| Chuggaaconroy | |
| Birth Name: | Emiliano Rodolfo Rosales-Birou |
| Birth Date: | 8 April 1990 |
| Birth Place: | Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Internet personality, Let's Player |
| Channel Name: | chuggaaconroy |
| Channel Display Name: | chugga |
| Location: | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Years Active: | 2008–present |
| Subscribers: | 1.25 million |
| Subscriber Date: | 2024 |
| Views: | 1.24 billion |
| View Date: | 2024 |
| Silver Year: | 2010 |
| Silver Button: | yes |
| Gold Year: | 2015 |
| Gold Button: | yes |
Emiliano Rodolfo Rosales-Birou (born April 8, 1990), also known as Emile Rosales[1] and better known online as Chuggaaconroy or Chugga for short, is an American YouTuber and Let's Player. He is known for his Let's Plays of games primarily exclusive to Nintendo systems, and is known online for his informative commentary.[2] [3] [4]
Starting his online career in 2008, Rosales began uploading Let's Plays on his main YouTube channel, Chuggaaconroy, in 2006, and has since uploaded over 40 Let's Plays to the platform. He garnered popularity after his videos were often recommended on YouTube's suggestions, became a YouTube Partner in 2010, and has done videos as a full-time job since 2013. His content consists of playthroughs of various video games primarily exclusive to Nintendo systems. Rosales amassed a hundred thousand subscribers in 2010 and amassed one million by 2015.
Alongside his own Let's Play videos, Rosales is a founding member of The Runaway Guys collaborative Let's Play channel with Jonathan Wheeler (known online as Proton Jon) and Timothy Bishop (known online as NintendoCapriSun). The group records themselves playing various multiplayer video games, have hosted the Thrown Controllers live game show event, and done gaming live-streams for charity. They have amassed 487 thousand subscribers and 397 total video views as of 2023.
Rosales was born on April 8, 1990, and is a native of Phoenix, Arizona. He is of French and Mexican descent. He later moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 2012, where he has resided since 2019.[5] He has mentioned in videos that he struggled with family and financial issues during his childhood, and that he also struggles with autism.[6] He has spoken many times of not having a healthy relationship with his father, citing drug use, alcoholism, and neglectfulness.[7] Rosales studied statistics in college, and his first job was at a cinema. A part of the EarthBound fandom, Rosales had been a member of the EarthBound video game community fan-site Starmen.net as a teenager.[8]
Rosales created his YouTube account on July 26, 2006, under the alias of "Chuggaaconroy". Originating from the chugging sound of a running train, his username was originally "Chugga A. Conroy" before he changed it to "Chuggaaconroy". He was initially inspired to make Let's Plays by personalities such as Jonathan Wheeler (known online as Proton Jon), a Let's Player originating from the Something Awful forums and an eventual founding member of The Runaway Guys.[9] On March 26, 2008, he uploaded his first Let's Play series covering the SNES role-playing game EarthBound on YouTube, adding commentary on the game's sound and art design.[10] He would later upload Let's Play videos on the other games in the Mother series.[11]
In July 2010, Rosales's YouTube account was suspended under false copyright claims, though was restored in August.[12] [13] Shortly after the incident, he obtained a YouTube partnership with The Game Station (now called Polaris), a sub-network of Maker Studios.[14] Rosales's channel grew in popularity as his gameplay videos were often recommended on YouTube's suggestions, and he has since become a Let's Play creator on YouTube as a full-time job; in 2014 The Atlantic cited Rosales as an example of a Let's Player making a living off of gaming videos.[15] Nintendo had initially targeted and content ID-claimed several of Rosales's videos due to them containing footage of their games, causing his ad revenue to temporarily decrease, but later ceased doing so.[16]
On his primary YouTube channel, Rosales has produced over 40 solo Let's Play series of games primarily exclusive to Nintendo systems, such as EarthBound, ,[17] Pikmin,[18] Super Mario Galaxy, ,[19] Pokémon Emerald, Super Paper Mario,[20] Super Mario 64 DS, ,[21] [22] Xenoblade Chronicles, and Splatoon.[23] Occasionally, he has collaborated with other YouTubers, including MasaeAnela and StephenPlays.
In 2018, Rosales remade his EarthBound Let's Play series on the tenth anniversary of his YouTube channel's formation, going into detail on previously undiscussed trivia and knowledge surrounding the game.[24] He had previously expressed interest in remaking the series, feeling that he "could have done such a better job now." However, in June 2021, several of Rosales’s EarthBound videos were content ID-claimed and subsequently blocked worldwide for a temporary amount of time by Sony, due to the company owning the distribution rights to the soundtrack of the Mother series.[25]
Rosales's gaming videos have been categorized under the walkthrough genre, and have been described as both entertaining and informative. Contrasting from other Let's Play channels, his content focuses on footage from Nintendo games several years after their initial release dates, mainly of titles he has played numerous times before.[26] During his gameplay videos, Rosales attempts to show every aspect of each individual game he plays to 100% completion, including every item, boss battle, sidequest, and Easter egg possible.[27]
Rosales commentates in an informative manner in his videos with the purpose of guiding viewers to complete the game themselves. For example, in his Pokémon Emerald series he discusses various strategies and viable techniques to ensure optimal success in the game,[28] and in his second EarthBound series he showcased a particular glitch in the game involving the Tent located in Threed, one of the cities featured in the game.[29] In this regard, his gameplay videos function as informative walkthroughs with the premise of guiding players through each aspect of the specific game he plays.
In spite of their informative nature, Rosales's videos often employ humorous moments in his gameplay, such as the occasional failure or death in a level and subsequent backtracking. His videos have also been described as nostalgic and reflective, as he often tells personal anecdotes of his experiences with the games he plays.
| The Runaway Guys | |
| Channel Name: | TheRunawayGuys |
| Years Active: | 2011–present |
| Genre: | Gaming, let's play |
| Subscribers: | 489 thousand |
| Subscriber Date: | September 2023 |
| Views: | 412 million |
| View Date: | September 2023 |
| Silver Button: | yes |
| Silver Year: | 2011 |
The Runaway Guys is a collaborative Let's Play channel formed by Rosales, Jonathan Wheeler (known online as Proton Jon) and Timothy Bishop (known online as NintendoCapriSun).[30] The group records themselves playing various multiplayer video games such as Mario Party, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Kirby & the Amazing Mirror and Wheel of Fortune.[31] [32] [33] Occasionally, they have collaborated with other YouTubers including MasaeAnela, Stephen Georg, Tom Fawkes and Josh Jepson. They have amassed 487 thousand subscribers and 397 total video views as of 2023.
In addition to their videos, The Runaway Guys have also hosted the Thrown Controllers event, a live game show which focuses on video game trivia and challenges. The event has been broadcast on numerous gaming conventions such as PAX, Magfest and Momocon.[34] [35] The group has also done gaming live-streams for charity, hosting "The Runaway Guys Colosseum" stream for the non-profit organization Direct Relief, whose mission is to improve the lives of people in poverty or emergency situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic, by providing the appropriate medical resources. Guests who have collaborated with the group on the stream include MasaeAnela, Stephen Georg, Tom Fawkes, Josh Jepson, Lucahjin and The Completionist.[36] [37] [38]
In 2012, Rosales appeared in an episode of The Game Station Podcast hosted by YouTuber TotalBiscuit.[39] In 2014, Rosales appeared in an episode of Did You Know Gaming? to explain trivia on the EarthBound franchise.[40] [41] He had also collaborated with YouTuber TheJWittz in a video discussing theories on Pokémon.[42]
In June 2022, Rosales attended the Games Done Quick event Summer Games Done Quick and served as a couch commentator for a speedrun of by notable speed-runner Enel.[43]
In September 2022, Rosales appeared in a YouTube video uploaded by the official Nintendo of America channel, where he discussed his thoughts on Xenoblade Chronicles 3.[44]
Rosales's channel reached 1 million subscribers and 760 million views in 2015, and is at over 1.25 million subscribers and 1.24 billion views as of 2024. His Let's Play videos have been received positively. Jennifer O'Connell from The Irish Times noted Rosales's content as a family-friendly alternative to more vulgar YouTube gaming channels, and Noel Murray from The New York Times cited him as an example of a YouTuber "less interested in personal branding than in sharing their (his) enthusiasm." Stephen Adegun of Reporter had given his content praise for its informative nature, stating that "while watching one of his series of playthroughs, viewers can doubtlessly come away having learned something new about the game, even if they knew a lot about it already." Ryan Rigney from Wired magazine noted that Rosales "possesses a near encyclopedic knowledge about the games he's playing, and reliably dispenses gobs of obscure information as he plays." Rosales has also appeared in various lists of the best gaming YouTube channels.[45]
In 2014, it was reported that Rosales, in a conservative estimate, earned a salary of approximately USD$62,000 from his YouTube channel, according to SocialBlade.[46] [47] Rosales's YouTube channel name was featured as a cheat code for the 2019 Metroidvania game , alongside other prominent internet personalities.[48] [49] In 2021, Rosales's Let's Play series on Xenoblade Chronicles 2 coincided with the announcement of characters Pyra and Mythra as DLC fighters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, marking the second time a Xenoblade character was announced for Super Smash Bros. during his concurrent Let's Play videos on the series.[50] In March 2023, on the 15th anniversary of Rosales's first Let's Play video "EarthBound - Part 1: Meteor" being uploaded, the YouTubeGaming Twitter page posted a tweet referencing the occasion, referring to him as a "now let's play legend."
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–present | Chuggaaconroy | Himself | 3,011 episodes | |
| 2011–present | TheRunawayGuys | Himself | 2,106 episodes | |
| 2014 | Did You Know Gaming? | Himself | 2 episodes (EarthBound Part 1 & 2) |