Everything I Know About FNAF Comes From Markiplier

In honour of the 10th anniversary of Five Nights at Freddy's, it’s time I make an admission. Everything I know about Five Nights at Freddy’s comes from a hyper fixation on Markiplier playthroughs. I have only ever tried to play the game a very small number of times. The first was when it first came out, and I downloaded it on my tablet. I was terrible, and I didn’t like jumpscares. Therefore, I did not pay attention to it.

The second time I tried to play it was the VR version whilst I was at my friend’s place. I screamed the moment I saw Chica and tore the headset off as she cackled at me. It was also this same friend who convinced me to watch the Markiplier videos, and let it be known, that everything is entirely her fault.

When I was watching the Markiplier playthroughs of Five Nights at Freddy’s, I was watching them before I went to sleep. You may be thinking, “hold on, will they help you sleep?” The answer to that dear reader, is after so long, I don’t know if they did. I tried to watch them before I went to sleep recently, which led to some very disorienting dreams, filled with the dulcet sounds of Mark’s screams.

Dear reader, I did not sleep well that night.

However, while I was hyper fixated, and going through every single game, I realised something. After so long watching these videos, I became immune to the screams. Instead, for a while, I couldn’t go to sleep without the screaming. It led to some bizarre placebo effect that meant that every time I watched a Five Nights at Freddy's video, I would start to fall asleep. So, I became a much bigger fan of naps at this time.

The problem is, I only watched the Markiplier FNAF videos. The idea of watching another content creator play or talk about it was inconceivable. At one point, my FNAF-corrupting friend suggested I watch MatPat videos for the theories. Guys, I’m not going to lie to you, I didn’t watch the theory videos. Instead, everything I learned? Markiplier talked about it.

So, my entire logic of FNAF comes from a grown man yelling about Freddy being a bastard, and the absolute mess that was Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach. I don’t know how many times I’ve watched them, but at this point, I’m pretty sure there’s a confusing amount of hits for the FNAF videos because I can’t stop watching them.

But why can’t I stop watching them? I suppose the answer to that is Mark’s a bit of a completionist, so I’ll know he’ll eventually come back to the mini-games and stuff. It takes away from some of the horror, and it makes them almost relaxing.

Outside of the YouTube videos, it’s been interesting to see how the FNAF series has grown so much over the years. Even seeing the fangames (Yes, I did watch those too, the hyper fixation was strong here), I couldn’t help but appreciate the legacy this series has had. Even now, I’ll go into the supermarket, and I’ll see toys of the animatronics, and I’ll remember that this is a series that still has a place in the hearts of kids. It also reminds me just how much kids love horror, and considering how much Darren Shan I read as a kid, you know what? I get it.

Someone, please send help. I’m returning to my hyper fixation, which means soon I won’t be able to do anything without Mark’s screams in the background. This is probably not conducive to a healthy sleep habit. Because of this article, I’ve been watching all the videos all over again, with one game per day. I’ll fall into the void, and the next thing you know, I’ll be reading the books.

So, in honour of the 10th anniversary, I’d like to thank Markiplier, who will not read this article, and if he does? Hi? And also in honour of the 10th anniversary, I’ll hopefully also watch other FNAF content creators by the time the 20th anniversary hits. Perhaps then, I’ll have watched all of MatPat’s theory videos. Who knows, at this point?