MatPat wanted to "inspire a generation" with his gaming channel.
MatPat is stepping down from his gaming series on YouTube after 13 years
The 37-year-old influencer- whose real name is Matthew Patrick - has hosted the YouTube series 'Game Theory' for more than 13years alongside its spin-off 'Fim Theory'and garnered 40 million subscribers along the way but recently announced his decision to step down from the job and reflected that he wanted to get viewers to think for themselves with the venture.
He told Variety: "That’s the last time I’m saying, ‘but hey… that’s just a theory.' This is my last time in the recording booth doing voiceovers; this is the last time I’m standing in front of a green screen doing shorts, and bit by bit, you say goodbye to the different pieces of yourself as you unwind yourself from them.
"I wanted the channels to inspire a curiosity and a sense of critical thought in people, to get them to question the media they’re consuming, the food they’re eating, the style that they have and to have fun learning and finding. To inspire a generation to ask, ‘Hey, is this how things should be done? Is this the right thing to do?’ and then pursue that answer because they’re confident that they’re smart, capable and able to undergo the research to do it.."
But the online content creator- who is quitting YouTube so he can spend more time with his wife Stephanie and their five-year-old son Oliver - admitted that his success came as a shock to him and has learned during his time on his channel that being curious about things can be "infectious".
He said: "I never would have suspected that there would be tens of millions of people eager to listen to me count animatronic toes or talk about the real-life science of ‘Minecraft’ or whether Mario could break a block with his fist. My takeaway is, whether in a small way or a big way, your actions matter. Your enthusiasm is infectious, and your curiosity is infectious. So go out there, live it up and approach every day like it’s a new opportunity."