A growing trend on YouTube sees content creators, dubbed 'LARPtubers,' meticulously recreating the style and persona of past YouTubers, a phenomenon that has proven distressing for the original personalities. These younger creators are not just inspired by their predecessors but aim to impersonate them, often reviving content from eras that the original creators have since moved on from, according to reporting by Steven Asarch.
Asarch's examination highlights how individuals born after the year 2000 often discovered content on YouTube with fewer restrictions than other media. This has led to a generation with unique nostalgic touchstones, some of which are being resurrected by impersonators. The platform's nature, which often rewards more dramatic and shocking content, has historically struggled with balancing user indulgence and advertiser comfort, leading to numerous controversies involving creators and the content they produced.
One subject of Asarch's report is ILarpzTV, a teenager idolizing the early work of Ian Jomha, known online as iDubbbz. Jomha, who has since evolved his content away from politically incorrect comedy, expressed mixed feelings about these impersonations. "I’ve kind of been fighting against that myself for so long and to so many people like it’s it’s kind of a joke now," Jomha told Asarch. "If people don’t want to leave that time, I can’t really force them. I’ve tried to do it in all the ways that I can. So if they’re able to get it in, just kind of like a watered down, I would say hopefully less slurs version of iDubbbz then cool."
Many YouTubers from that era have either rebranded or sought alternative platforms for their content. The impulse to recreate past content is not limited to controversial comedians. Another case involves a young creator, formerly known as TechnoLarp, who adopted the voice and avatar of the late Minecraft streamer Technoblade. While some fans welcomed the revival of a familiar presence, the impersonation was found to be in poor taste by many, including Technoblade's family, who requested the mimicry cease. The creator, now streaming as StrikerMC, acknowledged the misstep, stating, "I did something I really shouldn’t have. I’m not a super emotionally adept person."
StrikerMC has since transitioned to developing an original streaming persona and has seen his audience grow. While some observe that these impersonations could serve as a stepping stone for new creators to find their voice, the trend also raises concerns about the platform's enduring capacity to foster problematic content and the emotional toll it can take on those whose pasts are being re-enacted without their consent.