Channel Spotlight: ProJared
John Tancredi ‘17 / Emertainment Monthly Editor
The Quick Facts
Name: Jared Knabenbauer
Channel: ProJared
New Videos: sporadic
Twitter: @ProJared
ProJared is a game reviewer – like JonTron and PeanutButterGamer – within the Normal Boots network. His plethora of videos includes top 10s, one-minute reviews, gameplay, interviews, and more.
His channel currently boasts over 500,000 subscribers and about 72 million views. This is in part due to his unique style of comedy, which he balances well with intellectual discussion about the game at hand. Many reviewers sacrifice quality analysis for cheap jokes or vice versa, and it is a tricky line to walk; however, ProJared seems to do it with ease. He manages to deliver highly educated opinions about video games that inform the viewer all while he is cracking wise.
As a member of the YouTube gaming community, it can be very tempting to give in and get easy views by playing whatever indie game is currently popular. Nearly every gaming YouTuber ended up playing Slender at some point. When you want to comment on something popular without “selling out,” how do you do it? ProJared hit that nail right on the head with his most popular video, “How To Make Slender Not Scary.” The video is filled with his usual subversive humor, which makes the horror game absolutely absurd. His tips include playing Red Light, Green Light with the Slenderman and singing the happiest song you know, among others.
With the explosion of gaming videos on YouTube, including the proliferation of channels like IGN and PewDiePie, it is baffling that ProJared does not have a larger subscriber base. His content is fantastically written, performed, and edited, so if you’re looking for a new game to play, go check out ProJared’s channel for some advice.