NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Se谩n McLoughlin wears a lot of hats: YouTuber. Voice actor. Coffee entrepreneur. But McLoughlin, better known by his pseudonym Jacksepticeye, likes to say he would be a therapist if he wasn't posting video game playthroughs for his nearly 31 million subscribers.
The 34-year-old Irish creator finds that gaming enthusiasts aren't just drawn by his expressive reactions to the latest action role-playing games; fans also resonate with his candid discussions of mental health. The supportive responses from his niche but passionate following make McLoughlin feel 鈥渓ess alone,鈥� he said, forging the same camaraderie that brought him to online gaming communities as a lonely 20-something living at his family鈥檚 remote home.
That shared connection is also central to his annual fundraiser, 鈥淭hankmas." The charity livestream is one of many online specials emerging as a modern spin on the classic telethon. Total donations have increased more than 50% over the last year on Tiltify, a digital platform that integrates giving tools into streams. The spaces are credited for allowing more authentic interactions between nonprofits and young donors 鈥� and encouraging benevolence in a corner of the web marked by incendiary rhetoric.
鈥淚f you want to do good things, the people are there, and they鈥檒l listen,鈥� McLoughlin said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e already following you for what you do for a reason. So they鈥檒l follow you to help out people as well.鈥�
Follow they have. His streams have raked in more than $26 million, This year's goal is to collect $6 million for two nonprofits supporting mental health: Crisis Text Line and Samaritans.
A seven-figure target would have seemed a longshot when McLoughlin entered the space. The initial idea was to hold monthly fundraisers. He hosted seven charitable streams in 2018, Tiltify records show, for causes including pediatric cancer and clean water. The year culminated in the inaugural "Thankmas," which pulled over a quarter of a million dollars.
But McLoughlin said the pace became 鈥渁 bit much.鈥� That same year he , in part due to unhappiness from the demands he felt for high content volumes. He resolved to focus on one big holiday event at the end of the year, when he said people are 鈥渁 bit more giving and heartfelt.鈥�
It wasn't until 2020 that Tiltify CEO Michael Wasserman said the two began working closely to maximize the streams' reach. McLoughlin reached out, according to Wasserman, and said he wanted something 鈥渕ore impactful.鈥� With communities worldwide reeling from the pandemic, they put together the #HopeFromHome campaign: a peer-to-peer event where multitudes could simultaneously rally around the same cause. McLoughlin served as a tent pole supporting the other streamers.
Their first effort together yielded $1.9 million for United Way Worldwide and more than one-third came from McLoughlin鈥檚 stream alone. The following 鈥淭hankmas鈥� generated more than $4.7 million. Wasserman said he鈥檇 never seen his technology used so collaboratively.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what really made this a regular, multimillion-dollar event," Wasserman said. 鈥淣ot just making it, 鈥楬ey I鈥檓 going to fundraise and just watch me,' but, 鈥榃e as a community can do this and get involved together.'鈥�
This year's 鈥淭hankmas鈥� will be performed before a live audience in Los Angeles but broadcast online. Recent specials have seen McLoughlin make surprise calls into streams that are also pooling contributions. Comedic segments sometimes feature traditional celebrities; actor Jack Black played a life-sized game of Jenga in 2022.
The idea resembles the star-studded telethon pioneered last century by comedian Jerry Lewis. But new technologies and web cultures enable more engaging experiences. Wasserman said charitable livestreams like McLoughlin's are not a 鈥減assive watching experience.鈥�
It鈥檚 鈥渁 much more personable approach to giving,鈥� according to Yvette Wohn, a professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology who studies human-computer interaction.
A streamer鈥檚 audience 鈥渃ares about them,鈥� Wohn said, and donors flock to their content because 鈥渢hey really like that person.鈥� Social media and chat boxes allow fans to feel seen by hosts in ways television viewers could never expect. Followers might get shoutouts by name upon contributing. McLoughlin has previously shared fan art submitted through specific hashtags.
Fandoms also develop subcultures. McLoughlin鈥檚 gaming catchphrases are especially popular among his circles. Jacksepticeye content often starts with him shouting, 鈥淭op of the morning to ya, laddies!鈥� and fans have uploaded video compilations of the expression. Members then form friendships with others in the fandom. That creates a 鈥減ositive social pressure鈥� to donate, according to Wohn, helping new generations 鈥渄ip their toes into building an identity as somebody that gives.鈥�
鈥淕iving habits are things that build over time,鈥� Wohn said. 鈥淚f younger people start to engage in this culture of giving, I feel like the general culture of giving might expand in ways that cannot be done from a top-down perspective.鈥�
Still, McLoughlin describes online communities as a 鈥渄ouble-edged sword.鈥� The 鈥渕onetization of hate,鈥� he said, is 鈥渂igger than it's ever been.鈥� And the desire for acceptance can introduce lonely people to dark pockets of the internet that nevertheless provide kinship.
鈥淭hankmas鈥� aims to prove it's easy to do good online. Yes, he acknowledged, charity work is 鈥渜uite intimidating." Where is the line between promoting the fundraiser and promoting himself? McLoughlin doesn't know. He just hopes people trust it's coming from the right place.
At least one longtime follower was drawn by McLoughlin's ties to this year's cause. Jack Worthey, a 20-year-old from Texas, said McLoughlin brought much comfort growing up with 鈥渟imilar family troubles." It had been several years since he watched Jacksepticeye content, he said, but he was pulled back by an October video where McLoughlin detailed his journey finding mental health treatment.
Worthey said he wouldn't have looked into "Thankmas" had McLoughlin had not made the promotion so personal. He now plans to raise awareness through digital art. For Worthey, returning to the channel as an adult and seeing the 鈥減ositive product鈥� has been 鈥渞eally amazing."
鈥淚t makes you see what I was enjoying when I was younger in a different light,鈥� Worthey said. "It brings a different type of joy.鈥�
___
Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP鈥檚 collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP鈥檚 philanthropy coverage, visit .
James Pollard, The Associated Press
