Dream: The Faceless Gamer taking over YouTube

Dream wearing his new merchandise while his face is covered with his signature smiley face mask.

@dreamwastaken on Instagram

Dream wearing his new merchandise while his face is covered with his signature smiley face mask.

Dream, the faceless Minecraft YouTuber, and Streamer is one of the most popular content creators in the world. Dream rose to popularity in 2019 for making Minecraft videos. He is known to make Speedrun and Manhunt videos on YouTube. Dream just recently hit 18 million subscribers and managed to acquire them in about 2 years. Not only has he made a name for himself through streaming, but he has also helped many people in the gaming community.

Dream first started creating videos in 2014 but h

e started to gain popularity around early 2019. He was born on August 12, 1999 (age 21) in Orlando, Florida. Even though he is known as Dream, his real name is Clay but his last name remains unknown.

He is mostly known for his Minecraft Speedruns and Manhunts that he started with GeorgeNotFound, Sapnap, BadBoyHalo, and AntFrost (other popular gamers & YouTubers). For those unfamiliar with Manhunt, it is a ‘speedrun’ which means beating Minecraft in a certain timeframe. Instead, more players have to try and stay alive, while hunters are trying to chase them down and kill them. The goal of the game is to beat the game without getting killed. His video “Minecraft Speedrunner VS 3 Hunters GRAND FINALE” has almost 73 million viewers on YouTube.

Not only does he make Speedrun and Manhunt videos, but he also started the Dream SMP. The Dream SMP is a roleplaying storyline that is involved with a lot of other creators. Because of the Dream SMP, those who are a part of it got their platform big and rose to fame. Dream has made a big impact on the gaming community and helped others rise to fame. On February 4th, he released his first song called “Roadtrip” featuring PmBata. This was the first time he has done something like this and has already received over 11 million listens/views on YouTube.

Seeing all the cool tricks that Dream has shown on his Speedrun and Manhunt videos, people have made accusations saying that he cheated or it was scripted. Dream has said that he never cheated on them and even streamed on Twitch and explained all of his “suspicious” actions. Becton student Klaudia Gajewicz, a Dream fan exclaimed, “I personally think that people are just making it a bigger deal than it really is. I mean sure, it could be upsetting for those who generally try to beat a record but the thing is, it is an accusation for a run that wasn’t even ranked in the top.”

Not only has he been accused of cheating, Dream got doxxed on Twitter. Doxxing is when someone tries to reveal your private, personal information on the internet. At the beginning of January, 2021, he posted a short clip on Twitter holding a smiley face sign in front of his face for a Mr. Beast video. Many fans thought that this was a hint that he would do a face reveal. When they found out it wasn’t a face reveal, some took it too far, using Zillow (a real estate marketplace) to find and reveal his address. Furthermore, around this same time, a gaming video seemed to show Dream being a victim of Swatting (when someone falsely called emergency services to your home). The lack of privacy for YouTubers has many fans worried about Dream’s safety.

In a short time, Dream has become one of the most successful YouTubers in the world. From gaming to music, he is conquering various fields within the entertainment industry and growing a large following within each. However, it is important that fans create a healthy separation between the Dream persona and the real person underneath.