On March 9, Matthew Patrick, better known as MatPat, will be handing his 13-year-old YouTube channel off, leaving behind a trail of theories that once captivated our imaginations.

In his video titled “Goodbye Internet”, MatPat described his gratitude for his fanbase, assuring them that their loyalty did not go unnoticed. In a tearful confession, he said his channel was his first baby before his son, and how this will be a massive shift from the old routine.

As the video closed off, he looked back on his old eras. All viewers were able to appreciate just how far he had come from cheesy jokes to the most renowned theorist on the internet.

MatPat shaped the fan bases of indie game designers and upstart filmmakers. He is best known for his contributions to the lore of “Five Nights at Freddy’s”, an extensive horror game depicting the complex storyline of the Afton family and their haunted animatronics. We watched him lose his mind as he tried to descramble cryptic messages, reaching for practically anything to make his argument stick.

Now that MatPat is set to join the YouTube veterans, the void that will be left behind will expand.

He wouldn’t be the first YouTube Great to retire from making videos as a living, even though, when we were all little, we assumed these would be forever.

For example, stampylonghead, or just Stampy, was a staple character in the lives of kids who grew up with unmonitored internet access. We are all familiar with Stampy’s Lovely World, where he went on adventures with his friends, including iBallisticSquid.

From visiting the moon–which was totally made of cheese as we all believed–to time traveling with wacky technology, we tuned in every step of the way.

So I think I’m right when I say we were all heartbroken after he posted the video “Thanks For Watching” and stopped updating his account. Although most of us had outgrown the channel, we had never expected it to be temporary and hoped that as long as we dusted it as it sat on the shelf, it would always be a reminder of a simpler past.

However, all good things must come to an end. His world taught us the importance of friendship and having an imagination, that while the world may continue to grow, we must always try to hold onto our roots.

Other Greats that retired their channels are PopularMMOs and GamingWithJen. Pat and Jen were an iconic duo because of their Lucky Block Challenges, and one of the main things that made them popular was their marriage.

To us unknowing kids, they were the perfect couple; they spent all their time together and just played video games for their fans. Reality proved to be harsher than that, and after their marriage ended, they both walked down different paths. Some fans still hope that they will get back together, and while that is extremely creepy because Jen is married, has a child, and is happy, and Pat got arrested, they are just desperately trying to hold onto their childhoods.

There are so many others who have ended their channels, including Jenna Marbles and GradeAUnderA, and it’s possible to say now that YouTube is a dying platform.

Without the nostalgia to carry it, YouTube will likely crumble under its own weight of expectations it doesn’t live up to anymore, taken over by short-content apps like TikTok. No one has the patience to sit down and watch a 20-minute video anymore, they could just rapidly consume the information in three minutes or less.

Still, as the sun sets on my senior year, I’m so glad I have this virtual time capsule to really return to my origins.

Having unlimited internet access is detrimental to children, but with a vast repository of content spanning cartoons, TV shows, and iconic music–like the diss tracks era–the platform will allow tomorrow’s children to rediscover the classics that once defined their parents’ childhoods–our childhoods. 

Whether it’s stumbling upon a gruesome animated series about My Little Pony, watching CookieSwirlC patch up a squishy toy, wishing you could bake like Rosanna Pansino, watching Vine compilations of Liza Koshy, or memorizing the words to an entire Bart Baker parody, YouTube’s vast archives will remain heavy in our hearts.

We will never forget that the YouTube Greats walked so the new TikTok influencers could run.

Thank you MatPat!