I am looking forward to challenging the status quo that often looks down on female gamers and content creators: Mansi “Magsplay” Gupta, India’s fastest growing YouTuber

Mansi “Magsplay” Gupta has been one of, if not the fastest growing, YouTubers in India.

Though video games might not be the only thing that she makes content on, it’s still a core part of her YouTube channel, which was instrumental in helping her grow exponentially.

Magsplay is all about challenging the status quo of the male-dominant video game industry, which so often stereotypes female content creators and gamers.

And in an exclusive conversation with Sportskeeda Esports’ Abhisek Mallick, the YouTuber opens up about her journey to 170k+ subscribers and some of the hurdles that she had to face along the way.

Here is an excerpt of the conversation.

Q. Mansi, why don’t we start by having you tell us a bit about yourself. What’s life like outside the YouTube persona of Magsplay? What are some of your hobbies, and are there any other career options that you are pursuing at this time?

Mansi: Currently, I am investing most of my time in consuming, analyzing, and creating the best content on YouTube. I love to paint, sketch, dance, and travel when I am not creating any content on YouTube. Magsplay is just as lively in real-life as she is on-screen!

Q. How did the idea of a YouTube channel come to be? Talk to us about some of the thoughts that went behind the making of Magsplay.

Mansi: I enjoyed playing GTA since childhood and I started playing PUBG about 2-3 years back, but the idea of starting a gaming channel on YouTube struck me during the COVID lockdown. After doing some extensive research, planning, and content creation, I started my channel in November last year.

Being an extremely camera-conscious person, it took me a while to get adjusted to creating video content. I had created and scrapped almost 4-5 videos before uploading my debut video. There’s of course a lot of effort and planning that’s gone into setting up Magsplay.

Q. Why the name “Magsplay”? Is there a story behind naming your YouTube channel that?

Mansi: Mags is short form my name – Mansi Gupta. Also, interestingly, Mags is an accessory for guns in the game.

Q. You are one of the fastest-growing Indian female YouTubers and are currently sitting at 160k + subscribers. Keeping in mind that your channel is just 4 months old, that’s some unprecedented level of success that you were able to garner in such a short time. Was this something that you expected?

Mansi: When I initially started MagsPlay, I decided to give my best and make about 100 videos. I thought to myself that if in case, those videos still don't take me anywhere, I'll probably fall to a backup plan. But luckily things worked out before that.

This growth is something that I had aspired to be at, but I never expected that it would grow so fast. It’s been quite a fast journey from 2-3K video views to 1M views on my channel. I am still awestruck!

Q. Talked to us about some of the emotions you went through when you bagged 125k subscribers in just 3 months.

Mansi: Excitement is a constant emotion that has been there for me throughout. I am always excited to create new content, finding a niche of my own, and reaching a new milestone. There are surely some times when I am drained out emotionally after playing and editing for long hours, but then the next day I am up again and excited to upload the content for my audiences.

Q. What’s the atmosphere like back at home? How do your parents take your success as a YouTuber?

Mansi: My family has always been supportive of me playing games since my childhood. YouTube being a new career option for them to understand, they have been very confident and supportive towards my decision to be a YouTuber. My mom loves watching my videos, checking on the views, and loves reading out each and every comment on my videos.

Q. You often create content on titles like GTA 5 and Minecraft, what about these games attracts you the most?

Mansi: I have been playing GTA since my childhood, so I am very emotionally connected with this game. Minecraft because I enjoy playing it a lot. Currently, I am looking forward to exploring and experiencing more titles.

Q. Are there any other single or multiplayer video games that you really like? Can fans of Magsplay expect you to see new titles featured in future content?

Mansi: I play Call of Duty and Valorant a lot during my free time, so I may create some content out of these two very soon.

Q. What would you say sets Magsplay apart from the rest of the Indian YouTube content creators out there?

Mansi: It’s the games that I play and the way I create content. Most of my content is a mix of gaming and creating a fun atmosphere using some props, and that is something that stands out in the gaming community.

Also, since my start, I have been seeing a few comments like – “You are a girl and you need to play certain other games, this isn’t for you,” on my videos, and I wanted to break this perception. Therefore, I am looking forward to challenging the status quo by playing games and creating content that people do not expect from a gamer just because she is a female.

Q. You mix a lot of humor with your GTA 5 or Minecraft content, making them some of the most hilarious videos to watch. Can you shed some light on some of the creative processes that go behind making each of these videos?

Mansi: There’s a lot that goes behind the 8-10 mins video – editing a 5-8 hours gaming video into an 8 min video is a task. I spent almost 15 hours creating one final video (shoot and edit, keeping scripting apart). But the major task is zeroing down on the topics, ideas, props, elements, and talking points before starting the game.

Q. The online community can be rather toxic when given the opportunity. Did you have to face many prejudiced, sexist comments directed towards your gender on any of your videos?

Mansi: I had prepared myself for all the trolls when I thought of being a YouTuber. But, luckily, I haven’t received many hateful or toxic comments on my channels, but have received a few sexist comments at times. But then there are many good people out there who shut them by replying on my behalf.

I have seen a lot of supportive comments like – “She’s a female gamer who is trying so hard to make her way to the gaming community, and let’s support her”, they just make my day!

Q. What advice would you give the upcoming Indian content creators, who are still struggling to gain some recognition on YouTube?

The only advice I can give to aspiring creators is to find their own niche, and create a lot of quality content. Put in more effort and focus on quality over quantity. Create one good, relatable, and engaging video a week, but never 10 mediocre videos that are low in quality.