MatPat: American Internet Personality & Founder of The Game Theorists
Verified Macro Creator — Gaming, Film & Food TheoryFormer YouTuber, Internet Personality, CEO of Theorist Media
A Duke valedictorian who spent two unemployed years auditioning for acting jobs in New York before a single video essay about Chrono Trigger grew into a five-channel, 40-million-subscriber media company.
About MatPat: American Internet Personality & Founder of The Game Theorists
MatPat grew up an only child in Medina, Ohio, was valedictorian of his high school, and won an academic scholarship to Duke University, where he double-majored in theater and psychology with a neuroscience concentration. After graduating in 2009 he moved to New York to pursue acting, spent two unemployed years auditioning, and in 2011 relaunched his YouTube channel as an online portfolio — inspired by a video essay on 'tangential learning', he uploaded the first episode of Game Theory that April, analyzing time travel in the game Chrono Trigger. The channel grew steadily, spawning spin-offs Film Theory (2015), Food Theory and Style Theory, plus the Let's Play channel GTLive, which he co-hosted with his wife Stephanie. He hosted YouTube Premium's MatPat's Game Lab, appeared in Escape the Night and Markiplier's interactive films, hosted the 2023 Streamy Awards, and in 2016 gifted Pope Francis a copy of Undertale during a meeting with YouTube creators at the Vatican. He stepped down as on-camera host across all five channels in 2024, by which point they had passed 40 million combined subscribers and 10 billion views, while remaining CEO of the company he founded, Theorist Media. In June 2025 he helped establish the Creator Economy Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Career Journey
Game Theory begins
Inspired by a video essay on tangential learning, Patrick relaunched his YouTube channel as a portfolio and uploaded the first Game Theory episode in April 2011, analyzing time travel in Chrono Trigger.
Film Theory, GTLive, and meeting the Pope
Film Theory launched in 2015 and passed a million subscribers in a month. In May 2016, MatPat and eleven other YouTubers met Pope Francis, where he gifted the Pope a copy of Undertale.
Game Lab, Escape the Night, and hosting the Streamys
He hosted YouTube Premium's MatPat's Game Lab, appeared in Escape the Night and Markiplier's interactive films, and hosted the 2023 Streamy Awards, while growing Food Theory and Style Theory as further spin-off channels.
Stepping down and the Creator Economy Caucus
MatPat departed as on-camera host across all five channels in March 2024, with the channels having passed 40 million combined subscribers. In June 2025 he helped establish the Creator Economy Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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FAQs
Who is MatPat?
Matthew Robert Patrick (born November 15, 1986), known as MatPat, is an American internet personality and the founder of The Game Theorists — a video essay franchise that grew into five YouTube channels with over 40 million combined subscribers before he stepped down as on-camera host in 2024.
Is MatPat still making videos?
No, he stepped down as the regular on-camera host across all five Theorist channels in 2024, though he remains CEO of Theorist Media, the company he founded, and makes occasional guest appearances.
How can brands work with MatPat?
Through his publicly listed management contact, matpat@teamwass.com, shown on his verified Instagram and X accounts.
Latest News
MatPat stepped down as on-camera host of his five Theorist channels in 2024 but remains CEO of Theorist Media. In June 2025 he helped establish the Creator Economy Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives to represent digital creators' interests in Washington.
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