Video game and gaming culture are integral to Southeast Asia, with long-standing communities and content creators making content on various video and streaming platforms. Thailand is not foreign to this; the country’s gaming industry generated billions every year and is valued over a billion dollars in 2023. Such vast amount makes Thailand the regional hub of gamers and gaming in general, and the world’s twentieth biggest gaming hub. This is partially due to some of the most influential Youtubers in the scene, and today, we will be getting to know some of them.
Introduction on Thailand’s Gaming Culture
Thai gamers, like from other Southeast Asian nations, love mobile games, mostly due to the convenience and the versatility. Mobile games like Arena of Valor, PlayerUnknown’s Battleground Mobile or even racing games like the Asphalt franchise are almost ubiquitous among Thai people’s phones. Thailand is also one of the pioneers when it comes to professional esports, its first-ever Association was formed in 2013 and recognized as a sports federation in 2017 by the Sports Authority of Thailand.
In general, video games generate more than 1.1 billion US dollars annually, making Thailand the world’s top-20 gaming hub in terms of annual revenue. This number will only continue to grow correspondingly with the country’s growing 5G internet network, affordable devices and the long-standing social culture among youths. However, one factor that will substantially boost the gaming industry’s growth is the country’s legalization of betting. The new administration under Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin is looking to generate more than 5 billion US dollars through casinos and betting, which include betting and online casino games. That equates to almost 1 percent of the country’s entire gross domestic product (GDP).
Biggest Names in Thai Gaming YouTube Scene
Here are some of the most recognized and celebrated names in the YouTube scene.
HEARTROCKER (2012-present)
Undeniably the most influential and popular gaming figure in the country, HEARTROCKER or commonly known as “Aek” has close to 9 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, home to more than 2,670 videos and 3.4 billion views. What makes HEARTROCKER so adored and revered among fans is his bubbly personality and his capacity to understand and translate English in-game dialogues to his audience. He is also very adaptable and can entertain both as a solo YouTuber and with his fellow creators.
His current project include video games like FINAL FANTASY VII: REBIRTH, FREE FIRE and Coral Island 1.0. Another fact about HEARTROCKER is that even after an 11-year illustrious career out in the public eye, very little is known about his identity, not even his real name or his face. This is a remarkable feat to achieve in Thai society where privacy is not much valued, where followers can prove to be very intrusive into their idols’ lives.
Zbing Z (2014-present)
The Queen of Thai Youtube, Zbing Z or “Paeng” has more than 18 million subscribers and 10 billion views on her main channel. In fact, she is the biggest personal YouTube channel in the entire country, i.e., a channel that is not operated nor owned by a company. Her content varies across many genre of video games and real-life content. Her production quality is also very high since her early years, which attracted many casual watchers who might not want to get too invested into certain video games. She has more than 100 videos with at least 10 million views, with her most successful one at 55 million views.
Paeng is still very active on YouTube, with daily uploads and recent games being played. She is still averaging around 300 to 900 thousand views, which is more than healthy. Sure, it is not as much as you would expect from a channel of her size, but her consistency and production quality are cleary still enough to draw in a significant audience.
BayRiffer or BRF (2011-present)
A complete opposite to HEARTROCKER, BayRiffer or “Bay” is not someone who sugarcoats things. He is well-known for his honesty, straightforwardness and intolerance towards those who cross the line. BayRiffer’s career skyrocketed with his GTA IV series “GTA iVane” where he plays the renowned franchise with pre-installed mods like the Iron Man suit or Assassin’s Creed costume. Like HEARTROCKER, BayRiffer’s English prowess is hard to match thanks to his academic background and experience, and proves to be one of his biggest selling points towards his strong fanbase of almost 4.4 million subscribers.
Bayriffer’s current project is the horror game Alone in the Dark, which has garnered more than 953,000 views from seven episodes. His “SCUM Rangers” series have also proven to be a raw and authentic gameplay among friends in a tactical and survival setting, and amassed a cult following among his fans.
SkizzTV (2012-present)
With more than 6 million subscribers, 2 billion channel views, and close to 2,700 videos, SkizzTV or “James” appeal more to Thailand’s young audience outside of Bangkok. With his laid back way of life and his background, James has proven to be another genuine, skilled entertainer whose editing style and humor managed to captivate fans. However, what initially made him famous was voice acting and dubbing foreign meme videos, which created a very strong fanbase since his first months. This proved to be very beneficial since he managed to turn his career path into an entertaining game caster.
The most important aspect of SkizzTV’s skills, however, is his variety of content. He makes vlogs, talking videos, cooking videos, reviewing videos with his brother “Jet” and fellow content creators “Boom” (OPZTV with 2.5 million subscribers himself) and “Phi” (commonly known among his audience as “Zeed” and has a cult following.)
What is next for Thai Gaming Youtubers?
The next thing that could become big among Thai audience is a ‘group channel.’ Groups like The Sidemen in the UK have proven to be unique in a way that they managed to build their success by starting out as a gaming group. Since Thai people love to get along in groups and enjoy group content, such as travelling, game shows or even podcasts, if someone can replicate what the Sidemen has achieved and reflect it to the Thai audience, it is guaranteed to become successful.
