Let's (watch someone else) Play!

[sykotiksonik]

I myself love watching Let's Plays, and they are, along with gaming videos in general, and a select few others that don't fit in the gaming category, the only vids I watch on Youtube. I watch LPs for multiple reasons: I watch for the personalities, I watch Pokémon LPs for the knowledge they have, and blind LPs for how they play compared to myself, I like to watch games I'd never played that seems interesting and sometimes I watch just to hear friends goof around and bull**** with each other. I also watch to gain confidence in myself as I am an aspiring LPer.

I don't know, I honestly don't think watching Let's Plays are as strange as watching movies or TV shows.

 

[Reunilu]

I like watching LPs. I always need something to watch and I most defintely don't have the luxury of going out and buying a game whenever I want. I'm extremely picky about who's playing the game, though. I hate LPers that feel the need to yell in their videos (or really just loud people in general) and I've grown tired of LPs that have all of this stuff planned out and half-scripted via info dumping. It makes watching an LP feel less like the person is sharing their experience with the viewer and more like a checklist. I really enjoy LPs where people are sharing what was happening in their lives at x point in time of getting the game or playing the game, it just makes the person behind the controller seem very human.

Very rarely will I watch an LP for how something is done or how other people played the game and honestly I would rather just find a video without commentary if I did that. Or just figure it out for myself.

 

[Dewmonic Abyss]

I think I can help clear up a little of the stigma around Let's Plays here. The main aspect people enjoy from Let's Plays is the personality of the commentator. The commentator should provide a huge contribution to the game and be able to connect with their audience. An audience for Let's Plays often wants to see:
1, How a person would react to a funny, ridiculous, confusing, or emotional scene.
2. How good of a gamer they are, and if they would fail the events of the game and humorously rage at the camera, or ace it like a pro.
3. The thought process going through the player's mind as they play the game. How they connect pieces of the plot and relate to the characters.

I'll use Jacksepticeye as an example. You probably know him as the 'Green PewDiePie' if you frequent YouTube's gaming section a lot. Jack gives off the personality of a humble Irishman, but also an emotional person who connects with his audience. He openly displays his emotions. If he is playing an emotional game, he gives off that aura of sadness a player would feel. It's as if you're playing the game with him or right there in the room with him, because he talks into the camera. He talks to you.

That's why Let's Plays are popular. Or at least why people get popular doing them. They connect with their audience, give the reactions people want to see, and not only that, but they inspire people. A lot of people try to do Let's Plays after seeing other people do them. You'd be surprised how many people PewDiePie has inspired.

Yes, Let's Plays are discovered from the game, search engine-wise, but the people who subscribe to them and continue to watch them.. They watch them for the personalities. They share an experience with someone behind a camera. They find someone they can relate to. They find someone they can be inspired by.

 

[Jinjer]

if it's someone like pewdiepie or markiplier, or those "loudmouth" lp-people, it's not really my cup of tea

but if it's former folk like the super best friends who like to tell stories from industry-lore and gaming scene stuff (they used to work in a couple of game companies, plus they're pretty active with their preferred communities, like the fgc for instance), then yeah, i'm all for that... i guess i didn't really subscribe to them to watch them intentionally "suck at video games" (their usual schtick) but i like that i can play their videos on my laptop and listen to the funny conversations while i cook or do my chores or something

 

[Lucario]

I don't watch lets plays a lot, but I'll often watch what scott manley has to say about the latest geeky sciency space game that's out, so I know if I should buy it.

 

[Alex]

Yep, it's very strange and indeed tough to explain. I really love watching streams. And I used to think I only watched games I play myself, but I've been watching a lot of Hearthstone lately which I barely play.

Part of it is indeed a love for games. They are very fun themselves and therefore can be fun simply to watch. The other part is undeniably the personalities associated to streams and Let's Play. As well as Twitch chat. I'm much more likely to watch a steamer with 10K viewers than 10. Probably because the streamer is more entertaining and good at the game, and also because chat will also be a good source of entertainment.

It's tough to completely convey. it's not a traditional form of entertainment, that's for sure. But the interest is there. there's no denying it.

 

[Juno]

I've been watching a lot of Hearthstone lately which I barely play.

Me too! I do play, but I definitely watch more than I play - which reminds me of another reason I watch certain streams and LPs. When I first started watching Hearthstone, it was purely to learn how to play better, and in contrast to a lot of the "mainstream" LP personalities on YouTube, the Hearthstone community is actually good at the game they play competitively, so I was able to pick up a lot from them. But over time, I just started watching them for fun and because I like the personalities of the streamers.

It's actually something I was talking about with Austin and co. a while ago too - they find these more technical streams where"pros" play boring because they're missing the funny moments where the LPer fumbles and rages through the game blindly, but I find them entertaining in their own way. I can't speak for other competitive games, but there are still hilarious moments in Hearthstone thanks to the RNG elements of the game, which causes a different sort of grief for the streamers that us (sadistic) viewers also like to watch.

And yes, Twitch chat is ridiculous, I love it

 

[LilyGardy]

The only Let's Plays I watch are Shiny Pokemon related ones as being a Shiny Hunter myself I like to see how people react to finding the same Shiny Pokemon as me and some of the over the top reactions are quite amusing. However I have a tendency to skip to the find rather than see the YouTuber sit awkwardly or try to be funny.

Outside of that I don't bother with Let's Play's at all. I don't need to watch someone chat over a Minecraft Video or provide commentary over Final Fantasy.

 

[BlissyMKW]

It primarily depends on the game. I use some for the purposes of a guide, like with Kingdom Hearts games and SMT games when trying to get 100%. I sometimes watch them just as background noise while I do other things.

 

[The ???]

For me, the youtubers that I watch, it's solely for the purpose of ENTERTAINMENT and COMEDY.
I don't play much games, heck I hardly play games. But I watch it for comedy.
I think I stumbled upon Pewdiepie during Halloween season few years ago when he made a top10 scariest free to play games or something. I like horror so decided why not. I don't remember the games at all but I do remember how he made me laugh and I immediately connected with his sense of humour and the video was "entertaining" to me. So I started watching more of his scary games let's plays, then the whole let's play concept just grew on me. Sometimes I'd rather just watch a let's play than play the game.
Games like happy wheels were funny as shit when commentary was on point with funny voice acting and everything. And multiplier games like prop hunt, TTT etc were serious comedy gold.

It starts in many ways but a subscriber who continuously watches a youtuber has stayed for the person, like stated many times in the thread.
Plus I also don't like plain let's plays unless the game is absolutely brilliant and masterpiece (journey, the last of us, etc). Sometimes funny edits also make the video much more entertaining.

 

[Eden]

Kinda burnt out on Let's Plays a long time ago. I understand the appeal, but it's just not something I can get into anymore. I still watch streams on twitch though.

Nowadays I'm into Longplays of games if anything (basically a full playthrough of a game with no audio commentary whatsoever and minimal editing.)

 

[Linyit]

Yeah, the concept seems strange, but people seem to like it anyway.

I only watch lets plays when the game really interests me and I'm not able to play it by myself.(lack of gaming platform etc.) I can't see myself watching those videos regularly, though. (it's the same with television for me, I'm not so interested in watching stuff)

About watching it for the personalities of the youtubers, that may be true. When I find a really interesting game, I always first look into the playlists of the gamers I find the most entertaining.

 

[Judge Mandolore Shepard]

When it comes to Let's Plays, I mainly watch them for fun. Course sometimes I do watch them if I need help figuring out to get past a part I am stuck at in a game.

 

[Lucario]

I'm watching Scott Manley's KSP Galileo conquest let's plays at the moment, I've no idea why. I think it's because it's kinda funny, and he talks about interesting science while he plays (he is playing kerbal space program so I guess the science is part of the game)

 

[BlazingCobaltX]

It used to be a weird concept to me, and still it's not one that really interests me. I prefer to check the game out for myself if I can and I only watch LPs when I've already played the game or I cannot, but I really want to know its contents. I prefer to watch speedruns and competitive gaming instead, which I think don't count as LPs.