By Victoria Woollaston
PUBLISHED: 11:07 EST, 5 March 2014 | UPDATED: 12:09 EST, 5 March 2014
Forget Justin Bieber, the latest YouTube star is a university graduate from Portsmouth who plays Minecraft full-time.
Joseph Garrett, 23, earns a living by filming himself playing Minecraft and uploading the clips to YouTube.
His channel now has more than 1.9 million subscribers, receives in excess of 5 million hits a day and is voted one of the top 10 most viewed channels worldwide - pulling more hits than One Direction and Justin Bieber
Garrett began playing Minecraft and uploading his videos 18 months ago.
When his channel Stampylonghead reached 10,000 subscribers he quit his job at a local pub to manage the channel full time.
Garrett is now sent, on average, 3,000 messages a day from gamers who watch videos of his character Stampy Cat asking for tips.
He makes money pocketing a share of the advertising revenue from his videos, called 'let's play' clips, and is looking to buy a studio with a friend who also appears in his videos.
Garrett, who has a degree in TV and video production, currently uploads at least one 20-minute video a day.
'When I was at university I switched over to doing what I do now, called a 'let's play'. You are essentially just playing and commentating while you play, just as a fun hobby.
'When those videos started to become popular, I started monetising them. That started to grow and ended up snowballing and that's how I got to where I am now.'
Garrett said he decided to leave his job when he started earning the same amount in advertising revenue as he was at the pub.
'I was lucky enough to be able to live with my parents and they were happy to let me stay rent free so I could develop this into a full-time living. I don't think how huge this is has really sunk in.'
Minecraft was created in 2009. At the start of the game, a player is put into a 'virtually infinite game world.'
They can then walk around different terrains, including mountains, forests and caves. Players can also fly up in the air for a birds-eye view of the landscape.
Players are given blocks and tools to build towns and cities. As a player progresses they can earn advanced tools and building blocks in different materials.
The game was initially made for the PC but there are now Xbox 360 and mobile versions available.
'When you're in your room all day looking at little numbers tick up, I think it's hard to gauge it,' continued Garrett.
'I'm in the top 10 YouTube channels worldwide at the moment with 160 to 170 million views a month. It's hard to imagine a crowd of people that huge but maybe one day it's going to eventually sink in.I think I've got the best job in the world.'
Garrett added that viewing numbers change regularly, but estimates channels with more than 100,000 subscribers generate enough cash for a decent living.
The single entrepreneur gets a percentage of the money from videos with an advert in front of them.
Google takes around 50 per cent, Garrett said, then the network who source the adverts takes a share before he takes a cut.
Figures are worked out by CPM (cost per 1,000 ad views), and the average CPM is worth around $7 (£4).
'It is hard to make a living because you get a small cut,' explained Garrett. 'You need to be getting the massive figures, but if you do manage to get right to the top, there is big money there.'
Garrett has also hinted towards expanding the business offline: 'Outside YouTube there's merchandising and big branding deals you can get into to make more money.
'My family and friends think it's great. They don't all fully understand what I do but my parents and sister are over the moon for me.'
The former barman's main audience is six to 14-year-olds. He spends around an hour recording every day, with another 10 hours editing and managing the business.
He also has a daily conference call with his network, based in Los Angeles. Garrett's father, a graphic designer, came up with his Stampy Cat design.
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