Minecraft has ben growing in popularity over the past few years and YouTube has made an announcement to prove it. The video sharing platform has announced that Minecraft is the most watched video game ever in YouTube history.
Not only is it the most watched, but the term "Minecraft" is also the second most searched term, despite being relatively new compared to other video game franchises.
"There are over 42 million 'Minecraft' videos on YouTube today," said Ryan Wyatt, global head of gaming content at YouTube. "It's crazy because 'Minecraft' is also the second most searched term on YouTube. It's a testament to (publisher) Mojang understanding the marketing capacity and power of our content creators."
The list of top games being watched was released in honor of YouTube's 10th anniversary, with a total of 10 games making the cut. In second place was the Grand Theft Auto series, followed by League of Legends and Call of Duty.
Minecraft itself was originally released by a Swedish developer company called Mojang, and has gone on to become a phenomenon in our culture, with toys and other merchandise being sold all over the world. The popularity of the franchise led Microsoft to buy it from Mojang in 2014 for a whopping $2.5 billion.
There are a number of reasons Minecraft is the most watched game. The top reason is likely the fact that it lends itself well to those who want to personalize the game. Users can build their own world, characters and games in that world.
The other games often revolve around multiplayer modes, and it is easy to see why gamers would want to watch professionals pull off big wins as well as find tips on how they can get better.
According to YouTube, these gaming videos have been viewed for billions of hours, a huge feat although not that surprising considering the number of followers that these YouTube channels have. Popular Minecraft player known as PewDiePie has over 36 million subscribers, earning him millions of dollars in advertising revenue from his YouTube videos.
Of course, the game isn't loved by everyone. Parents have coined the term "Minecraft-widows," using it to describe the fact that some parents feel as if their children have become consumed by the game, neglecting things such as homework, school and even mealtime. One thing is for sure, however. Using PewDiePie as an example, it is becoming less and less easy to say that gaming amounts to nothing.
