Popular "Let's Play" star PewDiePie also cracked the top ten most searched terms on Google's popular video service.
This information was revealed in an article on Think With Google about the popularity of gaming content on the service. Minecraft and PewDiePie's popularity as search terms was a part of a general trend in popularity of gaming-related content on YouTube - which Google also said is some of the most "sticky" in terms of repeat viewership and subscribership.
Interestingly, survey data suggests that the popularity of gaming-related content is not limited to strict enthusiasts. In fact, only 37 percent of those who viewed video game video content on YouTube defined themselves as "gamers."
PewDiePie himself has the most subscribers of any content creator on YouTube, with over 32 million.
[Source: Think With Google via Joystiq]
Our Take
While it's not surprising to learn that game content is popular on YouTube, seeing Minecraft right behind a general search term like "music" is certainly eye-opening. The information about the audience is also telling - with the popularity of YouTube "Let's Play" videos, livestreaming services like Twitch, and eSports competitions, it seems as though a lot of the growth in the industry is made up of people watching, not playing, games.