Honestly I never held a grudge or even a second thought for his life choices... And I've never set foot out of 2Fort since arriving... Seriously might be one of the most over dresses casual players out there... 🥇🤦💸😮💨👍
for me, its not the fact that Muselk left tf2 to pursue a newer and more profitable game. Its the fact that he went from a unique and beloved tf2 creator to just another generic clickbaiting fortnite channel
Yup. Loosing his identity and selfp retty much. Couldn't care any less about what game he played, but I do care about the personality and how hard the creator tries to bring in the views and cater to children.
Yeah, pretty much. There are several other UA-camrs that have left TF2 and found success without people disliking them because they're still doing what they enjoy and they're not doing it to sell out and make an easy profit over what's trendy.
exactly, creators can leave TF2 and still have an amazing channel I respect and love, RTgame was one of my favorite TF2 youtubers, he left TF2 for variety content and he is still one of my favorite channels Muselk though, his channel has lost any semblance of personality, show me a thumbnail from his videos and I couldn't tell you the channel its from, not because I don't watch him, but because they are identical to hundreds if not thousands of other fortnite channels
I don't really think it matters, I mean think about it, why would he care about keeping a brand or making people he doesn't even know happy with what game he plays? he's allowed to be generic, he gains money by doing so, you guys keep making it sound like it's shameful, he owes nothing.
Ah yes, i remember the time when Muselk had more of a cultural impact than Jerma. Truly, how times have changed. Ster, Jerma and Muselk are the three most likely outcomes from this dilemma of viewer vs creator. Ster, though he has much less of a following than Jerma and Muselk still makes good content and his viewers enjoy it. Muselk managed to gain the largest following out of these three, but he seems to have lost something along the way, while Jerma has somehow managed to become incredibly popular, has an insane amount of cultural impact and he seems happier now than he has ever been before. And all that while he committed a series of murders between the 10th of August 2018 and the 1st of May 2022.
I don't remember him having more of a cultural impact than jerma or ster AT ALL, but he keep going with tf2 videos regularly which many didn't I think to people he was one of the last "classic" people even though I knew about him after jerma and ster he was still in that era and after they lost those 2 when he went the era did too. When he abandoned tf2 it was kinda symbolic that valve did too.
The shift in personality is pretty much why I felt and still honestly feel betrayed. It didn't even feel natural whatsoever, but forced to mimic what's popular and profitable. Shift from TF2 to Overwatch was fine, honestly, he still felt like the same person, all went to hell with Fortnite.Even with his occassional TF2 or overwatch video he still seemed like an entirely different person trying to copy your average stereotypical clickbait youtuber trying to appeal to kids. And for a while now until getting this video recommended to me, I haven't seen anything about Muselk at all for years.
@@thelordofthelostbraincells My childhood Minecraft UA-camr... The main one I watched when Team Crafted splintered. He was sort of a unique type, from my perspective anyway. The dude managed to be both the entertainer for children and teens fun stuff type like the stereotypical hey guys youtuber and the knowledgeable type. I can't really properly explain stuff right now because I'm doing laundry and anytime I do any chore my grandma acts like I haven't ever done it, its like I havent been living here for the past three years and my parents didnt start doing our laundry when grandpa started living here and he needed more attending than these days, its like an unskippable, incessant tutorial. Its not rage inducing, its just exhausting. Sorry for the rant. Anyway, you should check out what the other guy said, Blood N Bones was a great series. Also check out his FTB series, that was fun. Ok i have to go bye
I used to watch Muselk's TF2 videos when I was younger, I remember one day a year or two ago I was reminded of him and went back to check on what he's made in the past few years "Oh. He became oneof *those* UA-camrs"
Just, fantastic video. Deep research, quality of writing, sound design... I'd give 10. My feelings about Muselk is very mixed. As a part of the TF2 community, I love his old TF2 videos up until these days. When I feel nostalgic, his old videos are my go-to ones. As a UA-camr, I admire his passion and hard-working mentality that I can only dream of. But as a fan, I'm sad to see him wearing an happy looking mask to create content everyday. I once never understood people talking about their favorite artist's "OG" days, but now I know.
Hey man! It's cool to see a creator I recognize in the comments of one of these videos. I'm really happy I accurately captured the feelings of so many. I actually had never watched Muselk prior to researching the video, but was really intrigued by his journey based off of what people had told me. My goal as a creator is to give people that catharsis when I say something they were thinking in a way they wouldn't have thought of, and it's cool to hear so many people recount their experiences with Muselk as a creator. Thank you for all your kind words, DEWILL! If you want to talk more about any of this, feel free to join my discord and DM me on there. I'd love to hear more from you :)
I think one aspect that would be nice to cover is that the games Muselk plays are... similar enough to tf2. It's not something like RTGame messing around in a city builder, which is so far distanced from TF2 that it's much harder to claim he's simply trend chasing. Similar deal with Jerma, your not really able to say that he betrayed tf2 to become a funny png people animate I to different places because that's such a different topic that only happens because the creator wants to do it. With muselk, it's just a continuous transition from popular shooter to popular shooter, which creates an easy conclusion for people to make.
i dont see that with OW. he genuinely seemed to love the game and the comp scene in its prime. its fortnite that he sold out too. if anything, overwatch just put the proverbial taste of blood in his mouth for fortnite to take advantage of
Muselk was a TF2ber who jumped ship when he saw a better "deal" with another game. Hew wasnt a traitor, if anything a sellout. If he genuinely only left TF2 cause he was burntout then its justified, if he left cause he wanted to make more profit, then sellout.
@@LucidMakesVideosits only true if he did it for the views and the hype. Ive left TF2 before but ive co.e back because i love it. There was lots of hype for TF2s "killer" and i believe thats why he left. Not because he got burnt out or because he didnt like doing them anymore.
have you ever considered he actully enjoys fortnite ? his TF2 content was usually him doing challenges and "meme strats" and thats still what hes doing in fortnite.
@@Das_Psycho what if he simply stopped enjoying TF2 ? I loved the game for years and years and I havent touched in in years aswell. sometimes you just stop playing a game, why does he NEED to make content about a game if he doesnt even want to play it ?
Yoo thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the video, and I agree: he is an absolute hustler. Researching this video and realizing how insane that man's work ethic is was incredibly motivating. Regardless, I'm glad you enjoyed the video :)
Lately Muselk has made a video talking about how his content making has slowed due to him struggling to find interesting topics or challenges to make videos about, and that he would only make content if he found something interesting. He seems aware about the stigma of most Fortnite UA-camrs, and he wants to avoid making content just for algorithm appeal.
avoid making content just for algorithm appeal? he is playing fortnite. With overwatch I understood, his overwatch videos were dope, loved to watch them for a while. Then somewhere during the time period of him playing his first world tournament and later he kinda got boring, its not that he changed a lot, apart from his fortnite overreaction. The community grew past him as he was appealing younger audiences and fortnite at early wasn't that interesting apart from watching people have crazy build battles and the early dumb stuff like mentioned in the video, riding a rocket.
@@kratos9524 I'd still say Muselk is arguably one of the more creative Fortnite UA-camrs (for the most part). His skybase videos in particular are usually a fun time.
I’ve never felt so called out before, but this video made me cry and I’m an over 20 year old. I legit started playing TF2 around the gun mettle update and saw all these older UA-camrs in the beginning, I remember watching his soldier video about Rick May and just not feeling right watching it, like something felt off about it.
@@TKmeh hell I am 24, I still for some reason have an opinion on this even thou I don't really care about muselk, obv I don't mean it in a harmful way, but by 'most people who watched Muselk are 20+ now' I meant that we moved on
@@kratos9524 I getcha, I unsubbed from him ages ago and only really watch his second channel. I’ve already come to terms with why I dislike him but never could put it to words, when I realized what it was that I lost watching Muselk recently, that’s when I started crying because I grew up seeing all of his exploits and even enjoyed his Overwatch stuff for a bit. It’s like seeing your favorite person slowly lose what made them your favorite person in favor of being the most talked about person, or the most liked even if it meant selling out for lack of a better term.
@@TKmeh yeh pretty much why most old fans don't watch him. Most youtubers jumped the fortnite train, most minecraft youtubers and a fuck ton of others did it for clout. But I always understand, money is the key to most people. Muselk wouldn't have been a big channel as tf2 died for a while. NISLT himself didn't make a lot of videos apart from competition highlights. Tf2 is coming back thou. I started playing it this year after 10 years and it is fun
Amazing video essay ! The transitons and editings were smooth The music is chill And your voice is easily understandable. Really good to listen in the back while doing something else. Keep up the high quality content !
Muselk's most defining trait to me in all of his career is pragmatism. It's one thing to just ride out the one thing people watch you for until its dried up and dies, but it's another thing entirely to make a calculated, albeit cruel decision, to abandon a portion of your fanbase in exchange for the chance to gain a new one. It worked spectacularly with Overwatch, as his ideas and the friends he played with were both incredibly good content (I still miss Overwatch Zylbrad). The Fortnite swap is the best example of this pragmatism, Overwatch's big hype was gone in a couple years after release and it's probable that the switch to Fortnite was the result of a need to financially support the lifestyles of him and his family/friends. To risk sticking out with OW content when it could dry up fairly quickly given a lack of new ideas where Fortnite is becoming insanely popular and you have great ideas for it (death runs/traps, rocket jump tricks etc.) would be a very insecure position to be in. Being able to be comfortable making Fortnite content that is almost guaranteed to get millions of views almost definitely gave a sense of security that is both great financially and, most importantly, mentally. UA-camrs generally get NO security financially, at any given time an event irrespective of the UA-camrs can cause an adpocalyse or a game to die or a false allegation that makes people lose trust in that UA-camr. For this reason, if you were almost guaranteed to get great views for a while making Fortnite videos where you have actually got cool ideas, why wouldn't you go for it? You can rest easy, knowing that you can life your life without the constant stress of having to please an audience, especially when your audience is kids with lower expectations as to what quality content should be. I don't at all blame Muselk for anything he's done in regards to jumping the shark, people make different choices based on their own traits and Muselk was being pragmatic. It definitely hurts that he isn't just a TF2/OW guy anymore but anybody who genuinely hates Muselk for the swap needs to get a life. Try putting yourself in the shoes of others before you get judgemental.
Sometimes you just naturally stray away from a content creator for many reasons. I think that during the time overwatch was coming out and some tf2 creators just didn't feel satisfied with the game anymore and that's why they jumped to the new thing that had a hint of what made them like tf2 Some came back after many years, like LazyPurple, some creators that felt new to me popped up, like soundsmith, and then there were people who moved onto completely different styles of content, like FUNKe and Jerma. I think I also had the benefit of being someone interested in so many things during this time that kept me satisfied. I dont think I can truly hate or blame anyone who hasn't come back to tf2 because I understand not wanting to come back to something after so long
Funny thing about kids not liking TF2. When me and my brother got into TF2 it was around 2015/16 and I was 11/12 and my brother was 6/7. And we watched Muselk, for the most part. I remember we were so into TF2, but unfortunately we did not have a PC. But we did have a PS3. We had learned about the Orange Box, but did not get it until 2017. When we got that, we played the hell out of it. We had over 24 hours play time on Soldier, Engineer, and Scout each. On the Orange Box version of TF2. On the PS3 no less. In 2017! I remember we were so upset when Muselk started to move away from TF2... And then he went onto Fortnite!? And started catering to children no less! I mean we were still kids. But, you know how kids are. Or used to be, we wanted to be treated as adults. Not catered to and treated like babies. So we stopped watching him. Fast forward to now, and I am 19 and my brother is 14 and we still like TF2, got it on a PC now. Have over 600 hours played in the game collectively. But we aren't obsessed like we used to be. Still play it from time to time but not like we used to. Also never mind the PS3 version anymore. They shut the servers down a few years back. Sadly. Can still play it. But only privately or on Lan. We still watch TF2 content as well, but not as frequently, and we watch smaller creators now... Well... That's all that are left anyways. But the videos are still good none the less. You got guys like Vorobey, and Fat Magic, also Solar Light. For the popular ones. Also... Believe it or not TF2 content still makes millions of views each year. Not like it used to, but it still makes decent views. Love TF2. Don't think we will ever stop playing it. TF2 and COD zombies. TF2 we have 8 years experience and COD Zombies 13 years experience. Two games we know too much about and will probably be playing as old men. Okay... Enough rambling, I'm gone.
I think he is considered a traitor of the "tf2 community" because the people he left behind were probably the only ones to care about him as a person and liked him for what he was. he didn't need to post once a day for the community to like him, but he did it anyways and thanks to that, he needed to throw away his normal self, because of all the stress and weight he was putting on his shoulders. ending with him trying to mimic his own personality. in that moment, where he couldn't go back to an healthier upload schedule because of his popularity he lost himself and decayed what once was a man into a production machine. THAT is the point where he betrayed the "tf2 community" but only 'cause they where the only ones to experience what could have been and once was muselk. i feel like his fans today do not love him, or his personality... they just want more content from muselk and so he doesn't really love them either... the only thing he chose is his life, leaving behind the fans and himself.
I'm sorry but I used "tf2 community" to specify the people that watched him at the time... It's not about the game and I do not know muselk personally. This was just my speculation.
this is a phenomenal video as someone who was pretty much there from the start with muselk wathcing his slow decay was heartbreaking, I still have the first piece of merch he released laying around somewhere..
I loved this dude, my brother and I used to watch him all the time. I brought him up to a friend of mine and he called him "the guy that plays Fortnite" and that just left me a little speechless. I miss the old Muselk and I greatly enjoyed what he used to be.
Hey, got this randomly in my recommended. What the fuck. A great script, well researched, well produced, and wonderful delivery. This is some fucking metacontent right here.
Honestly, I played all of those games. So I am not a die hard for any of them, although I enjoyed tf2 the most, I cannot blame the man for getting the bag.
@@lordcrusader861 Team Fortress 2 wasn't Muselk's passion, that was made very clear, besides you're not obligated to pursue your passion to do right, stop being selfish, he owes nothing to you.
@@IgorNetoAnimation you see, filth, when your content grows on a community as loyal and as passionate as tf2 and then you switch your branding and personality for a new one, a few people get upset.
@@IgorNetoAnimation you’re forgetting viewer loyalty, dude. The people who stuck with him from the beginning of his career in TF2 saw what he did as heartbreaking. I was originally one of his fans that found his TF2 videos back a few years ago, and I enjoyed every moment of his growth and enjoyment of the game. Problem is the way he left was what caused the majority of his fans to leave him behind. I don’t even watch him anymore since I got better things to do. Kind of reminds me of what happened to Zuthar13. Both dudes did similar things to their communities, and the majority of fans felt betrayed.
fantastic video and clean editing, not even mentioning the research that was pretty massive and detailed. one small key issue for me though is the music to voice volume seems to vary frequently and I kinda got my ears exploded on some transitions to new title cards in the latter parts of the video, I'd recommend checking the waveform post editing.
This video is chefs kiss (yes, they can kiss), watched it while waiting for MvM to load (yes I do have a computer it just runs poorly) and this is vorobey level content there!
The editing and thoughtful presentation-like content (/video essay format almost..?) is very insightful and different! I like how unbiased you are also. Liked and subbed :) Great job
I'm drunk writing this but I was sober watching this video. As a fan of Muselk when he made TF2 videos, this is video shows on how when he switched from TF2 and Overwatch to Fortnite on how I personally felt about that. Because I really despised when he switched but what I didn't realised is that he just changed character and wasn't the Muselk like he was. Well deserved video and you my guy, you need better and more recognition. You are a talented creator which I will follow from many years to come and if you create the same and creative videos. High praise from me.
You got to give him credit, he did start playing fortnite before everybody else did he was in the PvE beta and as you mention in the video Overwatch too he actually is a loyal man, but he saw tides changing and he pick the loyalty that gave him the most value. So glad I have deja vu of watching this video because it's like a mini takeback , I remember being more angry when writing this comment before, but now I have more understanding and it gave me the ""second"" chance to make a comment I won't regret. Anyway I do feel like he found something popular, but he was also doing something he enjoyed even if the feeling was fleeting. He was loyal to the games he played, but not to himself and I hope he found himself again one day because i lost parts of myself too and it's hard to regain it.
Brother i seriously cannot put to words how good of a job you did on this video. Am not even talking about the Muselk part , the editing the music and the transitions and the artstyle , they all blend together so well. Since you talked about youtubers this is the kind of youtuber i respect , videos that are timeless and well thought-out regardless of topic. This is the first video i see of you good luck in the future mate.
The style of your editing is so beautiful I was HOOKED. As a newer tf2 fan I was too afraid to actually find out what happened to Muselk, i would have never expected to question what the purpose behind art is and as an aspiring animator who posts stuff online this was so existential yet cool at the same time lol
Great video, love the editing and music choice. Very unique style, which is saying something considering how many editing heavy YT content there is for Tf2. My only criticism might be cleaning up the script, mainly towards the beginning. Best of luck on your YT journey mate. Go far man!
this is a good perspective, i always thought he just left because that's what he thought was best for himself and if that's how it is than that's great but i do hope that *elliot* will one day come back, whether it's tf2 or something else.
I was subbed (and still an regardless of not watching his content) to Muselk pre-100k subs and was a bit curious of his mindset when he started to move from TF2 to OW, but eventually realized why: the popularity of the games. But then when he started to move to Fortnite, that’s when I stopped regularly watching him. I still look up to him as a content creator, he definitely figured out how to maximize his name’s popularity and stuck to it. I understand why he did what he did and felt bad for him when the negativity toward him started to grow. We, the original viewers, grew up, but his target audience didn’t age with us. Why did Miselk’s original fans come to hate him so much? We aged, but his target audience didn’t. We once were his target audience, but no longer. And of course he’ll branch to the popular, heavily-sought-after games! I applaud him for his dedication both to the games he plays at the moment and toward how channel/fans. He learned very quickly what to do and how to do it and most certainly capitalized on YT during it’s prime! If only his fans, myself included, were as dedicated to him as he is/was towards the game(s) he plays
I think based on the music choice and vibes I pick up from your voice I think your editing style could use more slow in/slow out and fade in/out, preferably with some more readable text. A softer feel to the editing makes sequences flow more naturally and would make moments where you deviate from this (e.g. 8:58) stand out more
I recall his "High Stakes" series being one of my favorites, as well as "Tryhard Tuesday". That was the reason I subscribed to him all those years ago. I didn't mind the switch to Overwatch. Sure, I missed the TF2 videos, but his personality was there and the videos were funny. But the switch to Fortnite was what killed his channel for me. Not only did I not enjoy battle royales in general, but watching so many people fall into this rabbit hole of creating clickbait Fortnite videos was too much. I tried giving his Fortnite videos a few chances, to maybe see if he could put a spin on it. Make it something I'd actually like to watch. Sadly, this wasn't the case. He essentially became just another clickbait Fortnite youtuber, and I wasn't sure how to feel. I do know one thing for sure. It made me long for the good old days where I'd come home from school, excited to see another video and spin on one of my favorite games of all time. Good times. Good times. I hope one day he'll see what he has become, and try to escape it. But for now, he can do what he feels is right
I remember being a kid watching tf2 content in early 10's watching all kinds of TFTubers especially star and jerma. When star and jerma left, muselk filled the void and it was fun watching him do tryhard Tuesday and other fun content. But as you said, OW came out and blew up, making the tf fans the minority. The funny thing is that when fortnite blew up, OW fans now became the minority now that the majority of his fanbase was fortnite kids. Even though his fortnite content made him lose his personality and charm, the 2018 fortnite content he made was fun and still him and what not. At the end of the day as a tf2 fan of his, i can't really be mad at him or call him a traitor or what not cuz the man is hard working. But i do miss the old muselk.
Great video. I watched him from his TF2 era up to the end of his time with Overwatch. That last section of the video validated how I've felt about Muselk and the people who watch him. He really doesn't have a community, he just makes videos for whatever fanbase gives him the most views. It felt like he never truly addressed his fans. Another thing to add about his departure from TF2, he kept saying that he wasn't going to stop his TF2 content and overall seemed rather positive about the game. However, on his socials he was totally different, he would vent his frustrations with the game and it's lake of content. I think if I remember right, he changed the banner on his Twitter to something like "New updates = new videos" or something like that. Even tagging Valve devs directly. So I think the moment everyone felt betrayed by him was when he silently quit TF2, no announcement or the like addressing his loyal viewers about the sudden and contradictory change. He gave the same treatment to his newer Overwatch veiwers. And to add the list of TF2tubers who had a positive reception to switching up their content, RTGame probably had the most positive reception out of any TF2 UA-camr when he announced that he would be doing variety content. Even being encouraged by his fans. You know, typing this out made me realize something, maybe the problem Elliot has is that he isn't very good at community interaction or anything that goes into a community. I remember way back he said he would reply to comments for an hour when he uploads new videos. Didn't think about it then, but why would that be something he needed to tell his audience when that's just a norm of uploading on UA-cam? It seems he just leaves everyone out of the loop. In fact, looking at his comment section, community tab and even socials today, there's nothing when it comes to interacting with his fans.
I don't think that Muselk even when he made tf2 content really made it because he liked it. It may have started out like that, but I believe when he saw all the success he got with it, he started doing it for the success. When he realized Overwatch was starting to bring more success, he swapped to that, then the same thing happened with Fortnite.
This thing for me is, when he switched to Fortnite I thought he would be happier. Muselk has always been a lone wolf, unga-bunga kind of player. So I always figured he would be happier in a battle royale, where there are no teammates to worry about, and he could be the star of his own gameplay experience. But as time flowed by, he really did start to sound unenthused to me; Tired, going through the motions, or even slightly depressed. Being a professional gamer on your own without a live community to experience things with can be very mentally draining. I just hope that he really is enjoying his work, and that if he isn't he will make some changes until he does.
whilst I did enjoy this video, the amount of assumption was a lil high for me. The speculation about his decisions and motivations to this level went a bit far for me. He's a real person who could have had a million other reasons that we will never know and that's OK.
He was a relaxed, chilled dude who made good content for a game I loved. Then he startet to make content of another game, which I liked less, but hey it was still the same dude. His dynamic with Bazza an TyrOdin was really fun. Along came Fortnight. And he changed into one of those energy drink filled screamer youtubers. That was the moment I left. Which, honestly, hurt a bit after years of entertainment. But I think the label 'traitor' stems from the fact that he never clearly announced that he was changing games. RTgame did that, and people were sad when he left but not angry. Ol' MooseTits kept saying that he will be back, but never truly was. Even when he played TF2 again, it never was the same. (But it is worth mentioning that TF2 has an almost occult following. Like, I never saw his former OW fans create such drama)
I think the biggest telling of him selling out to me was a couple years ago when I say him on Disney XD, I honestly didn't mind the switch to Overwatch at first tbh especially with Meet your Match making TF2 unplayable for a bit but that game became so hard to play after the second Christmas and the switch to Fortnite was even bigger slap in the face when I heard about it
I feel like You managed to grasp the essence of why I stopped watching Muselk. Despite the fact that I started watching him because of TF2, I continued to watch his Overwatch content for a considerable amount of time. Then I got to a point where I no longer watched all his videos the moment they came out, I was watching them when i felt bored... And then I kinda stopped watching him all together (can not remember if it was at the point he started making Fortnite content or when he switched to it completely). I kinda forgot about his existence and then... A video about TF2 on his second channel! Nostalgia pressed me into my chair, I had to watch it, I clicked on the thumbnail and... It was unwatchable. After every sentence or even mid way through there was a sharp cut in the video, he was talking non-stop or rather screaming. At that point he was much older of a man than he used to be when making his TF2 videos and yet he felt more infantile than ever before. It did not feel like him at all. He was not himself.
I found Muselk in 2014 or 2015. Loved his tf2 videos, and binged his whole catalogue. When I got my first computer, that wasn’t a family one, I downloaded TF2 first thing. He taught me everything I knew about the game at that point. Stuck with him all the way through overwatch, and into Fortnite. I held it as a (small) point of pride that I had seen every video 100%. But Fortnite seemed to kill him. Each video was just so empty, and it became a chore to watch. It was sad to leave, and I hope he’s in a better place these days.
This video was incredibly interesting! Even tho I didnt knew who muselk was, I watched it from beginning to the end! Amazing Work! If fans want it, *why would you ever stop?*
"i will not stop playing tf2" >proceeds to not upload any tf2 videos for nearly a year and only comes back when it is trendy wonder why we all got upset about it
I loved his videos back in the day, honestly forgot about the man since he wasn't popping into my recommended feed for years, had no idea he went to forkknife. How the mighty have fallen.
I love the video, executed very well and the only criticism I'll give is that some photos that you zoom out loses quality and kinda annoying although its very nick picky. Based on previous thumbnails, you could draw some of the things to maintain highest quality but that's like if you really cared about quality and could eat into your productivity. Fun to watch
I remember watching him. While it sucked he switched to OW, I understood. What really hurt was that he didn’t uphold the promise he made. He said every other Tuesday he’d upload a TF2 video. Turned out to be every other month if we were lucky. It was a kick in the balls to the TF2 audience he had, which he knew he had. It felt like he straight up abandoned TF2, and frankly he did. Not by playing other games, but by actually dropping TF2 as a whole. Frankly didn’t know he became a Fortnite streamer, but I’m not at all surprised. His shift in personality also killed my interest. He became a totally different person
I was attracted into subscribing to muselk for the tf2 content, stayed when he went into overwatch, but when he went into the fortnite, it was time for me ta leave. RIP: old 2014 muselk. And it mainly wasn't just because of the game, but how he changed completely.
I didn’t even see the title but saw that TF2 soldier class and Ik who this video was about, ima watch it now EDIT: said everything I have been thinking for the past 5 years of my life and it was an Amazing video, I hope u get what u deserve Lucid
I met him in 2015 at Pax aus. He joined us for a tf2 photo, we saw him again the next year, and he didn't want a bar of us. It crushed us, and I still kind of hate him for it.
I had watched Muselk a lot a while ago. My siblings were huge fans of tf2, and i could never play it because i didn't have my own computer, so it always seemed like some amazing game that was the best ever made, and whatnot, so i started watching videos on it. This is when i found muselk. His content made me laugh, and have a good time watching it, so of course I would watch it, right? Around the time he started getting deep into overwatch, his videos just stopped getting recommended to me, and in turn, i stopped watching them. Looking back, it was probably for the best, as i don't feel betrayed by him, but instead when i think of him i feel sad thinking about a tf2ber who gradually stopped playing. I haven't watched him, or even thought about him in years now, so i don't know what he's doing anymore, but I genuinely hope that he can be, and is happy. He deserves it, for making so many of us happy back then, and new people happy now. Where one story ends, another begins. Godspeed, muselk, and i hope you can be happy again.
that little video u shared abt the sandvich where he was burning to death had me in my feels. i remember watching him in 2012/2013 onwards in my early teenage years. watching his tf2 and overwatch videos brought me so much joy. and to see himself sell himself out to fortnite was disappointing. id like to see him return to tf2 someday and his old personality. he has made tf2 videos since but his old personality is gone.
i remember muselk fondly, and followed him losely through his overwatch phase while he outgrew his tf2 community and I outgrew him collide by iamsleepless still brings back fond memories
I feel like I really needed to watch this video, I've been struggling to even care about my current fanbase, been going through a huge burnout (no it's not a youtube channel or anything)
I watched muselk back in his TF2 days a lot. I remember absolutely loving his videos back then, still liked him during the overwatch faze though didn’t watch him that much anymore. It really went downhill when he started to make those absolutely terrible Fortnite thumbnails and stopped really being… well himself I guess. Your point about Muselk going from Elliot with a nickname to being Muselk the personality was spot on, In the TF2 and partly OW times he really felt like someone I could have a beer with, when he transitioned to fortnite he really just felt… fake. Top notch video, I really put into words what I felt about Muselk back in the day, and what probably many others did. The problem was never that he stopped playing TF2, at least for me, it was that he changed from being just a humble guy making videos, and turned into the same thing most other “influencers” turn into once they reach a high level of popularity.
tbh, i had forgotten that I used to love his tf2 videos. Hell, I had forgotten about him entirely. But man, seeing a random fortnite vid pop up and that NAME flood back the nostalgia, I was so happy for him. GO MUSELK, he deserves it to be honest.
I think i agree with the end point in this video, that after his Fortnite videos got really popular Muselk sort of lost his personality over time and what made me like his TF2 and Overwatch videos, that sort of crazy mentality of someone who is willing to do the dumbest thing possible in the chance that it succeeds in spectacular fashion. That being said, approximately 4 days before this video essay released i got recommended a video from him after being unsubbed from him for several years now on star citizen of all things, and while it didn't exactly have the "Old Muselk" feel to it, you could tell he had so much more passion and vitality in that one video than the last three years of "content" he's produced, and it honestly gives me a lot of hope for not just his channel and content, but for him as an artist as well, and I genuinely hope that he finds something that lands in that inbetween space of what he wants and what his audience wants once more, and that he can actually relax and make content that he actually enjoys once again.
What do you think of Muselk's story? Comment below!
10 buried, 1 found. 2 left.
Busted video here before 10K
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
What the hell is with the tags in the description? Aesthetic edits? Lucid dreaming? Team forte?? lol something feels wrong
Honestly I never held a grudge or even a second thought for his life choices...
And I've never set foot out of 2Fort since arriving... Seriously might be one of the most over dresses casual players out there... 🥇🤦💸😮💨👍
for me, its not the fact that Muselk left tf2 to pursue a newer and more profitable game. Its the fact that he went from a unique and beloved tf2 creator to just another generic clickbaiting fortnite channel
Yup.
Loosing his identity and selfp retty much.
Couldn't care any less about what game he played, but I do care about the personality and how hard the creator tries to bring in the views and cater to children.
Yeah, pretty much. There are several other UA-camrs that have left TF2 and found success without people disliking them because they're still doing what they enjoy and they're not doing it to sell out and make an easy profit over what's trendy.
exactly, creators can leave TF2 and still have an amazing channel I respect and love, RTgame was one of my favorite TF2 youtubers, he left TF2 for variety content and he is still one of my favorite channels
Muselk though, his channel has lost any semblance of personality, show me a thumbnail from his videos and I couldn't tell you the channel its from, not because I don't watch him, but because they are identical to hundreds if not thousands of other fortnite channels
I don't really think it matters, I mean think about it, why would he care about keeping a brand or making people he doesn't even know happy with what game he plays? he's allowed to be generic, he gains money by doing so, you guys keep making it sound like it's shameful, he owes nothing.
It was pretty noticeable too during his TF2 videos, where he would attempt ONE SINGULAR round in TF2 and call it a "video."
Ah yes, i remember the time when Muselk had more of a cultural impact than Jerma. Truly, how times have changed. Ster, Jerma and Muselk are the three most likely outcomes from this dilemma of viewer vs creator. Ster, though he has much less of a following than Jerma and Muselk still makes good content and his viewers enjoy it. Muselk managed to gain the largest following out of these three, but he seems to have lost something along the way, while Jerma has somehow managed to become incredibly popular, has an insane amount of cultural impact and he seems happier now than he has ever been before. And all that while he committed a series of murders between the 10th of August 2018 and the 1st of May 2022.
Naw. Jerma's been killing people ever since the dawn of time.
I don't remember him having more of a cultural impact than jerma or ster AT ALL, but he keep going with tf2 videos regularly which many didn't I think to people he was one of the last "classic" people even though I knew about him after jerma and ster he was still in that era and after they lost those 2 when he went the era did too.
When he abandoned tf2 it was kinda symbolic that valve did too.
Ayo don't forget LazyPurple
@@cap_3636 soundsmith isn't real
I once met jerma on a convention i was appalled to learn about the horrific crimes he had openly admitted to while there
The shift in personality is pretty much why I felt and still honestly feel betrayed. It didn't even feel natural whatsoever, but forced to mimic what's popular and profitable.
Shift from TF2 to Overwatch was fine, honestly, he still felt like the same person, all went to hell with Fortnite.Even with his occassional TF2 or overwatch video he still seemed like an entirely different person trying to copy your average stereotypical clickbait youtuber trying to appeal to kids. And for a while now until getting this video recommended to me, I haven't seen anything about Muselk at all for years.
He sold his soul, *FOR CLOUT!!!!*
Reminds me of Ssundee...
@@CommissarChaotic who?
@@thelordofthelostbraincells My childhood Minecraft UA-camr... The main one I watched when Team Crafted splintered. He was sort of a unique type, from my perspective anyway. The dude managed to be both the entertainer for children and teens fun stuff type like the stereotypical hey guys youtuber and the knowledgeable type. I can't really properly explain stuff right now because I'm doing laundry and anytime I do any chore my grandma acts like I haven't ever done it, its like I havent been living here for the past three years and my parents didnt start doing our laundry when grandpa started living here and he needed more attending than these days, its like an unskippable, incessant tutorial. Its not rage inducing, its just exhausting. Sorry for the rant. Anyway, you should check out what the other guy said, Blood N Bones was a great series. Also check out his FTB series, that was fun. Ok i have to go bye
@@CoolSs yeah...
this video is pretty dang good It actually explains why people felt betrayed when muselk left tf2 and ummmmmmm ye
Didn’t he post tf2 recently you should check it out
@@codgod7012unless 11 months ago is new then no, I see no video of a recent play of TF2 by muselk.
I love how more and more people can't complete a full thought even with ample time with a keyboard
@@LlamaCrazyYT It is for TF2 players.
Doesnt muselk have alt channels that he posts overwatch and tf2 occasionally?
I used to watch Muselk's TF2 videos when I was younger, I remember one day a year or two ago I was reminded of him and went back to check on what he's made in the past few years
"Oh. He became oneof *those* UA-camrs"
Just, fantastic video. Deep research, quality of writing, sound design... I'd give 10.
My feelings about Muselk is very mixed. As a part of the TF2 community, I love his old TF2 videos up until these days. When I feel nostalgic, his old videos are my go-to ones. As a UA-camr, I admire his passion and hard-working mentality that I can only dream of.
But as a fan, I'm sad to see him wearing an happy looking mask to create content everyday.
I once never understood people talking about their favorite artist's "OG" days, but now I know.
Hey man! It's cool to see a creator I recognize in the comments of one of these videos.
I'm really happy I accurately captured the feelings of so many. I actually had never watched Muselk prior to researching the video, but was really intrigued by his journey based off of what people had told me. My goal as a creator is to give people that catharsis when I say something they were thinking in a way they wouldn't have thought of, and it's cool to hear so many people recount their experiences with Muselk as a creator.
Thank you for all your kind words, DEWILL! If you want to talk more about any of this, feel free to join my discord and DM me on there. I'd love to hear more from you :)
No wait i meant tf2
Ignore that
I think one aspect that would be nice to cover is that the games Muselk plays are... similar enough to tf2. It's not something like RTGame messing around in a city builder, which is so far distanced from TF2 that it's much harder to claim he's simply trend chasing.
Similar deal with Jerma, your not really able to say that he betrayed tf2 to become a funny png people animate I to different places because that's such a different topic that only happens because the creator wants to do it.
With muselk, it's just a continuous transition from popular shooter to popular shooter, which creates an easy conclusion for people to make.
His personality changed, and it was clearly forced
i dont see that with OW. he genuinely seemed to love the game and the comp scene in its prime. its fortnite that he sold out too. if anything, overwatch just put the proverbial taste of blood in his mouth for fortnite to take advantage of
Muselk was a TF2ber who jumped ship when he saw a better "deal" with another game. Hew wasnt a traitor, if anything a sellout. If he genuinely only left TF2 cause he was burntout then its justified, if he left cause he wanted to make more profit, then sellout.
I think calling him a sellout is still a bit harsh, but I understand.
@@LucidMakesVideosits only true if he did it for the views and the hype. Ive left TF2 before but ive co.e back because i love it. There was lots of hype for TF2s "killer" and i believe thats why he left. Not because he got burnt out or because he didnt like doing them anymore.
have you ever considered he actully enjoys fortnite ?
his TF2 content was usually him doing challenges and "meme strats" and thats still what hes doing in fortnite.
@@kreenbopulusmichael7205 oh, he could enjoy it, but im talking about not making TF2 contenr
@@Das_Psycho what if he simply stopped enjoying TF2 ? I loved the game for years and years and I havent touched in in years aswell.
sometimes you just stop playing a game, why does he NEED to make content about a game if he doesnt even want to play it ?
Great video :) Played on Muselk's competitive team before he was famous, and now I'm in his management agency. Good guy, and absolute hustler.
Yoo thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the video, and I agree: he is an absolute hustler. Researching this video and realizing how insane that man's work ethic is was incredibly motivating.
Regardless, I'm glad you enjoyed the video :)
Lately Muselk has made a video talking about how his content making has slowed due to him struggling to find interesting topics or challenges to make videos about, and that he would only make content if he found something interesting.
He seems aware about the stigma of most Fortnite UA-camrs, and he wants to avoid making content just for algorithm appeal.
I hope he finds interesting ways to make content he loves, it would be cool to see him "find himself" again.
avoid making content just for algorithm appeal? he is playing fortnite.
With overwatch I understood, his overwatch videos were dope, loved to watch them for a while. Then somewhere during the time period of him playing his first world tournament and later he kinda got boring, its not that he changed a lot, apart from his fortnite overreaction. The community grew past him as he was appealing younger audiences and fortnite at early wasn't that interesting apart from watching people have crazy build battles and the early dumb stuff like mentioned in the video, riding a rocket.
@@kratos9524 I'd still say Muselk is arguably one of the more creative Fortnite UA-camrs (for the most part).
His skybase videos in particular are usually a fun time.
time to dig out that game he threw out
and i'm NOT talking about overwatch, since it's gotten the legacy of a toxic boyfriend
@@Omabatfartsbruh Are you kidding?
After the way that the TF2 community was so toxic to him?
I don’t think he’s returning anytime soon.
I mean its old news, but all in all a great video, you pretty much hit all the topics and conclusions. Most people who watched Muselk are 20+ now
I’ve never felt so called out before, but this video made me cry and I’m an over 20 year old. I legit started playing TF2 around the gun mettle update and saw all these older UA-camrs in the beginning, I remember watching his soldier video about Rick May and just not feeling right watching it, like something felt off about it.
@@TKmeh hell I am 24, I still for some reason have an opinion on this even thou I don't really care about muselk, obv I don't mean it in a harmful way, but by 'most people who watched Muselk are 20+ now' I meant that we moved on
@@kratos9524 I getcha, I unsubbed from him ages ago and only really watch his second channel. I’ve already come to terms with why I dislike him but never could put it to words, when I realized what it was that I lost watching Muselk recently, that’s when I started crying because I grew up seeing all of his exploits and even enjoyed his Overwatch stuff for a bit. It’s like seeing your favorite person slowly lose what made them your favorite person in favor of being the most talked about person, or the most liked even if it meant selling out for lack of a better term.
@@TKmeh yeh pretty much why most old fans don't watch him. Most youtubers jumped the fortnite train, most minecraft youtubers and a fuck ton of others did it for clout. But I always understand, money is the key to most people. Muselk wouldn't have been a big channel as tf2 died for a while. NISLT himself didn't make a lot of videos apart from competition highlights. Tf2 is coming back thou. I started playing it this year after 10 years and it is fun
I love the repeating motif of "if the fans wanted it, why would he ever stop?" it's a perfect summary
Amazing video essay !
The transitons and editings were smooth
The music is chill
And your voice is easily understandable.
Really good to listen in the back while doing something else. Keep up the high quality content !
Muselk's most defining trait to me in all of his career is pragmatism. It's one thing to just ride out the one thing people watch you for until its dried up and dies, but it's another thing entirely to make a calculated, albeit cruel decision, to abandon a portion of your fanbase in exchange for the chance to gain a new one. It worked spectacularly with Overwatch, as his ideas and the friends he played with were both incredibly good content (I still miss Overwatch Zylbrad).
The Fortnite swap is the best example of this pragmatism, Overwatch's big hype was gone in a couple years after release and it's probable that the switch to Fortnite was the result of a need to financially support the lifestyles of him and his family/friends. To risk sticking out with OW content when it could dry up fairly quickly given a lack of new ideas where Fortnite is becoming insanely popular and you have great ideas for it (death runs/traps, rocket jump tricks etc.) would be a very insecure position to be in. Being able to be comfortable making Fortnite content that is almost guaranteed to get millions of views almost definitely gave a sense of security that is both great financially and, most importantly, mentally.
UA-camrs generally get NO security financially, at any given time an event irrespective of the UA-camrs can cause an adpocalyse or a game to die or a false allegation that makes people lose trust in that UA-camr. For this reason, if you were almost guaranteed to get great views for a while making Fortnite videos where you have actually got cool ideas, why wouldn't you go for it? You can rest easy, knowing that you can life your life without the constant stress of having to please an audience, especially when your audience is kids with lower expectations as to what quality content should be.
I don't at all blame Muselk for anything he's done in regards to jumping the shark, people make different choices based on their own traits and Muselk was being pragmatic. It definitely hurts that he isn't just a TF2/OW guy anymore but anybody who genuinely hates Muselk for the swap needs to get a life. Try putting yourself in the shoes of others before you get judgemental.
When I think of Muselk, my mind brings back a specific Voiceline from Alad V from Warframe:
"You have loyalty issues, Tenno..."
Sometimes you just naturally stray away from a content creator for many reasons.
I think that during the time overwatch was coming out and some tf2 creators just didn't feel satisfied with the game anymore and that's why they jumped to the new thing that had a hint of what made them like tf2
Some came back after many years, like LazyPurple, some creators that felt new to me popped up, like soundsmith, and then there were people who moved onto completely different styles of content, like FUNKe and Jerma. I think I also had the benefit of being someone interested in so many things during this time that kept me satisfied.
I dont think I can truly hate or blame anyone who hasn't come back to tf2 because
I understand not wanting to come back to something after so long
Funny thing about kids not liking TF2. When me and my brother got into TF2 it was around 2015/16 and I was 11/12 and my brother was 6/7. And we watched Muselk, for the most part. I remember we were so into TF2, but unfortunately we did not have a PC. But we did have a PS3. We had learned about the Orange Box, but did not get it until 2017. When we got that, we played the hell out of it. We had over 24 hours play time on Soldier, Engineer, and Scout each. On the Orange Box version of TF2. On the PS3 no less. In 2017! I remember we were so upset when Muselk started to move away from TF2... And then he went onto Fortnite!? And started catering to children no less! I mean we were still kids. But, you know how kids are. Or used to be, we wanted to be treated as adults. Not catered to and treated like babies. So we stopped watching him. Fast forward to now, and I am 19 and my brother is 14 and we still like TF2, got it on a PC now. Have over 600 hours played in the game collectively. But we aren't obsessed like we used to be. Still play it from time to time but not like we used to. Also never mind the PS3 version anymore. They shut the servers down a few years back. Sadly. Can still play it. But only privately or on Lan. We still watch TF2 content as well, but not as frequently, and we watch smaller creators now... Well... That's all that are left anyways. But the videos are still good none the less. You got guys like Vorobey, and Fat Magic, also Solar Light. For the popular ones. Also... Believe it or not TF2 content still makes millions of views each year. Not like it used to, but it still makes decent views. Love TF2. Don't think we will ever stop playing it. TF2 and COD zombies.
TF2 we have 8 years experience and COD Zombies 13 years experience. Two games we know too much about and will probably be playing as old men.
Okay... Enough rambling, I'm gone.
I think he is considered a traitor of the "tf2 community" because the people he left behind were probably the only ones to care about him as a person and liked him for what he was. he didn't need to post once a day for the community to like him, but he did it anyways and thanks to that, he needed to throw away his normal self, because of all the stress and weight he was putting on his shoulders. ending with him trying to mimic his own personality. in that moment, where he couldn't go back to an healthier upload schedule because of his popularity he lost himself and decayed what once was a man into a production machine. THAT is the point where he betrayed the "tf2 community" but only 'cause they where the only ones to experience what could have been and once was muselk.
i feel like his fans today do not love him, or his personality... they just want more content from muselk and so he doesn't really love them either... the only thing he chose is his life, leaving behind the fans and himself.
this si such a reddit comment lol "traitor of the tf2 community" pipe down lil boy
@@thenextgeneration9030 Some people seem to not grasp the idea that they don't personally know muselk, and that it's just a game.
I'm sorry but I used "tf2 community" to specify the people that watched him at the time... It's not about the game and I do not know muselk personally. This was just my speculation.
When will you stream again
Stay tuned in the Discord for my announcements regarding future streams!
@@LucidMakesVideoswhy u teasin me like that bruh
@@mmmmttttssssgggg he streams on patreon once a day, you're missing out (oh and the secret onlyfans)
@@duckyblairsay all you want i will never use patreon
Good video, keep making them, after all, why would you ever stop?
If I want it, the fans want it, and I'm proud of it, I don't plan on stopping.
Good editing, Good topic, omori music. Instant like and sub. You deserve more attention
this is a phenomenal video
as someone who was pretty much there from the start with muselk
wathcing his slow decay was heartbreaking, I still have the first piece of merch he released laying around somewhere..
I loved this dude, my brother and I used to watch him all the time. I brought him up to a friend of mine and he called him "the guy that plays Fortnite" and that just left me a little speechless. I miss the old Muselk and I greatly enjoyed what he used to be.
I watched this video and was super surprised when you DIDN'T have a million subs. the video quality is really good!
Hey, got this randomly in my recommended. What the fuck. A great script, well researched, well produced, and wonderful delivery. This is some fucking metacontent right here.
I'm glad you enjoyed my work, homie :D
Honestly, I played all of those games. So I am not a die hard for any of them, although I enjoyed tf2 the most, I cannot blame the man for getting the bag.
I can, there are youtubers who stick with their passion and succeed.
@@lordcrusader861 Team Fortress 2 wasn't Muselk's passion, that was made very clear, besides you're not obligated to pursue your passion to do right, stop being selfish, he owes nothing to you.
@@IgorNetoAnimation you see, filth, when your content grows on a community as loyal and as passionate as tf2 and then you switch your branding and personality for a new one, a few people get upset.
@@IgorNetoAnimation you’re forgetting viewer loyalty, dude. The people who stuck with him from the beginning of his career in TF2 saw what he did as heartbreaking. I was originally one of his fans that found his TF2 videos back a few years ago, and I enjoyed every moment of his growth and enjoyment of the game. Problem is the way he left was what caused the majority of his fans to leave him behind. I don’t even watch him anymore since I got better things to do.
Kind of reminds me of what happened to Zuthar13. Both dudes did similar things to their communities, and the majority of fans felt betrayed.
@@lordcrusader861 did you seriously call someone filth over a fucking videogame youtuber who played your stupid game 7 years ago
fantastic video and clean editing, not even mentioning the research that was pretty massive and detailed.
one small key issue for me though is the music to voice volume seems to vary frequently and I kinda got my ears exploded on some transitions to new title cards in the latter parts of the video, I'd recommend checking the waveform post editing.
This video was very well made, it is surprising to me that you only have 6k subscribers. Liked and subscribed.
This video is chefs kiss (yes, they can kiss), watched it while waiting for MvM to load (yes I do have a computer it just runs poorly) and this is vorobey level content there!
yes they can kiss !! also yea agree
The editing and thoughtful presentation-like content (/video essay format almost..?) is very insightful and different! I like how unbiased you are also. Liked and subbed :) Great job
I am just two minutes into your vid, but I am sensing a real EmpLemon vibe from the way you speak and the editing style. I am loving it
I'm drunk writing this but I was sober watching this video. As a fan of Muselk when he made TF2 videos, this is video shows on how when he switched from TF2 and Overwatch to Fortnite on how I personally felt about that. Because I really despised when he switched but what I didn't realised is that he just changed character and wasn't the Muselk like he was.
Well deserved video and you my guy, you need better and more recognition. You are a talented creator which I will follow from many years to come and if you create the same and creative videos. High praise from me.
why are you drunk texting, seems silly
@@traceyiusmemton8768 because I like to drink lmao
@@westorinbased af
You got to give him credit, he did start playing fortnite before everybody else did he was in the PvE beta and as you mention in the video Overwatch too he actually is a loyal man, but he saw tides changing and he pick the loyalty that gave him the most value. So glad I have deja vu of watching this video because it's like a mini takeback , I remember being more angry when writing this comment before, but now I have more understanding and it gave me the ""second"" chance to make a comment I won't regret. Anyway I do feel like he found something popular, but he was also doing something he enjoyed even if the feeling was fleeting.
He was loyal to the games he played, but not to himself and I hope he found himself again one day because i lost parts of myself too and it's hard to regain it.
Brother i seriously cannot put to words how good of a job you did on this video. Am not even talking about the Muselk part , the editing the music and the transitions and the artstyle , they all blend together so well. Since you talked about youtubers this is the kind of youtuber i respect , videos that are timeless and well thought-out regardless of topic. This is the first video i see of you good luck in the future mate.
Wonderful video on not only his career, but about the creative drive in general. I certainly hope you dont stop this level of quality!
The style of your editing is so beautiful I was HOOKED. As a newer tf2 fan I was too afraid to actually find out what happened to Muselk, i would have never expected to question what the purpose behind art is and as an aspiring animator who posts stuff online this was so existential yet cool at the same time lol
TBH I called him a traitor myself, but this video has given me a new perspective. Well done, 10/10 vid!
Also, your scripting and pacing is really good. I didn't realize I was 20minutes in until I checked the time lol
this is a really good video man keep it up, i do think your mic could be louder though :)
The quality of this video is insane. You deserve more subscribers
Great video, love the editing and music choice. Very unique style, which is saying something considering how many editing heavy YT content there is for Tf2. My only criticism might be cleaning up the script, mainly towards the beginning.
Best of luck on your YT journey mate. Go far man!
how does this only have 4000 views, this needs 200,000.
Thank you! I hope it gets there!
this is a good perspective, i always thought he just left because that's what he thought was best for himself and if that's how it is than that's great but i do hope that *elliot* will one day come back, whether it's tf2 or something else.
You deserve more views man, for a 24 minute video you packed so much story and life into it. subbed on the spot.
I was subbed (and still an regardless of not watching his content) to Muselk pre-100k subs and was a bit curious of his mindset when he started to move from TF2 to OW, but eventually realized why: the popularity of the games. But then when he started to move to Fortnite, that’s when I stopped regularly watching him. I still look up to him as a content creator, he definitely figured out how to maximize his name’s popularity and stuck to it. I understand why he did what he did and felt bad for him when the negativity toward him started to grow. We, the original viewers, grew up, but his target audience didn’t age with us.
Why did Miselk’s original fans come to hate him so much? We aged, but his target audience didn’t. We once were his target audience, but no longer. And of course he’ll branch to the popular, heavily-sought-after games! I applaud him for his dedication both to the games he plays at the moment and toward how channel/fans. He learned very quickly what to do and how to do it and most certainly capitalized on YT during it’s prime! If only his fans, myself included, were as dedicated to him as he is/was towards the game(s) he plays
I think based on the music choice and vibes I pick up from your voice I think your editing style could use more slow in/slow out and fade in/out, preferably with some more readable text. A softer feel to the editing makes sequences flow more naturally and would make moments where you deviate from this (e.g. 8:58) stand out more
Thank you for the help!
WOW! That video is so profound. That was amazing. I subbed and liked this was incredible. Good fucking job dude.
THE CREATIVITY THAT SPEWS FROM YOUR EDITING, I love it
I recall his "High Stakes" series being one of my favorites, as well as "Tryhard Tuesday".
That was the reason I subscribed to him all those years ago.
I didn't mind the switch to Overwatch. Sure, I missed the TF2 videos, but his personality was there and the videos were funny.
But the switch to Fortnite was what killed his channel for me. Not only did I not enjoy battle royales in general, but watching so many people fall into this rabbit hole of creating clickbait Fortnite videos was too much.
I tried giving his Fortnite videos a few chances, to maybe see if he could put a spin on it. Make it something I'd actually like to watch.
Sadly, this wasn't the case. He essentially became just another clickbait Fortnite youtuber, and I wasn't sure how to feel.
I do know one thing for sure. It made me long for the good old days where I'd come home from school, excited to see another video and spin on one of my favorite games of all time. Good times. Good times.
I hope one day he'll see what he has become, and try to escape it. But for now, he can do what he feels is right
TheLucidLetters is so underrated keep goin👍
I remember being a kid watching tf2 content in early 10's watching all kinds of TFTubers especially star and jerma. When star and jerma left, muselk filled the void and it was fun watching him do tryhard Tuesday and other fun content. But as you said, OW came out and blew up, making the tf fans the minority. The funny thing is that when fortnite blew up, OW fans now became the minority now that the majority of his fanbase was fortnite kids. Even though his fortnite content made him lose his personality and charm, the 2018 fortnite content he made was fun and still him and what not. At the end of the day as a tf2 fan of his, i can't really be mad at him or call him a traitor or what not cuz the man is hard working. But i do miss the old muselk.
Great video. I watched him from his TF2 era up to the end of his time with Overwatch. That last section of the video validated how I've felt about Muselk and the people who watch him. He really doesn't have a community, he just makes videos for whatever fanbase gives him the most views. It felt like he never truly addressed his fans.
Another thing to add about his departure from TF2, he kept saying that he wasn't going to stop his TF2 content and overall seemed rather positive about the game. However, on his socials he was totally different, he would vent his frustrations with the game and it's lake of content. I think if I remember right, he changed the banner on his Twitter to something like "New updates = new videos" or something like that. Even tagging Valve devs directly. So I think the moment everyone felt betrayed by him was when he silently quit TF2, no announcement or the like addressing his loyal viewers about the sudden and contradictory change. He gave the same treatment to his newer Overwatch veiwers.
And to add the list of TF2tubers who had a positive reception to switching up their content, RTGame probably had the most positive reception out of any TF2 UA-camr when he announced that he would be doing variety content. Even being encouraged by his fans.
You know, typing this out made me realize something, maybe the problem Elliot has is that he isn't very good at community interaction or anything that goes into a community. I remember way back he said he would reply to comments for an hour when he uploads new videos. Didn't think about it then, but why would that be something he needed to tell his audience when that's just a norm of uploading on UA-cam? It seems he just leaves everyone out of the loop. In fact, looking at his comment section, community tab and even socials today, there's nothing when it comes to interacting with his fans.
I don't think that Muselk even when he made tf2 content really made it because he liked it. It may have started out like that, but I believe when he saw all the success he got with it, he started doing it for the success. When he realized Overwatch was starting to bring more success, he swapped to that, then the same thing happened with Fortnite.
One of the best edited videos ive seen, seriously I was hooked with the title because I used to watch Muselk playing tf2 for a very very long time
Ah I was so young when I found Muselk. I still play soldier obsessively because of him. First time I learned the joy of that class.
This thing for me is, when he switched to Fortnite I thought he would be happier. Muselk has always been a lone wolf, unga-bunga kind of player. So I always figured he would be happier in a battle royale, where there are no teammates to worry about, and he could be the star of his own gameplay experience. But as time flowed by, he really did start to sound unenthused to me; Tired, going through the motions, or even slightly depressed. Being a professional gamer on your own without a live community to experience things with can be very mentally draining. I just hope that he really is enjoying his work, and that if he isn't he will make some changes until he does.
whilst I did enjoy this video, the amount of assumption was a lil high for me. The speculation about his decisions and motivations to this level went a bit far for me.
He's a real person who could have had a million other reasons that we will never know and that's OK.
What future videos do you plan on making?
If you join the discord, I put announcements regarding new upcoming videos on there :)
He was a relaxed, chilled dude who made good content for a game I loved. Then he startet to make content of another game, which I liked less, but hey it was still the same dude. His dynamic with Bazza an TyrOdin was really fun. Along came Fortnight. And he changed into one of those energy drink filled screamer youtubers. That was the moment I left. Which, honestly, hurt a bit after years of entertainment.
But I think the label 'traitor' stems from the fact that he never clearly announced that he was changing games. RTgame did that, and people were sad when he left but not angry. Ol' MooseTits kept saying that he will be back, but never truly was. Even when he played TF2 again, it never was the same.
(But it is worth mentioning that TF2 has an almost occult following. Like, I never saw his former OW fans create such drama)
I think the biggest telling of him selling out to me was a couple years ago when I say him on Disney XD, I honestly didn't mind the switch to Overwatch at first tbh especially with Meet your Match making TF2 unplayable for a bit but that game became so hard to play after the second Christmas and the switch to Fortnite was even bigger slap in the face when I heard about it
I feel like You managed to grasp the essence of why I stopped watching Muselk.
Despite the fact that I started watching him because of TF2, I continued to watch his Overwatch content for a considerable amount of time. Then I got to a point where I no longer watched all his videos the moment they came out, I was watching them when i felt bored... And then I kinda stopped watching him all together (can not remember if it was at the point he started making Fortnite content or when he switched to it completely).
I kinda forgot about his existence and then... A video about TF2 on his second channel! Nostalgia pressed me into my chair, I had to watch it, I clicked on the thumbnail and... It was unwatchable. After every sentence or even mid way through there was a sharp cut in the video, he was talking non-stop or rather screaming. At that point he was much older of a man than he used to be when making his TF2 videos and yet he felt more infantile than ever before.
It did not feel like him at all. He was not himself.
Lets not talk about how salty he is now
12:32 love that transition
I'm glad that I stood subscribed for this!
Glad to see someone made such a passionate video about a creator i've loved throughout his eras
I found Muselk in 2014 or 2015. Loved his tf2 videos, and binged his whole catalogue. When I got my first computer, that wasn’t a family one, I downloaded TF2 first thing. He taught me everything I knew about the game at that point. Stuck with him all the way through overwatch, and into Fortnite. I held it as a (small) point of pride that I had seen every video 100%. But Fortnite seemed to kill him. Each video was just so empty, and it became a chore to watch. It was sad to leave, and I hope he’s in a better place these days.
This video was incredibly interesting! Even tho I didnt knew who muselk was, I watched it from beginning to the end! Amazing Work!
If fans want it, *why would you ever stop?*
Thank you so much! I put a lot of effort in so that means a lot :)))
He actually returned recently
amazing video love the way you edit
Insanly good video for such a small channel, def underrated and deserves more praise
damn bro Im shocked you dont have like at least 20k subs causr you deserve it, nice content btw
6:02 you included holasoygerman y vegetta777😮
I loved them when I was a child...wow
"i will not stop playing tf2"
>proceeds to not upload any tf2 videos for nearly a year and only comes back when it is trendy
wonder why we all got upset about it
I loved his videos back in the day, honestly forgot about the man since he wasn't popping into my recommended feed for years, had no idea he went to forkknife. How the mighty have fallen.
I love the video, executed very well and the only criticism I'll give is that some photos that you zoom out loses quality and kinda annoying although its very nick picky. Based on previous thumbnails, you could draw some of the things to maintain highest quality but that's like if you really cared about quality and could eat into your productivity. Fun to watch
I remember watching him. While it sucked he switched to OW, I understood. What really hurt was that he didn’t uphold the promise he made.
He said every other Tuesday he’d upload a TF2 video. Turned out to be every other month if we were lucky. It was a kick in the balls to the TF2 audience he had, which he knew he had. It felt like he straight up abandoned TF2, and frankly he did. Not by playing other games, but by actually dropping TF2 as a whole.
Frankly didn’t know he became a Fortnite streamer, but I’m not at all surprised.
His shift in personality also killed my interest. He became a totally different person
Aaa this was mase before Muselk returned to TF2 I see xd. Great vid man, you get a sub and like
I was attracted into subscribing to muselk for the tf2 content, stayed when he went into overwatch, but when he went into the fortnite, it was time for me ta leave. RIP: old 2014 muselk.
And it mainly wasn't just because of the game, but how he changed completely.
I recently started playing tf2 again for nostalgia, and this vid just brought so many more memories man
Just recently he posted a Star Citizen video. That was very nice, to see a bit of the old Muselk peeking through.
I didn’t even see the title but saw that TF2 soldier class and Ik who this video was about, ima watch it now
EDIT: said everything I have been thinking for the past 5 years of my life and it was an Amazing video, I hope u get what u deserve Lucid
really good vid, but *man* is your audio quiet-
I can Only Say, Man became From a Legend Among TF2 To Literally Just another Clickbaiter and a Bad one at that
God the editing in this is so good wth
your content is underrated as hell bro, good documentary!
I met him in 2015 at Pax aus. He joined us for a tf2 photo, we saw him again the next year, and he didn't want a bar of us. It crushed us, and I still kind of hate him for it.
I had watched Muselk a lot a while ago. My siblings were huge fans of tf2, and i could never play it because i didn't have my own computer, so it always seemed like some amazing game that was the best ever made, and whatnot, so i started watching videos on it. This is when i found muselk. His content made me laugh, and have a good time watching it, so of course I would watch it, right? Around the time he started getting deep into overwatch, his videos just stopped getting recommended to me, and in turn, i stopped watching them. Looking back, it was probably for the best, as i don't feel betrayed by him, but instead when i think of him i feel sad thinking about a tf2ber who gradually stopped playing. I haven't watched him, or even thought about him in years now, so i don't know what he's doing anymore, but I genuinely hope that he can be, and is happy. He deserves it, for making so many of us happy back then, and new people happy now. Where one story ends, another begins. Godspeed, muselk, and i hope you can be happy again.
Really well made video u deserv more subs tbh👍
as a newer tf2 player hearing about the tf2 community not immediately imploding at the idea of overwatch sounds like it was a wild time
This shit rocks dude. I don't even like tf2 anymore but this shit was so intresting to watch. Keep up the great work dude!
that little video u shared abt the sandvich where he was burning to death had me in my feels. i remember watching him in 2012/2013 onwards in my early teenage years. watching his tf2 and overwatch videos brought me so much joy. and to see himself sell himself out to fortnite was disappointing. id like to see him return to tf2 someday and his old personality. he has made tf2 videos since but his old personality is gone.
I loved watching his videos about tf2, slowed down when he moved to overwatch, stopped when he went to fortnite
i remember muselk fondly, and followed him losely through his overwatch phase while he outgrew his tf2 community and I outgrew him collide by iamsleepless still brings back fond memories
To me it felt like that one friend you liked but left and you never felt to contact again but your other friends told you he betrayed you
I feel like I really needed to watch this video, I've been struggling to even care about my current fanbase, been going through a huge burnout (no it's not a youtube channel or anything)
I'm glad I could help
I watched muselk back in his TF2 days a lot. I remember absolutely loving his videos back then, still liked him during the overwatch faze though didn’t watch him that much anymore. It really went downhill when he started to make those absolutely terrible Fortnite thumbnails and stopped really being… well himself I guess. Your point about Muselk going from Elliot with a nickname to being Muselk the personality was spot on, In the TF2 and partly OW times he really felt like someone I could have a beer with, when he transitioned to fortnite he really just felt… fake. Top notch video, I really put into words what I felt about Muselk back in the day, and what probably many others did. The problem was never that he stopped playing TF2, at least for me, it was that he changed from being just a humble guy making videos, and turned into the same thing most other “influencers” turn into once they reach a high level of popularity.
I sense that emplemon vibe... a +1 to that subscriber count to be sure :).
tbh, i had forgotten that I used to love his tf2 videos. Hell, I had forgotten about him entirely. But man, seeing a random fortnite vid pop up and that NAME flood back the nostalgia, I was so happy for him. GO MUSELK, he deserves it to be honest.
I think i agree with the end point in this video, that after his Fortnite videos got really popular Muselk sort of lost his personality over time and what made me like his TF2 and Overwatch videos, that sort of crazy mentality of someone who is willing to do the dumbest thing possible in the chance that it succeeds in spectacular fashion. That being said, approximately 4 days before this video essay released i got recommended a video from him after being unsubbed from him for several years now on star citizen of all things, and while it didn't exactly have the "Old Muselk" feel to it, you could tell he had so much more passion and vitality in that one video than the last three years of "content" he's produced, and it honestly gives me a lot of hope for not just his channel and content, but for him as an artist as well, and I genuinely hope that he finds something that lands in that inbetween space of what he wants and what his audience wants once more, and that he can actually relax and make content that he actually enjoys once again.