Wikitubia:Interviews/Mrmeerkatz

This interview was conducted via YouTube Private Message on January 9, 2017 by Aidan Dunphy.

Mr Meerkat is a American YouTuber with over 1,060 subscribers as of January 11, 2017.

Q1: How and when did you discover YouTube?


 * I discovered YouTube at my cousins house around 2009 or 2010 when he was showing me skits that people had made, and ever since I've been hooked.

Q2: Can you remember what the first YouTube video that you ever watch was?


 * Surprisingly with the terrible memory that I have, I can. It ties back to when I was first shown YouTube at my cousins house. To introduce me to the concept played The Retarded Policeman sketch about Asperger's syndrome... keep in mind that we were like nine years old...

Q3: Can you remember what the first video game that you ever played was?


 * I believe my first video game ever was Spyro the Dragon on the PlayStation 1, and it was my only game for many years.

Q4: How many YouTube videos do you think you've watched in your lifetime?


 * Honestly that is really hard to say. I've been constantly watching YouTube for a good nine or ten years now, and it's even completely taken over my use of cable TV for about three years now. For a rough estimate I'd say maybe 30,000-100,000+ videos. That's a pretty huge gap, but it's about the best I can do for accuracy.

Q5: How many YouTube channels do you think you are subscribed to?


 * At this moment I'm currently subscribed to 171 channels, but at one point I was subscribed to around 800 channels before I decided to crush that number down to people that I really liked watching.

Q6: Who was the first YouTuber that you were a fan of?


 * Oh man, that goes to TheRadBrad all the way. I found his channel when I discovered his Dead Rising 2 videos around like 2011, and I've been a fan ever since.

'''Q7: Who influence you to make YouTube videos? '''


 * Strangely enough there really wasn't anyone that influenced me to upload to YouTube. I can still remember before I even had internet I would use a camera that I was given as a gift to record gaming video using my Wii console. I didn't care if anyone saw them, I just really wanted them for myself to watch when I got bored. It's been something that I've just enjoyed doing and when I found YouTube I jumped on it as fast as I could and figured out how to upload. Though as for today I'd say that the let's play channels that I've watched for years like RadBrad, TheSw1tcher, and Game Grumps have kept me going and have inspired me to do YouTube seriously.

Q8: What do you think about the new YouTube Advertiser-Friendly content guidelines?


 * I'm not a fan of the Advertiser-Friendly guidelines but I understand why YouTube has them. YouTube is a business and they are playing it safe, but what made YouTube so great was the fact that people were allowed to say whatever was on their mind and see what other people think on certain subjects. YouTube should let advertisers know that before signing up, and if advertisers really wanted friendly content they wouldn't use YouTube but YouTube decided that themselves.

Q9: How did you come up with Mr Meerkat as your YouTube channel name?


 * It's kind of a funny story. Before I made my current channel I noticed that I was playing a lot of Minecraft, and the only skin I was using was a meerkat skin. After awhile I wanted a fresh start at YouTube again so I decided that I would make a new channel, and at the time I was also watching a lot of the Stampy Minecraft videos so I though I would try out his style of video. I then named myself after my skin and made a few Minecraft videos all with a camera and my Xbox 360. About 10 videos into the series I became extremely board of Minecraft and starting doing let's plays of games that are more like what I'm doing today. After a year I got my first PC and then became who I am today.

Q10: Was Mr Meerkat your YouTube channel name when you first created your YouTube channel?


 * Yes it's always been Mr Meerkat. There were a few times that I was thinking about changing the name a bit since I didn't know there were so many other channels with either the same name or something similar, but eventually decided against it.

Q11: Currently who is your favourite YouTuber or YouTubers?


 * My favorite channels have always been TheRadBrad and TheSw1tcher since I've watched them the longest, and let's plays are my favorite style of content to watch.

Q12: Do you have a favourite and least favourite video that you have uploaded?


 * Oh boy do I ever. If those old Xbox videos weren't deleted I'd say those are my least favorite. Oh and I have a private video 'reacting' to when YouTube implemented the 360 degree camera stuff.... it was just bad. As for something that's still around my least favorite is my Katz Plays | AdVenture Capitalist video, which is funny since it's one of my highest ranking videos I have. Even weirder I think my favorite video is my oldest video which is Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Part 1. I've always liked revisiting that video and seeing how I've have changed over time.

Q13: What is your favourite video game?


 * Honestly I don't even know myself. I've come to an even battle between Borderlands 2, Dead Rising 2: Off The Record, and Skyrim.

Q14: What is your favourite video game to record?


 * I really used to enjoy recording the Minecraft Challenge Build videos but I've stopped making them since they take so much time to make, and it just doesn't fit the style I want around now. Currently I've started a Dead Rising 3 let's play that's been an incredibly fun game to record.

Q15: What is your favourite part about having a YouTube channel and being a YouTuber?


 * Probably one of my favorite things about YouTube has been the awesome people that I've gotten to meet and talk too. Because of YouTube I am now really good friends with a game art designer, and a retired wrestler.

Q16: Do you play video games in your free time that you don't record and upload if so what games?


 * Definitely yes. It's not everyday and I still restrict what I play so I don't get board or spoil a game that I'd like to stream or let's play. I like to play mostly The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth and revisit games that I've already let's played.

Q17: How many video games do you own?


 * Currently I own 66 games on my PC with a ton of those being gifted by friends on YouTube and Twitch, which is just amazing. I also have about 20-30 games on my Xbox 360. And then there's all the games I don't own anymore for systems I used to have.

Q18: Do you watch your own videos after you upload them?


 * Yes I have been for a long while now. I like to make sure there are no editing errors that'll make me cringe later.

Q19: Will you ever upload a Facecam or Face Reveal video?


 * Yes I am planning on doing a face reveal and stuff later on. Right now I'm not exactly ready and I also want to move out and be on my own so I can do more real life stuff with them. But with that said I'm not really a facecam kind of person and will continue to keep it only gameplay and commentary.

'''Q20: What are your PC specifications? '''

My PC specifications


 * I've got a ASUS M5A 78L-M USB3 motherboard, an AMD/FXF Radeon HD 7850 GPU, an AMD FX - 4130 Quad-Core Processor (3.80GHz) CPU, with 12GB of RAM and 2TB of hard drive space. It's not the best computer in the world but I still love it. Overall I think it ended up costing around $700.

My Setup


 * I've got two 19 inch. LED ASUS monitors for a dual monitor setup, with a GEEZER GS4 keyboard that I put these really nice retro style typewriter key caps on. For a microphone I've got a Blue Snowball iCE with a boom stand and pop filter, as for a headset I've used the Turtle Beach Ear Force X12 for a while now, and I've just got a SteelSeries Rival 300 mouse that came with a free QcK mousepad. And for at home I use when I need to draw something I've got a Monoprice 10x6.25 drawing tablet. I'm pretty happy with my setup and I can't wait to expand it... if I can.

Q21: Do you find it hard to keep all 3 of your YouTube channels updated with new videos?


 * Honestly for a while I did, videos were getting spaced about 2-3 days between each one. I wasn't streaming as much and I'm still waiting for ideas for Mr Meerkat - Extra as well as waiting to do real life stuff. Lately I've been working harder and getting videos out almost daily and I'm trying my best to keep up with streams.

Q22: What is your occupation in real life?


 * I currently do not have an occupation since I want to focus on learning animation and art stuff. Later on when I go to college I will have started applying for jobs.

Q23: What is your dream job?


 * My dream job is to do YouTube and Twitch as a living, but for something that people would say is a 'real job', I would love to be doing 2D art designs and animation for a company. Maybe even make a 2D animated series on YouTube.

Q24: You currently have over 1,060 subscribers on your main channel and 71 subscribers on your other 2 channels, did you ever think you would have that many subscribers?


 * Honestly I really didn't think I would, and I know that's kind of the common thing to say but I do actually mean it. Before I uploaded PC videos I had done YouTube for about 4 years and had never hit 100 subscribers. It was when I hit 500 I actually though I might be able to make something for myself. As for my other channels I really didn't expect almost 50 subscribers with only one video, and plus I didn't really think I would reach 200+ followers on both Twitch and Twitter either, that's just a lot of people who keep up with what I do.

Q25: You currently have uploaded 466 videos on your main channel and 22 videos on your other 2 channels did you ever think you would uploaded that many videos?


 * I'd have to say I kind of did expect to have that many videos. I just really like uploading videos and I'm going to upload as long as I can, even if there are 0 viewers. One day I'm hoping to make that 400+ videos into 1,000+ videos.

Q26: Currently your most viewed video has over 840 views, did you ever think one of your videos would have that many views?


 * I really didn't think I would, especially with my subscriber count at the time. I though I would just do a small Minecraft stream but it really blew up. I also didn't expect my crappy Airplane Build to get over 800 views either, it just blows my mind.

Q27: What is your lifetime subscriber and video view goal?


 * I don't really have a overall goal for views and subscribers, I'd say my goal is to just keep going and going. Though I'd say my ultimate goal and dream would be to host a panel so I could meet a lot of people that want to meet me and talk about my life, but I don't really think that's ever going to happen.

Q28: What was your lifetime subscriber goal when you first started uploading YouTube videos?


 * Because I still didn't really know much about YouTube when I first started uploading, and I was still really young, I just saw the number of subscribers I had and was happy no matter what. Later on I still never really cared about doing YouTube seriously till 2015 started, and then it was still to just keep growing.

Q29: How long do you think YouTube will last?


 * That's a pretty good question, I'm not sure at all. It is a business and pretty much all businesses can rise and fall in small amounts of time, but even though YouTube has done terrible things to it's creators, it's just too large of a company to be taken down. To make a comparison it's kind of like asking how long do you think cable TV will last with YouTube becoming a huge thing. There's just too many viewers to take it down so it's gonna be a LONG time before I think they would get rid of YouTube completely.

Q30: How long do you think you will be uploading YouTube videos?


 * I want to be uploading YouTube videos as long as I can, I don't really see myself ever quiting.... well I mean, unless I'm dead that is.

Q31: Are you planning on going to any YouTube/Gaming conventions?


 * To tell the truth I'm not a convention kind of person, I've only ever been to one in my whole life and it's just not my thing. The only reason I'd go would be for friends or if there were a few people that possibly wanted to meet me.

Q32: What advice would you give to someone who is trying to make videos on YouTube?


 * I always say for new people looking to make videos to never join YouTube for money or fame, and If you are you are doing it wrong. YouTube should be about meeting people that like what you like and for you to grow an audience that is like you. But there is nothing wrong with having goals of doing YouTube for a living, but when it's all you care about then there is no heart or reason for uploading anything good, you just want to upload whatever it takes to get the views and you eventually become some kind of awful scam artist.

Q33: What is the future for you and your channel?


 * For the future of my channel I just want to do what I do now and have fun recording video games. Doesn't even matter if it's not for a living or if I'm getting small amounts of views.

Q34: Have you ever done an interview like this before?


 * No I've never been interviewed so I was really excited about doing this one, but funny enough I've given one.