Evan Fong (born May 31, 1992), known online as VanossGaming (or simply Vanoss), is a Canadian YouTuber, music producer, and DJ.
As one of the most popular gaming personalities on YouTube, his videography consists of montage-style videos of him and other creators playing various video games, such as Grand Theft Auto V and Garry's Mod. Born in Toronto, Fong dropped out of his Economics degree at the University of Pennsylvania to focus on his YouTube channel.
Fong was born on May 31, 1992 and raised in Toronto, Ontario; he is of Korean and Chinese descent.
When Fong was young, he played video games "here and there", which included children's adventure and puzzle titles such as Freddi Fish and Pajama Sam.
Later in his youth, he played Duke Nukem 3D and said it was the first "violent game" he played; Fong frequently used cheat codes such as 'God-mode' or 'unlimited ammo' to make the game more enjoyable.
He graduated from Richmond Hill High School and studied economics at the University of Pennsylvania, but he later dropped out in his second year to focus on his YouTube channel as a full-time commitment.
He said that his parents were initially concerned that he was neglecting his studies in favor of producing content for his YouTube channel, admitting that "Even though there's a lot of potential for somebody starting a YouTube channel it's obviously not a guaranteed path."
Fong used to play ice hockey.
He started when he was six and played it competitively for many years before he started his YouTube channel.
2009
Fong spent several years playing in the Ontario Junior Hockey League where he played for four different teams, Villanova Knights (2009–2010), Vaughan Vipers (2010–2011), Dixie Beehives (2011) and Aurora Tigers (2011–2012).
As a forward, he played 127 games, scoring 24 goals, whilst racking up 49 assists, and 73 points.
Fong revealed that whilst playing at youth level, he played against future National Hockey League (NHL) players Tyler Seguin and Jeff Skinner whilst the duo played in the Greater Toronto Hockey League with the Toronto Nationals.
2010
Signing with multi-channel network (MCN) Machinima early in his career to monetize content, Fong was regularly the most viewed Machinima channel during his time with the MCM; "VanossGaming" was also one of the most subscribed channels on YouTube during the 2010s.
Fong has since developed into a central figure in the video game commentary subculture.
Aside from YouTube, Fong produces music and performs as a DJ under the name Rynx, specializing in electric dance music (EDM), downtempo and indie electronic genres.
Additionally, he has starred in various animated shows including Paranormal Action Squad and Alpha Betas.
During the 2010s, he was often among the highest paid gaming YouTubers on the platform and in 2017, was recognized by Forbes as one of the top gaming influencers.
As of January 30, 2024, his gaming YouTube channel has over 25.9 million subscribers and 15.8 billion views.
2011
On September 15, 2011, Fong registered his gaming channel "VanossGaming", where he would later find sustained success.
Fong created the VanossGaming channel on YouTube on September 15, 2011.
The name "Vanoss" comes from VANOS, a variable valve timing system produced by German automobile company BMW; Fong's father used the alias "vanoss62" on a PlayStation 3, which his son later adopted for his own.
2014
Fong was nominated for "Trending Gamer" in 2014 at The Game Awards and was nominated as the best in "Gaming" at the 8th and 12th Shorty Awards.
2015
Fong co-founded the record label and management company Avant Garden Records and the entertainment company 3Blackdot; in 2015, he helped produce 3Blackdot's first video game, Dead Realm. He has also featured in other media, spanning from a mobile game partnership series to music produced by a co-creator.
Fong began to receive mainstream media attention as his channel approached 11 million subscribers in 2015.
Speaking at the time, he suggested that his success could be credited to the fact that "Viewers really like the authentic type of content from regular people just playing games because they can relate to that".
Fong's channel is said to capitalize from the "subculture of young people [that] are tuning out of TV" and preferring online content, specifically video game commentary.
Fong signed with the multi-channel network (MCN) Machinima early in his career and was their most viewed channel in December 2015.
On April 30, 2015, Fong announced on Twitter that he had signed with Jetpak (stylized as JETPAK), an MCN founded by former YouTubers Adam Montoya and Tom Cassell, along with several former Machinima employees.
Fong released a new logo for the VanossGaming brand in November 2015, the "owl themed" design is based on his Grand Theft Auto Online avatar, which is also available to play as on Watch Dogs: Legion.
On March 6, 2015, he appeared on the "YouTube Gaming Evolution" panel at PAX East in Boston, Massachusetts, alongside panelists W1LDC4T43, Lui Calibre, Mini Ladd, TheBajanCanadian and JeromeASF.
He has been recognized as a central figure in the subculture of video game commentary, with publications attributing his massive popularity to his sense of authenticity.
The majority of VanossGaming videos take the format of a montage or compilation, featuring various clips from a particular game session, usually featuring other video game commentators.
The Canadian Press described "a typical Vanoss video" as one that features "Vanoss and a group of friends chatting, laughing and making jokes over gameplay from popular titles such as Grand Theft Auto V or Call of Duty: World at War."
Among a variety of content, Fong posts Garry's Mod exploit videos, often exploring and performing in different landscapes on user-created content servers, his content is an exceptional case in which player productivity can result in substantial monetary remuneration.
According to City University of Hong Kong scholar Peter Nelson, this form of content, for which Fong pioneered, is a manifestation of modern business development.
2016
Fong's content has earned him multiple award nominations, including two Shorty Awards for Tech and Innovation, under the category of Gaming, losing out to Rooster Teeth's Let's Play and NoisyButters in 2016 and 2020 respectively.
2017
Nelson claimed in 2017 that "the spectacle of self-referentiality and pastiche [within the game itself] is emblematic of the cultural logic of late capitalism".
Fong's YouTube success symbolises a quantifiable outcome in sandbox gameplay, it is an example of modern entrepreneurship which capitalises on GMod's extended depth within the logic of the internet.
Fong never shows his face, but collaborates with other players and creators.
His presence on the social platform is a part of a sophisticated, but lucid, 'food chain'; he is an established gaming genre YouTuber which feeds beginner content creators with his genre and formatting ideas, contributing to 'YouTuber content branches'.
