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As part of our ThanksGAMING event for the end of the year, I want to take time to elevate and appreciate the people in gaming I admire or that inspire me – whether they are content creators, journalists, or developers. When I began brainstorming ideas on the best candidates, MarcoMeatball was the first person I thought of and reached out to.
Marco is a YouTuber who wears many different hats but is most well-known for his video game music react videos. I first found his channel (which you can find on YouTube under the handle @MarcoMeatball) about two years ago. I was browsing YouTube and came across his reactions to “Bury the Light” from Devil May Cry 5 and “To Zanarkand” from Final Fantasy X. I was hooked and I’ve been a subscriber ever since.
Marco recently gave me the opportunity to chat a little bit with him so we can all learn more about him, his channel, and what his future plans are.
Marco's video, "Opera Singer Reacts: Bury the Light from Devil May Cry 5," was where I found him first.
I first asked Marco to tell me a little bit about himself, who is MarcoMeatball?
I am a person. Just kidding! I’m someone who loves video game music, my dog, and my fiancée. I’m also someone who left behind a career I studied for over ten years because I realized it was slowly killing me and making my life worse.
Q: How did you get into opera/music? When did you first realize you had a passion for it?
A: I was resistant to opera for a long time. In fact, I didn’t really like it until I forced myself to sit in a room and listen to it repeatedly. One day, it finally clicked. I realized there was so much potential for expression, purpose, and power in operatic singing. Originally, I went to college for musical theater because I wanted to sing on Broadway. But over time, I discovered how much I loved opera and the stories it allowed me to tell.
As for music in general, I got into it because I didn’t have much purpose growing up. My mom forced me to attend a musical theater camp, and there I discovered a love for self-expression, public speaking, and connecting with others through acting and music. I’ve been acting since I was 13 and in the 10th grade, but my love for music has been with me since I was a child.
Q: Why did you transition to YouTube music content creation?
A: It was an accident. My dad had just passed away, and I was looking for an outlet. Initially, I filmed videos like “deciding whether or not I’d like an anime based on its opening themes,” but I got worried about copyright. Then I tried making Final Fantasy XIV content exclusively, but that didn’t last long. Eventually, I realized there was space for me in the music content creation sphere, particularly sharing my experiences as an opera singer. It seemed like a natural fit. I was lucky—my first video took off about two weeks after I posted it, thanks to the algorithm (or something!). After that, I doubled down. I was mourning my father, doing auditions, and recording voiceover work in my booth anyway. Making videos became an additional outlet for my time, and it’s been a defining part of my life since then.
Q: You always seem to have a very positive disposition online—not just in your videos, but on social media as well. Is that a conscious decision or just who you are as a person?
A: It’s a conscious decision. I’ve noticed many people don’t value honest, plain, and gentle communication. We live in a society that often tries to tear us down—it’s easy to destroy but difficult to build. The Internet can be aggressively vile at times, but I believe in kindness. I think people who gravitate toward my content often have soft souls in a world that pressures them to be hard and brutal. That said, my tolerance for rudeness has gone down over time. I wouldn’t quit YouTube over personal issues, but the Internet’s lack of civility and tolerance for disrespect could someday push me to hang up my hat.
Q: Your community seems to share that positive disposition. Why do you think that is?
A: Like-minded people tend to find each other. I try to foster an environment of mutual joy and gratitude. Joy for video game music, joy for the games I’ve loved since I was seven, joy because life is short, and music is beautiful. If someone doesn’t share that positivity—if they’re rude or disrespectful—I usually hide them from the channel. That’s just how I run things.
Q: In your mind, what is it about music that brings people together?
A: Music conveys feelings, emotion, and power. It unites us around common life experiences, no matter how different we are. That connection makes us feel less alone, and it’s something uniquely beautiful about music.
Q: You recently started a YouTube channel dedicated specifically to anime music. What was the impetus behind that?
A: I love learning, and anime music is a corner of the music world I know very little about. My goal is to approach it with fresh eyes and curiosity. On my main channel, I have a series called Non-Gamers React to Video Game Music, which I love because it lets me share something I’m passionate about. This anime music channel flips that dynamic—I get to learn from others who are passionate about something I’m new to. I’m pacing myself to avoid burnout. I’ve slowed down production and have content planned through January 2025, so I’m confident I can manage both channels.
Q: Do you feel like your main channel audience and anime audience are separate, or is there some crossover?
A: There’s quite a bit of crossover—more than I expected. Some diehard video game fans aren’t into anime, and I was one of those people for a long time. But now that I’ve started reading manga, my world has been blown wide open.
Q: What’s next for Marco the man and MarcoMeatball the creator?
A: For Marco the man: be healthy. I want to lose 40 pounds and enter my 40s in the best health of my life. My 30s flew by, and the pandemic didn’t help. I’ve also had to pull back from workaholic tendencies because they can be damaging if unchecked.
For MarcoMeatball: ride the wave. I’ve been exploring broader, thematic videos that celebrate video game music rather than focusing solely on hyper-specific analysis. Celebrating video game music is my goal, and I hope to do it for as long as I live. Who knows what the future holds, but I’m enjoying the ride.
Q: And finally, are there any people or things you want to shout out or give thanks for?
A: I’m endlessly grateful for my mods, my fiancée, my editor Nathan, and my thumbnail designer Raul. Special thanks to folks like Jesse’s Auditorium, Alex Moukala, Davi, and Tony for their support.
And finally, my dog Luna. She’s been a bright spot in my life every single day since I brought her home at nine weeks old. I named her Luna because, at the time, all I had around me was darkness, and she became my moonlight. She’s one of the best things to ever happen to me.
Marco doesn't always analyze the music himself - sometimes he brings in others.
Although I only had the opportunity to ask Marco 10 questions, I feel honored that I had the chance to learn more about him. I was struck by his kindness and generosity. It seems to me that the man behind the camera is just as warm as the persona we see on screen.
As someone who is not very familiar with the Music world, I’ve always found Marco’s videos to be illuminating. You can learn so much by watching his conversations with others in the Music space or his reactions to your favorite video game music. Marco never fails to teach me things I didn’t know and I walk away with a deeper understanding and appreciation for the music.
I look forward to seeing what Marco does next. I am thankful that Marco has been able to curate the community that he is proud of, as it is a community I am proud to be a part of. On behalf of all 350,000 subscribers, thank you, Marco.
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