Do you ever find yourself binge-watching random YouTube videos at 2 in the morning? Maybe learning about the history of your favorite brands or places? Or are you among the 36 million of loyal followers of Matthew Patrick, also known as MatPat, creator of the “Theory” channels”?

These theory channels include the original, Game Theory, as well as offshoots with Film Theory, Food Theory and new to 2023, Style Theory. 

“Tomorrow: I hope you’re ready for a whole new world of overthinking … #ST,” was posted on MatPat’s Instagram on Feb. 17 teasing the blue color of the channel announcing the channel will be revealed the following day.

2 p.m. was the time Feb. 18 when loyal fans found the new channel, with five videos already uploaded to YouTube ready to be watched. 

“I was hoping for story theory, but I’m excited,” said Campbell Bologna, a Nonnewaug junior. “I’m a huge fan of MatPat and I’ve been watching him for about three years now.”

For those unfamiliar with any of this, here’s a quick synopsis of MatPat and his channels. MatPat was valedictorian of his high school graduating class and attended Duke University graduating with a psychology degree and minors in neuroscience and theatre. 

He started making the theory videos to blend science with video games to help solve the most random questions and theories on the internet. 

As his channels evolved, he has broken down chemistry, food science, physics, biology, engineering, literature, statistics, history and other concepts people dreaded in school, but crave late at night as they are applied to their favorite things.

“The way [MatPat] presents his theories and the way he gets to the concepts of his theories using school subjects can be helpful,” mentioned Bologna. “I mainly apply the methods he uses to history or English classes because it can be a bit easier than the sciences.”

“I enjoy how his channels allow me to learn new things in a easily-digestible way,” said Phoebe Criscuolo, a Nonnewaug senior. 

The channel launch was unlike the launches of the others, MatPat had hinted at a fourth channel only by revealing the color, blue, and nothing else.

The launches of the other channels was more transparent.

Game Theory was started in 2011 from his first YouTube channel, “MatthewPatrick13.” Game Theory covers a variety of video game theories including popular franchises like Mario, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Zelda, and Minecraft.

Film Theory was announced and launched in 2015, covering theories about movies and television including Marvel, Disney, and any film media under the sun. 

The two theory channels remained unknown for a few years until hints of a third channel started to form during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Food Theory was launched in 2020 during the height of the pandemic, covering popular fast food chains like Panera, KFC, and McDonald’s, as well as random cooking and food experiments.

Now with Style Theory, topics about fashion brands, cosmetology, and more will be covered. 

All four channels overlap a bit with events in movies, such as Hulk’s pants, being covered on Style Theory rather than Film Theory, and Minecraft foods being covered on Food Theory rather than Game Theory. 

Students are curious in anticipation to see the potential of the new channel, as well as the continued growth of the current channels. These videos will help inspire people of all ages to keep learning and to think outside the box when it comes to anything in life. 

“I really enjoy his videos and I’m so excited that he released a new channel. I can’t wait to see where it goes,” added Criscuolo.