticized Nintendo for demonetizing his review of Super Mario Odyssey (2017) on copyright grounds, [25] and Microsoft for its business practices, including the cancellation of their Summer of Arcade deal. [12] In his 2017 video "Game Critics", Gastrow denounced websites such as IGN for their decentralized opinions, poor writing, "the fuzzy ethics of building relationships with the companies [they're] meant to cover," and the divide between critics and audiences. [3] [26]

Reputation

Gene Park of The Washington Post described Gastrow as one of the most influential critics on YouTube, noting he has inspired a number of imitators, and called him the Lester Bangs of video games. Like Bangs, Park wrote, Gastrow is an industry outsider, has created modern vernacular, and is an advocate for consumers. [3] Patrick Klepek, writing for Vice , said Gastrow is one of the few YouTubers he subscribes to, calling him "a video editing maestro whose ability to make you laugh and understand why a game's interesting at the same time is unmatched. Even my wife, who barely plays games, loves Dunkey." [26] Gastrow's ban from League of Legends for verbal abuse divided his followers; some defended him while others expressed surprise he considered insulting other players acceptable. [8]

Personal life

Gastrow was born on January 30, 1991. [27] [3] He has lived in Milwaukee [6] and Madison, Wisconsin. [13] Gastrow's mother is a second grade teacher. [5] In September 2019, Gastrow married fellow YouTuber Leah Bee. [28] In July 2023, Gastrow and Leah announced they were expecting their first child, a girl, [29] [30] who was born in October. [31]

It is a common misconception and a running gag on the channel that Gastrow is black, which Leah attributes to his voice and the fact that he rarely shows his face in videos. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smosh</span> American YouTube comedy channel

Smosh is an American YouTube sketch comedy-improv collective, independent production company, and former social networking site founded by Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox. In 2002, Padilla created a website named "smosh.com" for making Flash animations, and he was later joined by Hecox. They began to post videos on Smosh's YouTube channel in the fall of 2005 and quickly became one of the most popular channels on the site. The Smosh channel has over 10 billion views and over 25 million subscribers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let's Play</span> Playthrough of a video game with commentary

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PewDiePie</span> Swedish YouTuber (born 1989)

Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, better known as PewDiePie, is a Swedish YouTuber known for his comedic videos. Kjellberg's popularity on YouTube and extensive media coverage has made him one of the most noted online personalities and content creators. He has been portrayed in media as a figurehead for YouTube, especially in the genre of gaming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TotalBiscuit</span> British game critic and commentator

John Peter Bain, better known as TotalBiscuit, was an English video gaming commentator and game critic on YouTube. He was known for his role in professional shoutcasting and esports, and also known for his gaming commentary audio work on WCradio.com. According to Eurogamer, he gained a large following due to his video commentary on newly developed indie games and analysis of gaming news. Bain voiced strong support for consumer protection in the video gaming industry. In October 2015, Bain announced that he had terminal cancer that had spread to his liver. He continued to critique games after the diagnosis, announcing his retirement only a few weeks before his death in May 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syndicate (Internet personality)</span> English YouTuber and Twitch streamer (born 1993)

Thomas George Cassell, known online as Syndicate, is an English YouTuber and Twitch streamer. Regarded as one of the earlier known gaming personalities, his videography consists of Let's Play videos on Call of Duty and Minecraft. Born in Manchester, Cassell had passion for a career in the gaming industry, which he started by purchasing gaming equipment using his money from McDonald's. On 3 September 2010, Cassell registered his gaming channel "TheSyndicateProject", where he found success and an online community. His prominence online was recognized by Call of Duty publisher Activision and multi-channel network (MCN) Machinima, where he signed to the network to monetize his content. Cassell's channel achieved substantial growth, passing one million subscribers in June 2012 and one billion views in late 2013. He further expanded his career into livestreaming on Twitch, hosting the same commentary over his gameplays. His Twitch channel became the first to reach one million followers in August 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Markiplier</span> American YouTuber (born 1989)

Mark Edward Fischbach, known online as Markiplier, is an American YouTuber, actor and filmmaker. He mainly uploads Let's Plays and is known for his videos of indie horror games. After joining YouTube in 2012, Fischbach became popular on the platform with Let's Plays of Amnesia: The Dark Descent (2010) and the Five Nights at Freddy's series. As of March 2024, his channel has over 36 million subscribers.

Adam Montoya, better known as SeaNanners, is an American YouTuber.

Scott Braden Cawthon is an American video game developer, writer, and producer. He is best known for creating Five Nights at Freddy's, a series of survival horror video games which expanded into a media franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VanossGaming</span> Canadian YouTuber and music producer

Evan Fong, known online as VanossGaming, is a Canadian YouTuber, music producer, and DJ. As one of the most popular gaming personalities on YouTube, his videography consists of montage-style videos of him and other creators playing various video games, such as Grand Theft Auto V and Garry's Mod. Born in Toronto, Fong dropped out of his Economics degree at the University of Pennsylvania to focus on his YouTube channel. On September 15, 2011, Fong registered his gaming channel "VanossGaming", where he would later find sustained success. Signing with multi-channel network (MCN) Machinima early in his career to monetize content, Fong was regularly the most viewed Machinima channel during his time with the MCM; "VanossGaming" was also one of the most subscribed channels on YouTube during the 2010s. Fong has since developed into a central figure in the video game commentary subculture.

Jonathan Aryan Jafari, better known online as JonTron, is an American YouTuber, comedian, and media reviewer. He is best known for his eponymous YouTube web series JonTron, where he reviews and parodies video games, films and other media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MatPat</span> American YouTuber (born 1986)

Matthew Robert Patrick, better known as MatPat, is an American semi-retired YouTuber and internet personality. He is the creator and former host of the YouTube series Game Theory, and its spin-off series Film Theory, Food Theory, and Style Theory, each analyzing various video games, films alongside TV series and web series, food, and fashion respectively. Each of the different series are posted on individual channels, each named after the respective series. In addition to the creation of his channels, Patrick narrated the majority of the videos that are presented on his channels prior to his retirement on March 9, 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boogie2988</span> YouTube personality (born 1974)

Steven Jason Williams, better known by his online alias Boogie2988 or simply Boogie, is an American YouTuber best known for his video rants about video games and nerd culture as a character named Francis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SethBling</span> American video game commentator and live streamer

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Etika</span> American YouTuber and live streamer (1990–2019)

Desmond Daniel Amofah, better known as Etika, was an American YouTuber and live streamer. He became known online for his enthusiastic reactions to Super Smash Bros. character trailers and Nintendo Direct presentations, and for playing and reacting to various games. The son of Ghanaian politician Owuraku Amofah, he resided in Brooklyn, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Hardcastle</span> English author and YouTuber

Daniel John Hardcastle, known online as Nerd³ or NerdCubed, is a British YouTuber, author and actor. Created in 2011, his YouTube channel primarily consists of video game-related content. As of September 2023, it has approximately 2.44 million subscribers and 1.34 billion video views. He is the author of The Sunday Times bestseller Fuck Yeah, Video Games: The Life and Extra Lives of a Professional Nerd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vinesauce</span> Online content creator collective

Vinesauce is a collective of online content creators founded in 2010. 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. The popularity of this content has earned media coverage from major video game outlets such as Kotaku, VG247, PC Gamer and Nintendo Life.

Christopher Luke O'Neill, also known by his Internet pseudonym Oney or OneyNG, is an Irish YouTuber, animator, cartoonist, video game designer, musician, and voice actor. He is known for his Flash animations and being the founder and host of the YouTube Let's Play web series OneyPlays. He is also the owner of the video game production company OneyWare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maximilian Dood</span> American YouTuber and Twitch streamer (born 1983)

Maximillian Miles Christensen, best known under the alias Maximilian Dood, is an American YouTuber and Twitch streamer. Considered a prominent figure in the fighting game community, Christensen primarily makes video content on various fighting games, such as Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Killer Instinct. He is also known for his grassroots efforts to organize fighting game tournaments along with his campaigns to revive various fighting game series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IShowSpeed</span> American YouTuber and livestreamer (born 2005)

Darren Jason Watkins Jr., known online as IShowSpeed or simply Speed, is an American YouTuber and rapper. He is best known for his variety of livestreams, in which he primarily plays video games, including FIFA, Fortnite, and Roblox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Technoblade</span> American internet personality (1999–2022)

Alexander, known online as Technoblade, was an American YouTuber known for his Minecraft videos, livestreams, and involvement in the Dream SMP. Technoblade registered his main channel on YouTube in 2013. His videos consisted primarily of Minecraft gameplay, particularly on the minigame server Hypixel. After rising to popularity in 2019 for his performances in player versus player (PvP) events, Technoblade was invited to the Dream SMP Minecraft server in 2020, further increasing his following.

References

  1. ↑ Gastrow, Jason (April 10, 2015). "He made me the dunkey picture for my youtube". Reddit. Archived from the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  2. 1 2 "About videogamedunkey". YouTube.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Park, Gene (March 14, 2019). "If video games are today's rock-and-roll music, Videogamedunkey might be its Lester Bangs". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on July 4, 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  4. ↑ Gastrow, Jason (October 21, 2017). Old Dunkey and Cuphead (YouTube). videogamedunkey. Archived from the original on September 19, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Klein, Ethan; Klein, Hila; Gastrow, Jason; Bee, Leah (October 11, 2017). H3 Podcast #34 - VideoGameDunkey & Leah (YouTube). h3h3Productions. Archived from the original on June 15, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  6. 1 2 Rowlatt, Henrietta (May 10, 2016). "9 of the best YouTubers playing PC games today". TechRadar . Archived from the original on May 18, 2016. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  7. ↑ "r/videogamedunkey - Comment by u/bunkley on "I am Dunkey AMA"". reddit. April 10, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 Hernandez, Patricia (September 14, 2015). "Banned League of Legends YouTuber Defends His Trash Talking". Kotaku . Archived from the original on July 5, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  9. ↑ " @vgdunkey " (dunkey) on Twitter
  10. ↑ LeJacq, Yannick (September 9, 2015). "League Of Legends YouTube Jokester Gets Banned". Kotaku . Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  11. ↑ Jackson, Gita (September 6, 2017). "How Knack Became The Internet's Favorite Punchline". Kotaku . Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  12. 1 2 Gastrow, Jason (October 6, 2015). Microsoft Sucks (YouTube). videogamedunkey. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  13. 1 2 3 Kurkerewicz, Reid (September 19, 2017). "The revealing jackassery of Videogamedunkey". Tone Madison. Archived from the original on January 23, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  14. ↑ Hernandez, Patricia (December 7, 2020). "YouTuber becomes more powerful by pivoting to terrible gaming content". Polygon . Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  15. ↑ Barilla, Chris (August 27, 2021). "Kanye West's "Donda" Album Has a Surprising Animated Character Featured on It: Globglogabgalab". Distractify . Archived from the original on August 28, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  16. ↑ Li, Nicolaus (September 3, 2021). "What is the "Globglogabgalab" Sample on Kanye's 'DONDA' Track "Remote Control"?". Hypebeast. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  17. ↑ Mercante, Alyssa (November 14, 2022). "Latest Videogamedunkey YouTube Sparks Sonic Frontiers Review Bombing". Kotaku . Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  18. ↑ Cyer, Hirun (November 14, 2022). "YouTuber Dunkey responds to "fans" review-bombing Sonic Frontiers". GamesRadar+ . Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  19. ↑ Dealessandri, Marie (September 22, 2022). "YouTuber Dunkey forms indie games publisher Bigmode". GamesIndustry.biz . Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  20. ↑ Leston, Ryan (September 22, 2022). "Gaming YouTuber Dunkey Sets Up an Indie Game Publishing Company". IGN. Archived from the original on September 23, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  21. ↑ Dealessandri, Marie (February 28, 2023). "Bigmode's journey, from YouTubers to publishers". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  22. ↑ Ngan, Liv (September 22, 2022). "YouTuber videogamedunkey launches own indie publishing company Bigmode". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  23. ↑ Nightingale, Ed (January 9, 2023). "Animal Well is first game from videogamedunkey's publishing company Bigmode". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on January 9, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  24. ↑ Romano, Sal (March 17, 2024). "Animal Well launches May 9". Gematsu. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  25. ↑ Alexander, Julia (November 6, 2017). "YouTubers are calling out Nintendo for its policy on streaming, uploads". Polygon . Archived from the original on October 4, 2019. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  26. 1 2 Klepek, Patrick (July 11, 2017). "Game Criticism Had Problems Long Before Dunkey Made a Video About It". Vice . Archived from the original on October 23, 2019. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  27. ↑ Gastrow, Jason [@vgdunkey] (January 31, 2016). "thanks everybody for an awesome birthday !" (Tweet). Retrieved July 4, 2019– via Twitter.
  28. ↑ Gastrow, Jason (September 27, 2019). Dunkey and Leah's Wedding (YouTube). videogamedunkey. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  29. ↑ Gastrow, Leah [@vgLeahbee] (July 5, 2023). "happiest news 💗 our baby girl due in october!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023– via Twitter.
  30. ↑ "Revisiting Uncharted 4". July 5, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  31. ↑ Gastrow, Jason [@vgdunkey] (October 14, 2023). "[Gastrow with newborn baby]" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 24, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2023– via Twitter.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.