Paluten – sounds like a breakfast garnish or an accessory from a Swedish furniture store? Far from it. In fact, Paluten can be found wherever children and young people use media – and has been doing so quite successfully for a long time. So it’s high time to take a closer look!
Paluten is the media alter ego of Patrick Mayer. The Hamburg native (*1988) founded his first YouTube channel under this artistic name in 2012. YouTube -channel in 2012 and began to mainly Let’s Play -videos on various games there.
The audience was enthusiastic, grew quickly and Paluten quickly became one of the most important German Let’s Players. In his videos, he increasingly specialized in the game Minecraft – and gradually built an entire Paluten world there, whose characters, stories and content he tells and sells across all media.
Paluten now not only has around 8,000 YouTube videos, but also profiles on Twitch , TikTok and Instagram He can be heard on two different podcasts and has published the book series “Freedom”, which follows on from his video series “Minecraft FREEDOM” and is set in the same Minecraft world. He sells these, along with clothes, cuddly toys, drinking bottles and all kinds of other products in his store, living the dream of many YouTubers: He turns his clicks into money and does so very successfully. The computer magazine Chip estimated the resourceful gamer’s fortune at around €3 million in 2023.
For children and young people, Paluten slips into the role of a slightly older but cool friend, who picks up on their interests with his videos. He builds his Minecraft world and invites his followers to join in and be part of it. He picks up on the topics of young people and processes them in short, funny videos at eye level – and always presents himself as emphatically young in his clothing, appearance and language, even though he himself has long since outgrown his target group. Young people in particular, who like to spend their free time playing games themselves, find in him something like a role model who knows and understands their own world.
His successful career as a YouTube and media creator makes him an idol for young people, who has achieved what many wish for: Becoming rich as an influencer.
Even if the topics, visuals and language of the videos are perhaps not quite to your taste: Take your children’s enthusiasm for Paluten and its topics seriously. Take an interest and watch a video – or even stack a few bricks in Minecraft yourself. This gives you the chance to find out about your child’s topics and interests and to discuss them. And by communicating openly and respectfully, you will also remain the point of contact if your child has unpleasant experiences (online or elsewhere).
Nevertheless, it is important to talk to each other about the background of media figures like Paluten: as funny as Patrick Mayer appears on screen, Paluten remains a small company whose main aim is to make money. Many of the videos are pure advertising and the products in the store also generate a lot of money. Of course, there is nothing wrong with supporting your own stars financially – but an awareness of the background and reflected consumption are always good and important.
And especially when children want to follow in the footsteps of their idols and create and fill their own profiles, it is important to think together about how and what to post in order to protect their privacy online and avoid trouble later on.
Paluten’s YouTube channel also contains excerpts from films and videos that are only approved for viewers aged 16 or 18. Your child may encounter inappropriate content such as violence or drastic language. Observe how your child deals with this content and support them in dealing with it. Offer your child access to alternative, age-appropriate content. We present other Let’s Play channels in this article.
