Here's Where SSSniperWolf Got The Inspiration For Her Username
Whatever facet of the internet you find yourself dwelling in, it's hard to deny that the internet personalities with the largest following — and biggest income — tend to operate in the gaming space. According to a study by Tubular, gaming audiences were 53% more loyal than average, outpacing entertainment, sports, and beauty genres.
Forbes notes that of the top online personalities, SSSniperwolf garnered some of the highest loyalty numbers. As of writing, she boasts an impressive 33 million subscribers on YouTube. Born Alia "Lia" Shelesh, the influencer has also attracted more than 5 million followers on Instagram, 1 million on Twitter, and a whopping 18.9 million on TikTok. To put things into perspective, Dexerto pointed out that SSSniperwolf sometimes pulls more views than Mr. Beast, who is currently crowned as the No. 1 YouTuber in the world.
Perhaps the reason why SSSniperwolf has such a loyal audience is that she has since diversified her content beyond gaming. While SSSniperwolf started her online career posting gameplays, she eventually expanded her content rotation and now features reaction videos, lifestyle videos, challenges, pranks, and a whole lot more. But even if gaming is no longer her priority, SSSniperwolf has refused to do a major rebrand, opting instead to retain her original YouTube name which pays homage to one of her all-time favorite games.
SSSniperwolf got her username from her favorite game
SSSniperwolf's love for gaming actually began when her father tried to end a sibling rivalry "As a kid, my brother and I would always get into fights. To stop us from fighting, my dad bought us a PlayStation One. And, it worked," she told TubeFilter. "Instead of fighting, we played video games. We would start playing as soon as we got home from school, all day, and every weekend... Ever since then, I was hooked."
In her "Draw My Life" video, SSSniperwolf revealed that the first game she fell in love with was "Metal Gear Solid," which is where the internet personality got her username from. "My first favorite game was 'Metal Gear Solid,' and it still is one of my favorite games. It was so bada** for a 7-year-old like me, I was just so excited to play, it was kinda scary," she said. "I had other favorite games, too, like 'Digimon,' 'Pokemon,' 'Spyro,' 'Crash Bandicoot,' 'Contra.'"
In "Metal Gear Solid," one of the characters is named Sniper Wolf, a talented sniper, and fan favorite for her ability to survive days without having food or sleep. With her hardcore nature, it's not surprising why Lia Shelesh has come to adore the character and use her likeness as the center of her online persona. As for the extra SS? SSSniperwolf said they're arbitrary. "ss doesn't stand for anything lol," she once told a fan. But it's also worth noting that before her SSSniperwolf channel, she had a YouTube page under the name "sexysexysniper," per Celebrity Net Worth.
Is SSSniperwolf still into gaming?
SSSniperwolf still describes herself as a gamer but admitted she finds filming gaming content exhausting, leading her to explore other opportunities. "Uploading gaming videos everyday became very stressful, because I wanted the content to be both good and entertaining. I would record for several hours just to get enough clips, sometimes even feeling like the clips weren't good enough," she shared with TubeFilter, adding that to cater to new audiences, she's diversified her content. "I've changed it up a lot. I have always experimented with different content in order to see what my audience likes, and also to determine what I enjoy creating. You never really know what you want to do unless you try everything. I started with gaming videos, then began incorporating challenges and vlogs. Now, I mostly post reaction videos."
While she's now one of the top earners on YouTube with a net worth pegged at $16 million, she doesn't create content for the sake of putting money in the bank. "Don't do it to make money. You should genuinely care about your audience and want to make people happy, entertain them, and help them escape from any problems they may have that are bothering them," she said (via Forbes).
As for future SSSniperwolf content? You just have to wait and see! "I never know what's next, because this world continues to surprise me," she said. "Right now, I'm just trying to enjoy life, eat good food, and spend time with my friends and family."