If you’ve grown up with internet access, there is a good chance that you as well as many liked to watch Minecraft videos. More specifically, Minecraft content creators. Jordan Maron, famously known as CaptainSparklez, first attended Santa Bárbara Senior High School in the mid-2000s. He was born on February 10, 1992 in Los Angeles and moved to Santa Barbara at around four-  years old. Maron graduated SBHS and then pursued his education at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He took an interest as a chemical engineering major, later switching to computer science instead, thinking it would help him in his future career as a gamer. Maron was just starting his YouTube account around 2010, posting his Call of Duty gameplays at 18. Later on, he adopted his iconic channel name, CaptainSparklez, and started posting Minecraft content as well. A year later, Maron uploaded his most viewed video,“Revenge” which is a Minecraft parody of “DJ’s Got Us Fallin’ In Love Again.” As of April 2024, it currently has 289.6 million views. 

Maron received three Guinness World Records from that single music video, one award for the Most Watched Minecraft Video. He continued to post music parodies, where he changed the lyrics of the song to fit into the Minecraft world (“TNT” and “Fallen Kingdom”). They are all produced by him and performed by TryHardNinja, a self-proclaimed video game singer. He uploaded daily gameplays as well called “Let’s-Plays.” In due time, Maron developed a fan base thanks to his creativity and content. By the end of 2011, he became a full-time YouTuber. After finishing his first quarter as a sophomore, Maron dropped out of UCSB. He was successful enough to do so when reaching one million subscribers in early 2012. CaptainSparklez’s animated music videos dominated the early 2010s. His YouTube channel became the fifth solo gaming channel to pass one billion views in 2013. 

Maron continued his YouTube and streaming career through the years, including Let’s-Plays of different video games and other content such as fitness and daily vlogs. As of 2024, his CaptainSparklez channel has 11.4 million subscribers. In December of 2023, he posted a video stating his retirement from Minecraft gameplay videos on his main channel after 13 years. At 32 years old, Jordan Maron has gained success and the admiration of many children who grew up watching his content. His impact on the early 2010s youth was massive and it will forever be remembered as a cherished part of our childhoods.