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CaptainSparklez

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Jordan Maron (born February 10, 1992), known online as CaptainSparklez, is an American YouTuber and Twitch streamer mainly known for his Minecraft videos. As of January 2024, his main YouTube channel has over 11.4 million subscribers.

CaptainSparklez
A 2018 photograph of Maron
Maron in 2018
Personal information
Born
Jordan Maron

(1992-02-10) February 10, 1992 (age 32)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
EducationUniversity of California, Santa Barbara
Occupations
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2010–2024
Genres
Subscribers11.4 million[1]
Total views4.11 billion[1]
Associated actsTryHardNinja
100,000 subscribers2011
1,000,000 subscribers2012
10,000,000 subscribers2017
Last updated: August 30, 2024

In 2010, eighteen-year-old Maron created his first YouTube channel to upload Call of Duty gameplay videos. Later that year, he moved to a new channel named CaptainSparklez and started posting Minecraft videos soon after. Maron joined Justin.tv in 2011, where he live streamed a variety of games; he continued to stream on Twitch after the two platforms were merged. On YouTube, he began to develop a fanbase from his Minecraft-themed music videos and then-daily gameplay. He was also popular on Twitch to a lesser extent. At the end of 2011, Maron was successful enough to become a full-time YouTuber. CaptainSparklez reached one million subscribers in early 2012. Maron has been involved in other projects, including a mobile game company and an athleisure line. After thirteen years, Maron decided to stop uploading Minecraft gameplay content on his main channel in December 2023.

Maron is best known for the Minecraft-themed songs and song parodies he created in collaboration with vocalist TryHardNinja. Their animated music videos are the most viewed on his channel and, for a time in the early 2010s, were the most viewed Minecraft videos on YouTube: "Revenge", a parody of "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love", received three Guinness World Records, including the one for the most watched Minecraft YouTube video.[a]

Early life and education

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Jordan Maron was born in Los Angeles on February 10, 1992.[‡ 1][‡ 2] His parents, who were never married, separated when he was very young. His mother later married another man. Maron spent most of his time with his mother, with whom he moved to Santa Barbara when he was around four. Before University, Maron attended Santa Barbara Senior High School.[‡ 1] Maron then went on to pursue higher education at the University of California, Santa Barbara as a chemical engineering major, but switched to computer science during his freshman year because he realized that video games could be a viable career. After the first quarter of his sophomore year, Maron decided that he was doing well enough on YouTube to drop out.[‡ 1][2]

Internet career

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Inspired by gaming YouTubers, Maron asked his mother for a PC capture card for his eighteenth birthday.[3] That month, in February 2010, he created his first YouTube channel, ProsDONTtalkSHIT, to upload Call of Duty videos and "show off" his scores.[2][‡ 3] The channel was small and only earned around ten thousand views per video. Maron decided to find a less vulgar username in case it grew bigger, although he was not confident it would. On July 20, 2010, Maron created a new channel, which he named CaptainSparklez on a dare.[4][‡ 4] He was introduced to Minecraft by another YouTuber named SeaNanners[5] before it would see widespread success on the Internet the following year. Although Maron was skeptical, he decided to start making Minecraft videos;[6] he posted his first gameplay video (Let's Play) of the game in August.[7]

Despite promising his parents otherwise, Maron became more involved in making YouTube videos after he started university.[3] He began livestreaming his gameplay on Justin.tv in 2011. The platform's gaming content was later migrated to Twitch, where he continued streaming. Maron started doing YouTube full-time in December after it became possible to monetize his videos.[2] He developed a fanbase partly from his then daily Let's Plays,[8] and, in April 2012, his channel reached one million subscribers.[9] In September 2013, CaptainSparklez became the fifth solo gaming channel to pass one billion views.[7] Maron signed to talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME) in 2015.[10] In 2016, Maron and four other YouTubers voiced their Minecraft avatars in the sixth episode of the spin-off game Minecraft: Story Mode.[11]

Content

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Maron is best known for his Minecraft content on YouTube.[12] His gameplay videos are the focus of his main YouTube channel, while he uses his Twitch livestreams to try out new games, where he has a smaller audience.[2][7][8] He uploads other types of Minecraft content, such as music videos,[4] as well as fitness content.[13] Maron previously uploaded once or twice every day,[6][8] scattering more highly produced videos between his gameplay content.[2] He has created ten additional channels.[14] In December 2023, Maron announced he was retiring from uploading Minecraft gameplay content on his main YouTube channel.[‡ 5]

Minecraft songs

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Maron is known for his Minecraft animated music videos. "Revenge" (pictured) is his most viewed video and set three Guinness World Records.

Maron is especially known for the Minecraft-themed songs he produced and uploaded to his channel. The Wall Street Journal dubbed him "the godfather of Minecraft song parodies" because of his status in the fandom.[15] In the early 2010s, his animated music videos made up the most viewed Minecraft videos on YouTube,[16] and the most viewed videos on his channel. While many of the songs were Minecraft-themed parodies of popular songs at the time, his team have also created original music. The animation is spearheaded by the pseudonymous Bootstrap Buckaroo, and the vocals by Igor Gordienko, who creates video game-based songs online as TryHardNinja.[6] His songs are high-tempo synth and electronic music.[17]

On August 19, 2011, Maron uploaded "Revenge", a Minecraft-themed parody of Usher's "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love", to YouTube. As of June 2023, the music video has over 283 million views and is his most viewed video.[‡ 6] It is sung from the perspective of a player who is attacked by creepers.[18] In October, Maron released a parody of "Gangnam Style" titled "Minecraft Style", which similarly went viral.[19][20] Maron's parody of Taio Cruz's "Dynamite", titled "TNT", surpassed the UK music video for the original song in April 2019.[21] Later that year, "Revenge" received renewed attention as an internet meme which challenged group chats to type the lyrics one-by-one and in order.[22]

From 2012 to 2022, Maron released five interconnected Minecraft music videos which form the main Fallen Kingdom series.[‡ 7][23] "Fallen Kingdom" is a parody of Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" sung from the perspective of a king who loses his castle,[15] while "Take Back the Night" debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Songs chart because of its YouTube views.[24] The storyline continued with "Find the Pieces", "Dragonhearted", and "Rising Kingdom".[‡ 7] In 2017, Maron collaborated with producers Seven Lions, Illenium, and Said the Sky, and vocalist Haliene for "Rush Over Me".[17]

Other ventures

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Mobile games

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Maron and Activision co-founder Howard Marks co-founded mobile game company XREAL. Marks first contacted him through a mutual friend of his grandmother. They released their first game in May 2015 for iOS and Android. In Fortress Fury, players craft weapons and items to build tile-based 2D fortresses before attempting to destroy others' in real-time multiplayer battles.[8][25][26] Fortress Fury was developed by a contracted studio, but the production moved internally after its launch. The studio aspired to create games for a potential mobile esports scene.[2][8]

Fortress Fury was originally going to be titled Fortress Fallout until ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Fallout series developer Bethesda Softworks, sent a cease and desist letter to XREAL ordering them to rescind a trademark application for the game and cease using the title in future promotional material. Both Maron and several media outlets believed that it was unlikely the drastically different mobile game would be associated with the franchise. However, the small company lacked the resources to fight ZeniMax.[26][27][28] Maron said in a later video that the letter was sent to prevent competition for their mobile game Fallout Shelter (2015), which Bethesda kept a secret until its release.[‡ 8]

Fortress Fury was downloaded over two million times in its first three months, but did not make a proportional amount of revenue or enter the 200 top-grossing iOS games in the United States. Tasos Lazarides of TouchArcade suggested that this was because of Maron's attempt to make the game player-friendly by lessening in-game purchases, as well as the competitive App Store market, while Stuart Dredge of The Guardian speculated it was because many of his followers were children. Maron let his followers vote on the title, logo, and icon art.[8][29][b]

Merchandise and partnerships

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Maron signed a partnership deal to Maker Studios' Polaris in 2013.[30] After signing a similar deal with PocketWatch in 2017, Maron received an equity stake in the company and was one of the children's content creators featured in their first book, titled Watch This Book, which was released the following year.[31][32]

A CaptainSparklez action figure was part of the initial Minecraft-themed Tube Heroes line, which was released on May 22, 2015.[33] In February 2020, Maron launched an athleisure clothing brand called Quality Content.[13]

Awards and recognition

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"Revenge" set the Guinness World Records for the most watched Minecraft YouTube video, the most watched machinima on YouTube, and the most viewed fan film based on a video game.[34][35][36][a] In 2015, Maron and SethBling uploaded Verizon-sponsored videos demonstrating a working phone in Minecraft, which holds the Guinness World Record for the first working mobile phone in Minecraft. The server-client architecture instantly converts the phone software onto in-game blocks, using a web application developed by Verizon, Blockworks and Wieden+Kennedy called Boxel.[37][38][39] In 2016, Maron was listed on the Forbes 30 Under 30 in Games and was nominated for the Shorty Award in Gaming.[40][41]

Personal life

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In October 2015, Maron received media attention after he purchased a mansion above the Sunset Strip for $4.5 million.[42][43][44] He moved to Pasadena, California, in 2023.[45]

Appearances

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Year Work Role Note(s) Ref(s).
2015 Wonder Quest Himself Web series [46]
2015 Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything Himself Guest [47]
2016 Bad Internet Web series [47]
2016 MatPat's Game Lab Web series [47]
2016 Happy Wheels: The Series Stephen (Business Guy) [48]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Guinness World Records last updated these three records on July 21, 2016.
  2. ^ His fans chose both the original name Fortress Fallout and the renamed Fortress Fury.[27]

References

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  1. ^ a b "About CaptainSparklez". YouTube.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Takahashi, Dean (September 30, 2015). "Jordan 'CaptainSparklez' Maron lives the fairy tale life of getting paid to play Minecraft (interview)". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Morris, Chris (May 10, 2014). "Ordinary folks who became millionaires on YouTube". CNBC. Archived from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Patel, Sahil (August 24, 2015). "Know your influencer: For CaptainSparklez, gaming is not a game". Digiday. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  5. ^ Game On! 2018. Scholastic. 2017. p. 27. ISBN 9781338189933.
  6. ^ a b c Allocca, Kevin (2018). "Niche: The New Mainstream". Videocracy: How YouTube Is Changing the World . . . with Double Rainbows, Singing Foxes, and Other Trends We Can't Stop Watching. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781632866769. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Gutelle, Sam (September 5, 2013). "YouTube Billionaires: All Hail Captain Sparklez". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Dredge, Stuart (August 10, 2015). "YouTube Minecraft star CaptainSparklez starts crafting mobile games". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 4, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  9. ^ Eördögh, Fruzsina (April 30, 2012). "Captain Sparklez hits 1 million subscribers". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  10. ^ Jarvey, Natalie (February 17, 2015). "WME Signs Slew of YouTube Stars, Including Lohanthony, Bart Baker (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  11. ^ Skrebels, Joe (May 31, 2016). "Minecraft: Story Mode Episode 6 Release Date Announced". IGN. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  12. ^ Fay, Kacee (May 28, 2022). "CaptainSparklez finally wins his first MC Championship". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on November 4, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Kharif, Olga (April 22, 2020). "Inside the $1.5 Billion Market for Streamer-Branded Merchandise". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  14. ^ David, Mark (February 28, 2023). "CaptainSparklez Price Chops Mullet-Style WeHo Aerie". Dirt. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Russell, Anna (August 12, 2012). "Lovers of Minecraft Are Belting Out Odes to Digging and Smelting". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  16. ^ Morton, Lauren (December 16, 2021). "Minecraft videos now have 1 trillion views on YouTube, but the most popular ones aren't actually made in Minecraft". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  17. ^ a b Notis, Ari (March 9, 2018). "CaptainSparklez: Meet the Man Behind YouTube's Minecraft Music Videos". Best Life. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  18. ^ Goldberg, Daniel; Larsson, Linus (2015). Minecraft: The Unlikely Tale of Markus "Notch" Persson and the Game That Changed Everything. Translated by Hawkins, Jennifer (2nd ed.). New York: Seven Stories Press. pp. 147–148. ISBN 9781609805388.
  19. ^ Benedetti, Winda (October 23, 2012). "Dig this 'Minecraft'-style 'Gangnam Style' parody". NBC News. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  20. ^ "Minecraft parody of Psy's Gangnam Style". The Daily Telegraph. October 22, 2012. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  21. ^ Scott-Jones, Richard (April 10, 2019). "Taio Cruz's people want you to know a Minecraft parody only passed *one* of the Dynamite videos on YouTube". PCGamesN. Archived from the original on August 6, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  22. ^ Anderson, Sage (July 30, 2019). "The 'Creeper Challenge' has group chats fighting to finish song lyrics in the right order". Mashable. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  23. ^ Perera, Joshi (April 22, 2021). "The Best Ever 'Minecraft' Songs, Ranked". Junkee. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  24. ^ Murray, Gordan (January 3, 2014). "TryHardNinja Debut Novelty Song On Dance Charts". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  25. ^ Conditt, Jessica (July 14, 2015). "YouTube fame to game developer: A chat with CaptainSparklez". Engadget. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  26. ^ a b Orland, Kyle (February 17, 2015). "Bethesda parent forces Fortress Fallout developer into name change". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  27. ^ a b Campbell, Colin (February 16, 2015). "Bethesda hits Fortress Fallout maker with legal name-change demand". Polygon. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  28. ^ LeJacq, Yannick (February 16, 2015). "Fallout Publisher Sends Legal Threat To Game With 'Fallout' In Title". Kotaku. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  29. ^ Lazarides, Tasos (August 10, 2015). "CaptainSparklez's Popularity Hasn't (Yet) Translated Into High Revenue For His 'Fortress Fury' Game". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  30. ^ Gutelle, Sam (October 29, 2013). "Captain Sparklez, KSIOlajidebt, Ali-A Among New Polaris Gamers". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  31. ^ Spangler, Todd (November 22, 2017). "YouTube Creators CaptainSparklez, EvanTube Sign With Kid-Media Startup Pocket.watch". Variety. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  32. ^ Gutelle, Sam (May 8, 2018). "Kids Creators Like Ryan ToysReview, EvanTube, Captain Sparklez To Be Featured In Upcoming Book". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  33. ^ Brian, Matt (May 20, 2015). "YouTube gamers are getting their own 'Minecraft'-inspired figures". Engadget. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  34. ^ "Most watched Minecraft YouTube video". Guinness World Records. July 21, 2016. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  35. ^ "Most watched machinima on YouTube". Guinness World Records. July 21, 2016. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  36. ^ "Most viewed fan film based on a videogame". Guinness World Records. July 21, 2016. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  37. ^ Grubb, Jeff (December 1, 2015). "Minecraft gets cellphone coverage thanks to Verizon — check out these blocky video calls". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  38. ^ Chalk, Andy (December 3, 2015). "Minecraft's "real" mobile phone supports texting, browsing, and video calls". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  39. ^ "First working mobile phone in Minecraft". Guinness World Records. December 1, 2015. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  40. ^ Ewalt, David M., ed. (2016). "30 Under 30 2016: Games". Forbes. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  41. ^ "Jordan Maron". Shorty Awards. 2016. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
  42. ^ David, Mark (October 6, 2015). "YouTube Star Jordan Maron Nabs Sunset Plaza Pad". Dirt. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  43. ^ "Inside the £2.9m mansion paid for by Minecraft". The Daily Telegraph. October 14, 2015. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  44. ^ McWhertor, Michael (October 9, 2015). "Minecraft streamer buys $4.5M Hollywood home, not far from Notch's mansion". Polygon. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  45. ^ McClain, James (May 2, 2023). "YouTuber Buys Hilltop Post and Beam Midcentury in Pasadena". Dirt. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  46. ^ Dredge, Stuart (April 28, 2015). "YouTube backs digital star Stampy's new Minecraft show Wonder Quest". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  47. ^ a b c "CaptainSparklez". TV Guide. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  48. ^ Miska, Brad (November 2, 2016). "'Happy Wheels' Series Trailer Litters the Street With Blood and Guts (Exclusive)". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.

Primary sources

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  1. ^ a b c Maron, Jordan (January 21, 2014). Draw My Life - CaptainSparklez. CaptainSparklez. Retrieved June 25, 2023 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ Maron, Jordan [@CaptainSparklez] (February 10, 2022). "Woke up feeling fresh for my 30th birthday" (Tweet). Retrieved June 25, 2023 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ Maron, Jordan. "ProsDONTtalkSHIT". YouTube. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
  4. ^ "CaptainSparklez - YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  5. ^ Maron, Jordan (December 5, 2023). Retiring. CaptainSparklez. Retrieved December 10, 2023 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ Maron, Jordan (August 19, 2011). "Revenge" - A Minecraft Parody of Usher's DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love (Music Video) (Music video). Vocals by Gordienko, Igor. CaptainSparklez – via YouTube.
  7. ^ a b "Fallen Kingdom - YouTube". Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ Maron, Jordan (October 31, 2016). What Ever Happened To Fortress Fury?. CaptainSparklez. Retrieved July 13, 2023 – via YouTube.

Further reading

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