Who is McPlayGT? TikTok star slashed in neck in unprovoked attack in New York City

Michael Chen believes the attack to be the result of racism and Asian hate (Image via @mcplaygt/Instagram)

TikToker McPlayGT was recently attacked by a stranger who slashed the back of his neck in NYC on Saturday, March 12. The creator and his friends were leaving a restaurant around 1:00 am when they were approached by a man who tried to initiate a conversation with the group.

Chen explained that he felt a sharp object hit him, just a few seconds after they left the man to go forward to their destination. He was then rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he received five or more stitches.

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McPlayGT began his content creation journey on YouTube

Content creator Michael Chen, popularly known as McPlayGT, is a successful TikTok creator known for his prank videos and other content. The 17-year-old began creating content at an early age of 11 or 12, when he was still in sixth grade. He started his journey with YouTube, where he posted daily vlogs and storytimes. As the creator was enjoying steady growth on the platform, he decided to branch out to Twitch, but his journey on the purple platform was not as successful as he wanted.

Later, after he was encouraged by a friend, Chen made an account on TikTok (@McPlayGT) which blew up. He went on to grow his follower count to five million, making him quite a well-known face on the internet. He currently has over 150k and 43k followers on Instagram and YouTube, respectively.

The creator is very close to his mother and features her in most of his prank videos.

Looking at his Spotify account, the influencer might have plans to create music in the future, and his username McPlayGT stands for "Michael Chen plays Growtopia."

Born on May 25, 2004, the five-feet-seven-inches-tall Long Island resident is said to have a net worth of between $1-5 million, most of which comes from brand endorsements.

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Chen believes that he was attacked due to his race

While Chen is known for his "cute smile" and friendly personality, the incident seems to have shaken the TikToker.

According to Chen, the creator was helping "nine girls out of a place and was walking to another location in NYC." The group was leaving Phebe’s Tavern in Bowery when a stranger approached him and asked how he "pulled all these girls?"

Chen explained that he was pretending to be a fake boyfriend for the girls, and walked away after saying:

"Be yourself and you’ll do well."

20 seconds later, he "was slapped with some type of razor" on the back of his neck, closely missing his spine and other "important parts" of his body.

In an interview with NBC4 New York, he said that the attack made him “see the world differently” and that he will “appreciate life more than ever.” He also believes that racism could be the reason for the attack because his friends heard the man call him an Asian slur while running away.

According to the influencer, the attacker neither looked homeless nor under the influence. He warned his followers to “never judge a person by their looks.”

The NYPD is currently looking for the attacker, who is to be a six-feet-two-inch-tall bearded black male in a blue puffer jacket and a chain.