- "My name is Stephen Georg, and you're watching my life. Subscribe for daily vlogs!"
- ―StephenVlog channel description
Stephen Georg (born March 20, 1989) is an American YouTuber who runs several channels on YouTube, most notably StephenVlog and StephenPlays. He is a South Carolina native who enjoys design, cats, astronomy, and internet media. He began creating YouTube videos in 2009 and has kept a near-perfect schedule since.
Stephen was born and raised in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and lived there before moving to Raleigh, North Carolina in 2022. In 2001, at age 12, Stephen received his first video camera and began shooting short films with his friends. At 16 he started a website to host his video creations, and garnered attention from various outlets including The Canadian Press and Electronic Gaming Monthly. In 2006, Stephen moved his projects to YouTube. Stephen started college in 2007 at SCAD, the Savannah College of Art and Design, in Savannah, Georgia. While in college he spent more time uploading to YouTube, starting StephenVlog (2009) and StephenPlays (2011). In June of 2011 he graduated with honors from SCAD with a BFA in Film and Television, focusing in video editing. Two months later he married his fiancé, Mallory. Stephen currently lives in Myrtle Beach, SC, creating YouTube videos as a full-time career.
Stephen collaborated with Chuggaaconroy frequently on both their channels from 2011 to 2022. He became friends with Emile on starmen.net in 2005, before either of them started making videos on YouTube. They did not meet in person until Day 703, when Emile stayed with him and Mallory for a few days. They went on to become close friends. On the vlog, Emile was known for always being extremely generous to Stephen and Mal by exchanging gifts with them regularly, and was notorious for always intentionally ending the vlog incorrectly. As of July 2024, the friendship status of Stephen and Mallory with Emile since his controversy is unknown. As a result, it is also unknown wether they will ever collab again.
Early life
Stephen Georg was born March 20, 1989 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He is 6'6" tall. At age 12, he received a video camera and began to make silly home videos with his friends. In 2005 he began a website to host all of his video creations, and garnered attention from various news outlets, being written about by the Canadian press and even featured in video game magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly for his various works.
In 2007 he started college at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Savannah, Georgia. While in college he became "serious" about YouTube, starting StephenVlog (2009) and StephenPlays (2011). He graduated with honors with a BFA in Film and Television in June 2011 with a focus in video editing. He married his fiancée, Mallory, two months later. They previously lived in Columbia, South Carolina. Stephen and Mallory then moved to Myrtle Beach in July 2012, and ten years later, moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. Creating content on YouTube is Stephen's full-time job.
StephenVlog
Stephen had originally seen vlogs of people who sit in front of their computers and talk to the camera, and he thought it was "terribly boring". In November 2009, however, he saw a few vlogs where people were leaving the house and not simply talking to webcams. He decided that once he went home for winter break that he would start "StephenVlog", and attempt to film his life.
On January 19th, 2025, Stephen announced that he would be ending daily vlogging after over 15 years of doing it with a total of over 5500 days. The vlog for December 31st, 2024 is the last of the daily vlog timeline. Stephen will continue uploading vlogs on the StephenVlog channel, but only when he feels like there is something notable to vlog about.
Notable Days
- Day 234 - Stephen proposes to his girlfriend, Mallory.
- Day 500 - The "best" moments from the first 500 days, as voted by fans.
- Day 557 - Stephen and friends graduate from college.
- Day 620 - Stephen and Mallory get married.
- Day 703 - The first of many appearances by Emile, "Chuggaaconroy".
- Day 953 - The first time Stephen and Mallory meet Timothy "NintendoCapriSun " Bishop at an Applebees restaurant in Wisconsin.
- Day 1019 - The day Stephen and Mallory adopted Sagan and Kepler.
StephenPlays
Stephen's original exposure to Let's Plays was through Chuggaaconroy. They had met on EarthBound fansite Starmen.net in 2005, and always kept in touch. Emile would frequently bring projects and episodes to Stephen for critique before releasing them to the public, as Stephen was an experienced editor.
Recurring Series
- First20: Every Friday, Stephen and Mal play the first twenty minutes (or so) of a video game they own.
- Demo Fridays: On occasional Fridays, Stephen and Mal play a demo of a game on XBL or PSN. Substitutes for First20.
- GTA Online: Stephen and Friends mess around in Grand Theft Auto Online. Sporadically released on Saturday nights when Stephen and Friends isn't released.
- Animal Crossing New Horizons: Stephen and Friends visit each island owned by a friend in Animal crossing and mess around.
- Memorable Moments: Humorous and memorable moments from previous LPs. Posted Monday-Thursday.
- Mini-Golf Versus: Stephen and Mal play mini-golf at various locations in Myrtle Beach, sometimes with friends.
- Morning Mario: Stephen plays a viewer-submitted level from Super Mario Maker every weekday morning.
- Grandpa's Game Garage: Stephen plays viewer-submitted levels from Game Builder Garage.
- Stephen and Friends: Stephen, Mal, and Friends play various multiplayer games. Sporadically released on Saturday nights when GTA Online isn't released.
- Extra Life: Every fall, Stephen and Mal host a video game marathon on their Twitch channel with Extra Life to raise money for their local children's hospital. These videos are later uploaded on the YouTube channel.
Collaborations and Guest Appearances
Stephen has collaborated with several other YouTubers, notably fellow associates of TheRunawayGuys. Stephen was the fifth main guest of TheRunawayGuys, joining Proton Jon, NintendoCapriSun, and Chuggaaconroy for their LP of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures as well as for Fortune Street. Before this he played Baby Luigi in MKDD on Team Stephenplays with his wife Mal in MKDD and was a participant in their Smash 64 and Wii U tournaments as Ness as well as their Bomberman tournament. Stephen also was with them during their fourth Twitch stream. In The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, he played Purple Link. In Kirby & the Amazing Mirror, he played as Yellow Kirby.
Stephen collaborated with Chuggaaconroy frequently on both their channels from 2011 to 2022. He became friends with Emile on starmen.net in 2005, before either of them started making videos on YouTube. They did not meet in person until Day 703, when Emile stayed with him and Mallory for a few days. They went on to become close friends. On the vlog, Emile was known for always being extremely generous to Stephen and Mal by exchanging gifts with them regularly, and was notorious for always intentionally ending the vlog incorrectly. As of July 2024, the friendship status of Stephen and Mallory with Emile since his controversy is unknown. As a result, it is also unknown wether they will ever collab again.
Collaborations with Chuggaaconroy
Stephen and Emile first met each other on starmen.net in 2005 (September 2011 Q&A). They used to talk on IM, and played Trickster, a Korean MMORPG, together for some time ("Interview Me" - StephenPlays).
At some point, Emile would ask Stephen for help in setting stuff up, like how to build a computer (September 2011 Q&A). He would also ask Stephen to watch through his work-in-progress LP episodes to get feedback (February 2012 Q&A), though Stephen didn't really understand what Let's Playing was at the time ("Interview Me" - StephenPlays).
As Stephen watched Emile develop as a Let's Player and saw his success, Stephen decided to try Let's Playing himself in February 2011. At that point, Stephen got a lot of help and advice about LPing from Emile, who by that time had three years of LP experience (August 2011 Q&A).
Stephen and Emile in 2021
In the following years, Emile and Stephen continued to help each other considerably. Emile helped to push viewers to StephenVlog by featuring Stephen on his channel (for Pikmin 2 Challenge Mode) and appearing in the vlogs. He also made several appearances on StephenPlays, such as the Mario Party Boards and Mario Party series, You're In The Movies, the Splatoon First20, and in the last episode of Pokémon LeafGreen.
On the other hand, Stephen and Mallory helped Emile by designing his iconic Cc logo and would make a new one for him for each LP ever since his Ōkamiden Let's Play in 2012. They continued to make graphics for his Let's Play videos until 2022. They were also responsible for designing the current Runaway Guys logo. Stephen also helped Emile put together his audio setup. Emile and Stephen did several collaborations, including a two-part Pokémon Quiz ("Name That Pokémon!" with Chuggaaconroy and "Name That Pokémon!" PART 2! with Chuggaaconroy).
As of July 2024, the friendship status of Stephen and Mallory with Emile since his controversy is unknown. As a result, it is also unknown wether they will ever collab again. Neither Stephen or Mal have interacted publicly ever since Emile came back to the internet:
- 10/01/2024: Wayback Machine shows StephenPlays under "Second Channel and Friends!" on Emile's channel.
- 10/27/2024: Stephen records the vlog titled "I Had a Bad Day"
- 11/04/2024: Wayback Machine and Emile's live page no longer shows StephenPlays under "Second Channel and Friends!". StephenPlays currently has Emile under "Other Channels!"
- Emile did not tweet out about Extra Life in 2024, the annual charity event which Stephen and Mal have participated in since 2012, as he had done in the years prior.
- 11/15/2024: During the Banjo-Kazooie Part 6 stream, Stephen brought up that he and Mal did a recreation skit of the Sears "You'll call now" commercial, but it seemed like he hesitated not to say it was a bumper for The Runaway Guys Colosseum.
Emile on StephenVlog
Stephen and Emile
Emile made his vlog debut on Vlog Day 703, and made his most recent vlog appearance on Vlog Day 3708. On the vlog, Emile is known for always being extremely generous to Stephen and Mallory, and is notorious for always intentionally ending the vlog incorrectly. Starting from 2013 and continuing until 2020, Stephen and Mal continued to visit Emile every year in either December or January to spend time with each other and to exchange presents. The multitude of gifts Emile gave them over the years included a 3DS, an Xbox One, a Wii U, two Nintendo Switches, and NCAA College Basketball 2K3; one of the rarest GameCube games.
From 2014 to 2020, Emile often appeared in the Vlog alongside his ex-fiancée MasaeAnela, such as Chugga's New House! (Day 1991 - 5/8/15) and Chef Emile (Day 3342 - 1/18/19). His last vlog appearance alongside Masae was in I Love The Wii Library! (Day 3706 - 1/17/20), and his last appearance with her on StephenPlays was in Chugga & Masae play GTA V for the first time - VOD 1.17.20.
Gift Exchanges
When Emile visits Stephen, or vice versa, they often give each other gifts. Gifts are also given to Mallory and Masae. Whoever is more generous is a tough contest. This trend started on Day 1318, and has continued since.
- Emile gave Stephen and Mallory
- A Wii U (with a few extra games and controllers)
- A hard drive
- A capture card
- 3DS eShop gift cards
- An Xbox One (with a few extra games and controllers)
- An iPhone 6 Plus, among other things.
- and a Nintendo Switch each along with Breath of the Wild and it's associated Amiibos.
- In return, Stephen and Mallory gave Emile
- Framed version of his Let's Play logos.
- New Let's Play logos to be added to the current frame.
- Several glasses engraved with characters he's Let's played as.
- Versions of his Let's Play Logos for the entire Mother series.
- Framed version of his Let's Play logos.
Emile on StephenPlays
Emile has appeared occasionally on StephenPlays in side series, including You're in the Movies and various Mario Party games. Emile has also appeared in some of the main series including Super Smash Bros. series (VS Matches) and Pokemon LeafGreen - (Catching Mewtwo) (4/23/2013).
Stephen's Pokémon LeafGreen Team was:
- JITTERS (Raichu)
- SausageGuy (Nidoking)
- RANDI (Kadabra)
- AceVentura (Lapras)
- CARL SAGAN (Pidgeot)
- GREGJ (Venusaur)
Guest appearances in Emile's Solo Let's Plays
Stephen was the guest in both Pikmin 2 Versus Mode with StephenPlays! and Pikmin 2 Co-Op with StephenPlays! for Pikmin 2 as well as Pikmin 3 - Mission 1: Tropical Forest with StephenPlays and Pikmin 3 - Mission 11: Fortress of Festivity w/ StephenPlays for Pikmin 3.
Ninten Speaks
Ninten Speaks is a YouTube account following the re-imagining of the character Ninten from the MOTHER video game (also known as Earthbound Beginnings), where he speaks freely on issues of today. His topics range from current events to simpler things such as math or music. The first 10 episodes are on his xfisjmg1 account. When the series started, it was audio-only and could only be listened to through iTunes podcast, but eventually was added to YouTube. Realizing that a weekly Ninten Speaks episode would smother his other videos, Stephen decided to create a separate account just for Ninten Speaks.
Despite the video series focusing primarily on a character from an obscure video game, Ninten Speaks appeals to a wide audience because of his broad topics. Very rarely are his video game roots mentioned or hinted at, and the few times they are are too subtle for the casual viewer to catch. Ninten's particular character and attitude come from an improvised radio play of the same game, also co-created by Stephen Georg. In the radio play, Ninten was given an incredibly high voice and a low IQ. He generally rambles on until another voice actor stops him. This carries over into the video version, where quick cuts give Ninten the same effect he had in the radio play. The videos are all primarily filmed in Stephen's college dorm room. All of the Ninten Speaks videos are shot in HD.
In late January 2009, it was announced on Earthbound fansite, Starmen.net, that Ninten Speaks would be moving to video. The account was registered on the 4th of February and started gaining comments immediately. Two days later a promotional video showed up on YouTube, primarily to enable subscriptions. Within 48 hours, the Ninten Speaks account had over 100 subscribers. To coincide with the promotional video release (and to move people to the new account), Stephen's 10th Ninten Speaks episode (the last audio-only episode) was about Ninten purchasing a video camera. The video also used an annotated link to send viewers to the new account.
Other Information
Video Game Collection
Over the years, Stephen and Mallory have amassed a vast collection of video games by frequenting flea markets in the early days of the vlog, visiting game stores, and through the help of their viewers who send them games in VlogMail. They completed their N64 game collection at the end of 2015, completed their GameCube collection at the end of 2018, and are currently focusing on Wii games.
Their video game collection can be found here.
Devotion to Fans
Stephen has attracted attention to his channels by acknowledging that he always reads every comment posted, and will reply personally to any comment that requires a response. He likes to be easily reached by anyone, and reads and replies to all YouTube messages he receives. He did a Network Spotlight video for TGS, and predominantly featured his fans, talking about what they like about StephenPlays; moments from Let's Plays they enjoyed the most, how they got into watching Stephen's videos, etc..
Skyrim LP
One of his past LPs, Skyrim, has focused on putting the "let's" back in "let's play", by only being recorded one episode at a time. Unlike most Let's Plays which are completely pre-recorded, Stephen's Skyrim LP is recorded one at a time, giving the audience time to comment on the video and offer suggestions, advice, or pointing out things he may have missed.
Tools
Stephen's Vlogs were shot with the Flip Ultra HD camera until Day 899 when he got a Canon 300 HS Elph. Stephen's LPs are recorded using Screenflow (Mac recordings), Fraps (Windows recordings), and the Black Magic Intensity Pro (console games). Stephen uses a Hackintosh computer with OSX Mountain Lion. He does all video editing in Final Cut Pro X.
Other Channels
Stephen runs several other channels on YouTube.
- Stephen's Basement - His original YouTube account, containing old projects. It was originally called xfisjmg1
- DailyPack - A channel about booster pack openings of Magic, Pokémon, and Yu-Gi-Oh, that has been discontinued as it was "too much work for such short videos".
Videography
Recurring Series
- First20: Every Friday, Stephen and Mal play the first twenty minutes (or so) of a video game they own.
- Demo Fridays: On occasional Fridays, Stephen and Mal play a demo of a game on XBL or PSN. Substitutes for First20.
- GTA Online: Stephen and Friends mess around in Grand Theft Auto Online. Sporadically released on Saturday nights when Stephen and Friends isn't released.
- Animal Crossing New Horizons: Stephen and Friends visit each island owned by a friend in Animal crossing and mess around.
- Memorable Moments: Humorous and memorable moments from previous LPs. Posted Monday-Thursday.
- Mini-Golf Versus: Stephen and Mal play mini-golf at various locations in Myrtle Beach, sometimes with friends.
- Morning Mario: Stephen plays a viewer-submitted level from Super Mario Maker every weekday morning.
- Grandpa's Game Garage: Stephen plays viewer-submitted levels from Game Builder Garage.
- Stephen and Friends: Stephen, Mal, and Friends play various multiplayer games. Sporadically released on Saturday nights when GTA Online isn't released.
- Extra Life: Every fall, Stephen and Mal host a video game marathon on their Twitch channel with Extra Life to raise money for their local children's hospital. These videos are later uploaded on the YouTube channel.
Games that Stephen has Let's Played
Current Let's Plays
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (with Mal)
- Pikmin 4 (with Mal)
- Starfield
Completed Let's Plays
- A Bird Story (with Mal)
- ABZÛ (with Mal)
- A Short Hike (with Mal)
- A Way Out (with Mal)
- Amnesia: The Dark Descent
- Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs
- Arise: A Simple Story
- Assassin's Creed
- Assassin's Creed II
- Assassin's Creed III
- Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
- Assassin's Creed: Revelations
- BattleBlock Theater (with Mal)
- BioShock
- BioShock 2
- BioShock Infinite (+ DLC)
- Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (with Mal)
- Chulip (with Mal)
- Donkey Kong Country (with Mal)
- Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (with Mal)
- Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (with Mal)
- Donkey Kong Country Returns (with Mal)
- Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (with Mal)
- Donut County (with Mal)
- Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure (with Mal)
- EarthBound
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Fallout 4
- Far Cry 4
- Finding Paradise (with Mal)
- Firewatch (with Mal)
- Gears of War (with Mal)
- God of War
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Half-Life 2
- Halo: Combat Evolved (with Mal)
- Halo 2 Anniversary (with Mal)
- Halo 3 (with Mal)
- Halo 3: ODST (with Mal)
- INSIDE (2016) (with Mal)
- It Takes Two (2021) (with Mal)
- Journey (2012) (with Mal)
- Katamari Damacy (with Mal)
- Kirby's Dream Course (Campaign Stephen only, versus with Mal)
- Kirby Super Star (with Mal)
- Kirby Star Allies (with Mal)
- The Last of Us
- Limbo (with Mal)
- LittleBigPlanet 2 (with Mal)
- LittleBigPlanet 3 (with Mal)
- Left 4 Dead 2
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (with Mal)
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (with Mal)
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (with Mal)
- The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (with Mal)
- Luigi's Mansion (with Mal)
- Magic: Duels of the Planeswalkers
- Magic Duels
- Mario Kart (with Mal, playing Mario Kart games from the N64 to the Wii U)
- Mario Party (with Mal, Chuggaaconroy and various guests)
- Metal Slug (with JoshJepson)
- Minecraft (with Mal)
- Minecraft: The Code (with JoshJepson)
- Minecraft: It's Better Together (with Mal)
- Minecraft: Monarch of Madness (with Mal)
- Minecraft: Mystery of the Pumpkin Castle (with Mal)
- Minecraft: The Tourist (with Mal)
- Minit (with Mal)
- Mother
- Octodad (Dadliest Catch with Mal)
- Outlaws
- Paratopic (with Mal)
- Pikmin (with Mal)
- Pikmin 2 (with Mal)
- Pikmin 3 (with Mal)
- Pokémon LeafGreen
- Portal
- Portal 2 (with Mal)
- Portal 2 Co-op (with Mal)
- Red Dead Redemption 2 (with Mal)
- Resident Evil 5 (with Mal)
- Resident Evil 6 (with Mal)
- Shadow of the Colossus
- Sister Segadventure (Mal and Karley):
- Aladdin (Virgin Games)
- Barney's Hide And Seek Game
- Crystal's Pony Tale
- Home Alone 2
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2
- Tiny Toon Adventures: Acme All-Stars (with Kyle)
- Sonic Generations (with Mal)
- Super Mario 64 (with Mal)
- Super Mario 3D World (with Mal, Alex and Hayley) as well as the Bowser's Fury expansion (with Mal)
- Super Mario Sunshine (with Mal)
- Super Mario RPG (with Mal)
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl (with Mal)
- Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (with Mal)
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (with Mal)
- The Shapeshifting Detective (with Mal)
- The Sims 3
- The Unfinished Swan (with Mal)
- The Walking Dead (with Mal)
- To the Moon (with Mal)
- Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
- Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
- Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
- Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
- Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
- Until Dawn (with Mal)
- Untitled Goose Game (with Mal)
- What Remains of Edith Finch (with Mal)
- Yoshi's Island (With Mal)
- You're In The Movies (with Mal and Chuggaaconroy, and then again with Mal, Alex, and Hayley)
Trivia
- Stephen has three YouTube channels, StephenVlog, StephenPlays and StephenVOD.
- Over the years, Stephen and Mallory have amassed a vast collection of video games by frequenting flea markets in the early days of the vlog, visiting game stores, and through the help of their viewers who send them games in VlogMail. They completed their N64 game collection at the end of 2015, completed their GameCube collection at the end of 2018, and are currently focusing on Wii games. Their video game collection can be found here.
- Stephen is 6'6" tall.
- Stephen met Emile, his wife Mallory, and his best friend Alex, through Starmen.net, an EarthBound fansite.
- Stephen is known for creating the YouTube icons for both Emile and TheRunawayGuys.
- Stephen is a huge fan of Jones Soda.
- Stephen's favorite band is They Might Be Giants.
- Stephen and his wife once stayed at Emile's house in 2018; Emile had offered them shelter there from Hurricane Florence.
- Stephen has his own Wiki here.
- Stephen's favorite Pokémon is Venusaur.
- Stephen's hair grows ridiculously fast and has to get a haircut about once a month.
- Stephen frequently mentions teeth during his appearances in Tom's series Custom Smash, eventually leading Tom to create a teeth-themed level.
- He's also the most frequent one to break a Custom Smash stage's gimmick, usually through Pac-Man and his Hydrant move.