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Codebreaker

Making a parody song using video game characters can pay the rent

Marc Sanchez Aug 16, 2012

 

No eggs! (That’s MTR slang for: for real.) Minecraft, the game where players build virtual worlds, hunt for diamonds, and try to avoid creepers, has spawned a cottage industry of YouTube videos that feature block-headed characters from the game. There’s a guy in England who even sells “Form This Way,” his version of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,” on iTunes. He tells the Wall Street Journal, “It just about covers monthly bills – or at least the rent.”

Just to be straight, these videos are not low-budget throwaways that people spend a few minutes hacking together. These people are passionate about their gaming and even more passionate about their videos. Millions upon millions are clicking to watch too.

The godfather of Minecraft song parodies may be Jordan Maron, a.k.a. CaptainSparklez, maker of the hugely popular Usher parody. In his version, dubbed “Revenge,” a cube-shaped Usher figure in trendy glasses and a half-unbuttoned shirt sways and croons, ” ‘Cause baby tonight, the creeper’s trying to steal all your stuff again.”
The video has more than 54 million views on YouTube, a strong showing to Usher’s original video, at more than 75 million views.

 

 

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