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Chuggaaconroy
Chuggaaconroy is seen at PAX West 2018, speaking into a microphone and smiling.
Chuggaaconroy at PAX West 2018
Born
Emiliano Rodolfo Rosales-Birou

(1990-04-08) April 8, 1990 (age 34)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Occupation(s)Internet personality, Let's Player
Years active2008–present
YouTube information
Channel
Genre(s)
Subscribers1.25 million[1]
(February 2024)
Total views1.24 billion[1]
(February 2024)
Associated acts
  • NintendoCapriSun
  • Proton Jon
  • Stephen Georg
  • JoshJepson
100,000 subscribers2010
1,000,000 subscribers2015

Emiliano Rodolfo Rosales-Birou (born April 8, 1990), also known as Emile Rosales[2] and better known by his online alias Chuggaaconroy,[note 1] is an American YouTuber, Internet personality and Let's Player.[2][3][4] He is most notable for his comprehensive walkthrough videos on various video games released on Nintendo platforms, including titles from the Mother, Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Pikmin, Pokémon and Xenoblade Chronicles series.

Alongside his Let's Play videos, Rosales-Birou is a founding member of The Runaway Guys collaborative Let's Play YouTube channel with fellow Let's Play personalities Jonathan "Proton Jon" Wheeler and Timothy "NintendoCapriSun" Bishop, where they have played various multiplayer video games including Mario Party and New Super Mario Bros.

Early life

Rosales-Birou was born on April 8, 1990, and is a native of Phoenix, Arizona.[2][5] As of 2019, he resides in Atlanta, Georgia.[6] Rosales-Birou had been a member of the EarthBound video game community fan-site Starmen.net as a teenager, where he met fellow content creator and collaborator Stephen Georg; Georg had mentioned how Rosales-Birou had introduced him to the Let's Play genre and inspired him to make his own gaming channel.[7][8]

YouTube career

History (2008–present)

Rosales-Birou created his YouTube account on July 26, 2006, under the alias of "Chuggaaconroy," a name he has used as an online pseudonym since he was a child.[3] He was initially inspired to make Let's Plays by personalities such as Jonathan "Proton Jon" Wheeler, a Let's Player originating from the Something Awful forums and a future founding member of The Runaway Guys.[2][9] On March 26, 2008, he uploaded his first Let's Play series covering the SNES role-playing game EarthBound on YouTube, adding commentary on the game's sound and art design.[2][10] He would later upload Let's Play videos on the other games in the Mother series.[11]

In July 2010, Rosales-Birou's YouTube account was suspended under false copyright claims, though was restored in August.[12][13] Shortly after the incident, he obtained a YouTube partnership with The Game Station (now called Polaris), a sub-network of Maker Studios.[14] Rosales-Birou's channel grew in popularity as his gameplay videos were often recommended on YouTube's suggestions, and he has since become a Let's Play creator on YouTube as a full-time job;[3] in 2014 The Atlantic cited Rosales-Birou as an example of a Let's Player making a living off of gaming videos.[15] Nintendo had initially targeted and content ID-claimed several of Rosales-Birou's videos due to them containing footage of their games, causing his ad revenue to temporarily decrease, but later ceased doing so.[2][16]

On his primary YouTube channel, Rosales-Birou has produced over 40 solo Let's Play series of games primarily exclusive to Nintendo systems, such as EarthBound, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door,[17] Pikmin,[18] Super Luigi Galaxy,[note 2] The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask,[21] Pokémon Emerald,[22] Super Paper Mario,[23] Super Mario 64 DS,[2] Animal Crossing: New Leaf,[24][25] Xenoblade Chronicles,[17][26] and Splatoon.[26]

In 2018, Rosales-Birou remade his EarthBound Let's Play series on the tenth anniversary of his YouTube channel's formation, going into detail on previously undiscussed trivia and knowledge surrounding the game.[7][27] He had previously expressed interest in remaking the series, feeling that he "could have done such a better job now."[10] However, in June 2021, several of Rosales-Birou’s EarthBound videos were content ID-claimed and subsequently blocked worldwide by Sony, due to the company owning the distribution rights to the soundtrack of the Mother series.[28]

In 2021, Rosales-Birou's Let's Play series on Xenoblade Chronicles 2 coincided with the announcement of characters Pyra and Mythra as DLC fighters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, marking the second time a Xenoblade character was announced for Super Smash Bros. during his concurrent Let's Play videos on the series.[29]

Commentary and video style

Rosales-Birou's gaming videos have been categorized under the walkthrough genre, and have been described as both entertaining and informative.[3][17] Contrasting from other Let's Play channels, his content focuses on footage from Nintendo games several years after their initial release dates, mainly of titles he has played numerous times before.[30] During his gameplay videos, Rosales-Birou attempts to show every aspect of each individual game he plays to 100% completion, including every item, boss battle, sidequest, and Easter egg possible.[30][31] Rosales-Birou commentates in an informative manner in his videos with the purpose of guiding viewers to complete the game themselves. For example, in his Pokémon Emerald series he discusses various strategies and viable techniques to ensure optimal success in the game,[22] and in his second EarthBound series he showcased a particular glitch in the game involving the Tent located in Threed, one of the cities featured in the game.[7] In this regard, his gameplay videos function as informative walkthroughs with the premise of guiding players through each aspect of the specific game he plays; Ryan Rigney from Wired magazine noted that Rosales-Birou "possesses a near encyclopedic knowledge about the games he's playing, and reliably dispenses gobs of obscure information as he plays."[2]

In spite of their informative nature, Rosales-Birou's videos often employ humorous moments in his gameplay, such as the occasional failure or death in a level and subsequent backtracking. His videos have also been described as nostalgic and reflective, as he often tells personal anecdotes of his experiences with the games he plays.[2][30]

The Runaway Guys

The Runaway Guys
The Runaway Guys at PAX West 2018. From left to right: NintendoCapriSun, Chuggaaconroy and Proton Jon
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2010–present
Genre(s)Gaming, let's play
Subscribers489 thousand[32]
(September 2023)
Total views412 million[32]
(September 2023)
100,000 subscribers2011

The Runaway Guys is a collaborative Let's Play channel formed by Rosales-Birou, Jonathan Wheeler (Proton Jon) and Timothy Bishop (NintendoCapriSun).[9][33][34] The group records themselves playing various multiplayer video games such as Mario Party, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Kirby & the Amazing Mirror and Wheel of Fortune.[35][36][37]

In addition to their videos, The Runaway Guys have also created the "Thrown Controllers" event, a live game show which focuses on video game trivia and challenges. The event has been broadcast on numerous gaming conventions such as PAX, Magfest and Momocon.[38][39]

The group has also done gaming live-streams for charity, hosting "The Runaway Guys Colosseum" stream for the non-profit organization Direct Relief. Guests who have collaborated with the group on the stream include YouTube personalities Tom Fawkes, JoshJepson, StephenPlays, and FamilyJules.[40][41][34]

Other works

In 2014, Rosales-Birou appeared in an episode of Did You Know Gaming? to explain trivia on the EarthBound franchise.[42][43] He had also collaborated with YouTuber TheJWittz in a video discussing theories on the Pokémon character Giovanni from Team Rocket.[44]

In 2012, he appeared in an episode of The Game Station Podcast hosted by British YouTube gamer TotalBiscuit.[45]

In June 2022, Rosales-Birou attended the Games Done Quick event Summer Games Done Quick and served as a couch commentator for a speedrun of Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna – The Golden Country by notable speed-runner Enel.[46]

Personal life

In adolescence, Rosales-Birou developed a fear of roller coasters after Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain derailing that killed two people aboard the train, claiming to have been on the attraction earlier in the day, and that he had planned to ride it again.[47] He has mentioned in videos that he struggled with family and financial issues during his childhood, as well as with autism.[48] For a short period of time, he believed he was misdiagnosed. However, in his EarthBound remake series he later backed down from that statement, having no evidence to disprove it.[49] He has spoken many times of not having a healthy relationship with his father, citing drug use, alcoholism, and neglectfulness.[50]

Rosales-Birou is friends with fellow content creators Stephen Georg, and his wife, Mallory Georg. Stephen currently serves as his graphic designer. Rosales-Birou has known Stephen since he was 14 years old, when the two met on the EarthBound video game fansite, Starmen.net; Georg had mentioned how Rosales-Birou had introduced him to the Let’s Play genre and inspired him to make his own gaming channel.[51]

In a Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 playthrough episode in August 2023, Rosales-Birou mentioned that he was in a relationship and had been playing the game with his girlfriend off-screen, albeit her identity was not revealed.[52]: 16:45–17:08 

Reception

Rosales-Birou's Let's Play videos have been received positively. Jennifer O'Connell from The Irish Times noted Rosales-Birou's content as a family-friendly alternative to more vulgar YouTube gaming channels,[26] and Noel Murray from The New York Times cited him as an example of a YouTuber "less interested in personal branding than in sharing their (his) enthusiasm."[3] Stephen Adegun of Reporter had given his content praise for its informative nature, stating that "while watching one of his series of playthroughs, viewers can doubtlessly come away having learned something new about the game, even if they knew a lot about it already."[17] He has also appeared in various lists of the best gaming YouTube channels.[22][21][53]

Rosales-Birou's YouTube channel name was featured as a cheat code for the 2019 Metroidvania game Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, alongside other prominent internet personalities.[54][55] In 2020, his Super Mario Sunshine series was listed as one of the top ten memes of the game following the release of Super Mario 3D All-Stars.[56]

Rosales-Birou's YouTube channel reached 1 million subscribers and 760 million views in 2015,[3] and is at over 1.2 million subscribers and 1.1 billion views as of 2022.[17][6]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ His channel username is spelt entirely lowercase, i.e. chuggaaconroy
  2. ^ Called Super Luigi Galaxy due to him playing Super Mario Galaxy as the character Luigi.[19][20]

References

  1. ^ a b "About chuggaaconroy". YouTube.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rigney, Ryan (July 24, 2013). "For Chuggaaconroy, Playing Old Nintendo Games Is a Full-Time Job". Wired. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Murray, Noel (October 2, 2015). "YouTube's Young Viewers Are Becoming Its Creators". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  4. ^ "How to become a Let's Player like PewDiePie and Game Grumps". VentureBeat. June 19, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  5. ^ @Chuggaaconroy (April 8, 2020). "Thank you for so many birthday wishes! I said in an interview a long time ago that internet popularity is fleeting and that there's no way I'd still be doing this at 30. Thank you for being the ones to make me wrong" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. ^ a b Dunlap, Charles (August 29, 2019). "Young Mexico man moves forward after treatment". The Examiner. Archived from the original on July 8, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c Kirshenblatt, Matthew (December 10, 2018). "EarthBound Dress Rehearsals and The Beginnings of Interaction: Toby Fox and Gaster's Deltarune Part I". Sequart Organization. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  8. ^ York, Alex (October 17, 2015). "YouTuber gaining attention". Observer-Reporter. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Kemps, Heidi (April 2015). "Let's Playing Together" (PDF). PC PowerPlay. pp. 34–36.
  10. ^ a b "Interview With Chuggaaconroy". Girls on Games. September 23, 2014. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  11. ^ Franzese, Tomas (June 6, 2017). "E3 2017 Dreams -- I Hope A Mother 3 Western Release Graces the Nintendo Switch". Dualshockers. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  12. ^ Rappaport, Jason (July 19, 2010). "Chuggaaconroy, Others, Suspended from YouTube By False Copyright Claims". Zelda Universe. Archived from the original on July 23, 2010. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  13. ^ Rappaport, Jason (August 1, 2010). "Chuggaaconroy is back, baby!". Zelda Universe. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  14. ^ Schreier, Jason (December 15, 2010). "'The Game Station' Televises Gaming on YouTube". Wired. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  15. ^ Zoia, Christopher (March 14, 2014). "This Guy Makes Millions Playing Games on YouTube". The Atlantic. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  16. ^ Rigney, Ryan (October 21, 2013). "Want to Sell Your Game? Don't Tick Off YouTubers". Wired. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  17. ^ a b c d e Adegun, Stephen (February 23, 2019). "Smash That Play Button". Reporter Magazine. Rochester Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  18. ^ Murray, Noel (October 15, 2015). "Here's what the next-gen are doing on YouTube". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  19. ^ "YouTube gaming charts: 'Duke Nukem Forever,' 'Super Luigi Galaxy'". The Independent. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  20. ^ "YouTube gaming charts: 'Black Ops' tops". The Independent. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  21. ^ a b Yurevitch, Theo (July 9, 2020). "10 best Let's Play YouTubers". Gamepur. Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  22. ^ a b c Hockenson, Lauren (January 25, 2012). "5 Essential YouTube Channels for Gamers". Mashable. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  23. ^ Beaumont, Mark (October 27, 2017). "The evolution of Mario". NME. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  24. ^ Watson, Elijah C. (July 22, 2020). "'Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Is Serving As A Means To Connect Black People Globally". Okayplayer. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  25. ^ Spear, Rebecca (February 14, 2021). "Animal Crossing Festivale: Pavé, Festivale items, rainbow feathers, and more". iMore. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  26. ^ a b c O'Connell, Jennifer (February 18, 2017). "What children learn from PewDiePie, Stampy and DanTDM". The Irish Times. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  27. ^ Rosales-Birou, Emile (July 15, 2018). "Rockin a New Let's Play!". YouTube. Chuggaaconroy. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  28. ^ Ryan Craddock (June 30, 2021). "EarthBound YouTube Videos Keep Getting Flagged For Copyright By Sony". Nintendo Life. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  29. ^ Ditchfield, Jaimie (March 4, 2021). "Sakurai reiterates it's not his decision to include more sword fighters in Smash". Nintendo Enthusiast. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  30. ^ a b c Gomes de Matos, Bruno Vasconcelos (November 2017). Let's Play a game: Como Let's Plays se comportam como agentes de comunicação [Let's Play a game : How Let's Plays behave as communication agents] (PDF) (Thesis) (in Portuguese). University of Brasília. pp. 55–58. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  31. ^ Stanichar, Joseph (March 1, 2023). "Let's Plays Are as Fun as Ever: Why We Still Love Watching Other People Play Videogames". Paste. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  32. ^ a b "About TheRunawayGuys". YouTube.
  33. ^ "The Runaway Guys Interview (Chuggaaconroy & Proton Jon)". Girls on Games. June 6, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  34. ^ a b Smith, Noah (February 25, 2022). "Top Charity Gaming Stream On For This Weekend". Direct Relief. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  35. ^ Batchelor, Kim (November 8, 2015). "YouTube: a guide to genre part four". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  36. ^ Walker, Alex (March 2, 2012). "Frag Reel Friday: the world of Mario". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  37. ^ McDonnell, Jeffrey (August 1, 2019). "What Let's Play series are you currently watching?". Nintendo Enthusiast. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  38. ^ Personen, Kalle (2020). "Designing a learning game for parkour courses" (PDF). Lapland University of Applied Sciences. pp. 14–25.
  39. ^ Wales, Murphy (July 5, 2017). "Momocon 2017 Recap". ComicsVerse. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  40. ^ Henning, Alex (May 15, 2021). "Is Video Game Content Creation Worth Your Time?". CBR. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  41. ^ Smith, Noah (December 25, 2019). "Gamers Raised Millions for Charity in 2019: Meet Three Leading the Way". Direct Relief. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  42. ^ Hernandez, Patricia (March 3, 2014). "Nine Things You Might Not Know About Earthbound". Kotaku. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  43. ^ Did You Know Gaming (March 1, 2014). "EarthBound Part 2 – Did You Know Gaming? Feat. Chuggaaconroy". Normal Boots. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  44. ^ Hernandez, Patricia (October 18, 2013). "Giovanni, The Team Rocket Boss, Is Pokémon's Best Villian [sic]". Kotaku. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  45. ^ "TGS Podcast #29 ft. ChuggaaConroy, Hosted by Total Biscuit & Dodger". TheTVDB.com. October 19, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  46. ^ Stanichar, Joseph (July 19, 2022). "The Best Speed Runs from Summer Games Done Quick 2022". Paste. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  47. ^ Rosales-Birou, Emile. "Super Paper Mario - Episode 31". YouTube. Chuggaaconroy. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
  48. ^ Rosales-Birou, Emile. "Chuggaaconroy - 50 Facts Tag Video". YouTube. Chuggaaconroy. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  49. ^ Rosales-Birou, Emile. "EarthBound - Episode 55: Welcome to Your Nightmare". YouTube. Chuggaaconroy.
  50. ^ Rosales-Birou, Emile. "EarthBound - Episode 16: Winter's End". YouTube. Chuggaaconroy.
  51. ^ York, Alex (October 17, 2015). "YouTuber gaining attention". Observer-Reporter. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  52. ^ "Virizion Wired – Pokémon Black 2 & White 2 [50]" (video). youtube.com. chuggaaconroy. August 25, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  53. ^ Zaher, Troy (January 29, 2019). "9 best YouTube channels for JRPG fans". Softonic. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  54. ^ Capel, Chris (June 19, 2019). "Bloodstained Ritual of the Night Cheats | List of all cheat codes". GameRevolution. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  55. ^ Koch, Maik (July 17, 2019). "Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - Weapons, Nightmare Mode - Cheats at a glance". PC Games (in German).
  56. ^ Barker, Stephen (September 24, 2020). "10 Mario Sunshine Memes That Are Too Hilarious For Words". Game Rant. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
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