In case you missed it, longtime Youtuber Matthew Patrick (known as Matpat) has announced that he is stepping away as the face of his four theorists channels, which he had helmed since the inception of Game Theory in 2009. This announcement had been preceded in December 2022 by handing over the rights of all the theorist channels to Lunar X, which may have hinted that something like this was coming down the track.
If you haven’t had a chance to watch the announcement video, be sure to check it out (open it in the other tab while you read this, perhaps?). Matthew is upfront, honest and earnest in discussing his reasons for stepping back from the limelight, and honestly, do you blame him? He’s been doing this for 13-odd years now, he’s got four successful Youtube channels covering four different entertainment sectors, and he goes out without having to see himself decline into mediocrity or irrelevancy (how many Youtubers from the late 2000s can say that?).
For me, watching that video left me with some conflicting feelings. Having first found Game Theory back in 2012, I’ve gotten used to checking my YouTube and watching a new video from the guy for the last 13 years. The idea of having that familiar voice disappear from my feed filled me with sadness, yet I understand why he wants to give it up and let the newer generation take the reins. Now, before we set our sights to the future, let’s spend some time together celebrating the legacy of Matpat as he rides off into the sunset like an old-school cowboy…
In planning out this article, I was at a bit of a loss at the start in what I was going to say. I mean, nothing I say here can or should affect how much you enjoyed Matpat’s work so I decided to just prepare a compilation video of my favourite Matpat moments, which our video editor and producer should have uploaded into my google drive by now. So, without further ado, let’s set the waterworks setting in our brains to cascade and roll the clips… hang on my phone’s ringing… oh look, it’s our producer what nice timing.
Hey there, what’s up?
What? What do you mean no clips?
Aha, give me a second here folks.
What the hell is going on here? We were supposed to have everything ready to roll by now. What happened to the guy who did that big compilation video? What do you mean he “didn’t produce a video up to the quality that we wanted to represent a titan of internet culture in sufficient detail?” So we paid him for a video that we aren’t even going to end up using… What do you mean we didn’t pay them? Yeah, it’s called a first draft, so then we can look through it and give them notes to fix it up… no, no, I will not “just whip something up in the meantime” I’m doing the article right now… no it has to go out today to be relevant before the vast sea of the internet crashes against the next major thing… yeah, well you’ve screwed me yet again so I guess I’ve got to cobble something together now… What? Yes, send the bill to the same address as usual.
*sigh* lawyers. Alright, so that plan’s torpedoed, so I guess we’ll just talk about each of the four channels from my personal experience with them and list some of my favourite episodes because someone doesn’t understand the collaborative process! I could talk about why I like these specific episodes, but they would all boil down to 1. Overthinking video games and theorising is fun, and 2. It gave me an excuse to nerd out about one of my favourite creative mediums… video games, which would get a bit redundant after the fourth one, I think. Anyway, let’s get this farce on the road then.
Style Theory? The newest one? The one I’ve barely watched? So we’re not doing this chronologically or alphabetically, are we? Nothing that would make sense. So how did you organise this? I’ve told you before a dartboard is not a sufficient organisational tool. Where the hell is your sense of narrative progressions?! Well, we’re really in it now, so let’s just march on.
Starting our memory lane with a short stroll, we’ve got the most recent addition to the theorist channel family, Style Theory. Launched back in 2023, this channel covers all things style, beauty and fashion, as nebulous as that description is. This won’t come as a surprise if you’ve met me, but I am not what you would call “plugged into the fashion scene”. I find it can be quite dangerous at times. As such, I haven’t watched a lot of their content, but of the ones I have, I’ve quite enjoyed the educational value I’ve gained from watching the videos.
Videos I’ve Enjoyed:
Alright, now we’re in a realm that I’m much more comfortable in! Film Theory was the first offshoot of Game Theory back in 2016 and was a natural succession from the gaming to film sectors of the entertainment industry. For me, it was great to have another channel to dive into film theories and overthinking minute details through the lens of cinema as well as from behind a controller. I’ve been watching their videos since they formed and, as a result, have discovered some really fascinating shows on YouTube and in wider media that I never would have found without this channel.
Videos I’ve Enjoyed:
Moving on, we’ve got the third channel of this little YouTube dynasty, Food Theory. This channel announcement was a pleasant surprise to me. After years of just Game and Film Theory keeping my appetite for content sustained, having a new dish to savour was a daunting proposition. Back in the old days of 2021, would I have enough room to fit it all in, or would I end up being like Mr Creosote from Meaning of Life? However, I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed learning some deep, dark secrets about the food industry and school lunches as well.
Videos I’ve Enjoyed:
Finally, we’ve got the big daddy. The OG. The one that started it all. I wasn’t there for the launch of Game Theory, having only discovered the channel at the same time I discovered Screwattack (RIP) back in 2015, and it’s fair to say I did a bunch of catching up in record time and was always looking forward to more content. While I wasn’t there for the start, I was there to watch the channel grow through two or three intro changes and the mass of FNAF theories that engulfed the channel for a while there. Through it all, the one constant has been Matpat, always showing up with enthusiasm and armed with a brand new theory for us to sink our teeth into.
That is the defining thing I feel about Matpat: he’s doing this for us, his fans. Like everything, the entropy of the universe marches on, and it’s time for Matpat to leave us in the capable hands of the next presenters. However, without him and without Game Theory, we would have missed out on so many great videos.
Videos I’ve Enjoyed:
Well, it’s quite simple. As Matpat himself stated, the channels are carrying on just with new hosts. Mat’s also going to be popping up now and then on streams and around the channels, which is lovely to see. Looking at the outpouring of love and support for Matpat following his announcement, I’m quietly confident that the channels and fanbase will keep growing under the new stewardship. While it’s sad to see Mat go, I’m excited to see what ideas and energy the new hosts bring to each channel and also excited to see what he does next in his career, be it on or off the information superhighway.
Now, if I’m lucky enough to have Matpat or anyone on the Theorist channels reading this, I would like to say this to Mat… Thank you for everything you’ve given us for all these years. The ways you’ve impacted people’s lives are immeasurable, but for my part, thank you for giving us something interesting to watch while also educating us at the same time.
That’s not a theory. That’s reality.
All the best Mat.
