For many gaming fans, the world of YouTube Let’s Plays is often a polarizing subject. Some believe the videos to be a waste of time, while others find them a welcome source of fun, engaging entertainment.
Several weeks ago, late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel perhaps unintentionally started a feud between himself and the Let’s Play audience by mocking the idea of people watching others play video games without getting an actual taste of the action themselves. A lot of users who take part in the Let’s Play online community responded to the comedian’s jibes by unleashing some rather nasty YouTube comments of which he read aloud on his show. The situation eventually prompted him to get a crash course on the practice by sitting down with popular YouTubers Markiplier and MissesMae to film an official Let’s Play segment of his own.
Now, YouTube sensation PewDiePie, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to about the polarizing world of Let’s Plays. PewDiePie is arguably YouTube’s biggest star, with close to 40 million subscribers. In 2014, he reportedly earned $7.5 million, and later responded to critics by saying “money doesn’t make you happy.”
In contrast to Kimmel, PewDiePie appeared as an actual guest, sitting across from Colbert, right where the movie stars normally sit, and it was representative of the respect that Colbert gave him throughout the interview. Colbert poked fun at television, calling it a “steam-powered medium”—and Pewdiepie talked about how, personally, he never actually watches TV. This of course is not uncommon for people who are as young as Pewdiepie, but it was refreshing to acknowledge this reality without berating it.
Colbert also gave props to Pewdiepie’s immense success. This is in contrast to Kimmel’s controversial coverage of YouTube, where he said things like “we should all be ashamed of themselves for failing as parents” when describing people who choose to watch other people play video games online. To most viewers, Kimmel came off as an out-of-touch host who didn’t get YouTube but was intent on making fun of it and the people who enjoy it anyway. Colbert, on the other hand, not only did his homework, but sounded like he had respect for YouTubers and what they do.
PewDiePie then taught the late-night host some curse words from his native Sweden. “Helvetica, that’s a font on Microsoft Word!” Colbert remarked after PewDiePie revealed the favored sans serif as a swear word overseas.
Tonight was helvetica awesome! Thanks for tuning in bros!
— Felix Kjellberg (@pewdiepie) October 2, 2015
