There are a few creators, like Sips, who are such compelling personalities, that it's almost less about watching them game and more about just watching them. I've watched him on and off for God...
There are a few creators, like Sips, who are such compelling personalities, that it's almost less about watching them game and more about just watching them. I've watched him on and off for God knows how many years and I still enjoy him.
The way, and the things that people consume as entertainment is always changing and the old media is just catching up - pretty soon it wont be strange that people watch other gamers and then it'll become mundane.
I strongly agree with this. I'm not sure if I'm an expection, but I generally watch gameplay videos for the people, less for the gameplay itself. Edit: I guess an exception would be e-sports or...
I strongly agree with this. I'm not sure if I'm an expection, but I generally watch gameplay videos for the people, less for the gameplay itself.
Edit: I guess an exception would be e-sports or professional players, who I mostly watch for their skill or to get excited about team matches.
I think this is the biggest thing. Footage of some avergae gameplay can be boring on it's own but a lively presenter can transform it into something completely different.
I think this is the biggest thing. Footage of some avergae gameplay can be boring on it's own but a lively presenter can transform it into something completely different.
The game is more of a setting or a tool that's used by the creator whose essentially starring in their own show. Compelling personalities can be entertaining playing solitaire.
The game is more of a setting or a tool that's used by the creator whose essentially starring in their own show. Compelling personalities can be entertaining playing solitaire.
I'd rather play them, but there is no denying this growing trend. I like to compare it to soccer in a way that soccer is so popular because you don't need anything to play it. You just need a...
I'd rather play them, but there is no denying this growing trend. I like to compare it to soccer in a way that soccer is so popular because you don't need anything to play it. You just need a ball. Video games are pretty similar in that they are simple to get into, easy to play, but hard to master. It's the masters that people like to watch.
Sometimes people would prefer to live viscerally through other people for a very large number of reasons. For games, maybe because they don't have the equipment for it. VR is very difficult to get...
Sometimes people would prefer to live viscerally through other people for a very large number of reasons. For games, maybe because they don't have the equipment for it. VR is very difficult to get into, for example. Sometimes it's because they're just not good enough at the game and would prefer to watch someone play it better than them. Or it could be that they just want to see all the nooks and crannies explored. Maybe they just like the YouTuber / streamer. In any case, it's the same thing for all media.
I don't know what it is, but I can't watch competitive twitch streams, but I'll watch speedrunners all day. I'm certainly not alone in it. I think it's partially about learning. I'm not really...
I don't know what it is, but I can't watch competitive twitch streams, but I'll watch speedrunners all day. I'm certainly not alone in it. I think it's partially about learning. I'm not really going to gain much from watching a CS:GO stream. I know I'm watching people good at the game, and there is some enjoyment in that, but at the end of the day it's one person who shoots better than the other people (normally, I've seen some crazy CS:GO clips that go beyond normal human capabilities.) I couldn't watch Ninja play Fortnite, but I'll watch AGDQ and SGDQ even when it comes to games I don't care about.
Hell, I'm watching ZFG right now. He does the exact same run, more or less, over and over again. It's the exact same thing, so I can't make the argument about how watching Fortnite is the same shit over and over again. Fortnite certainly is less interesting than an Ocarina of Time speedrun (seriously, OoT speedruns are fucking crazy) but I've watched ZFG play OoT for years.
I think it does come back to what you said. Anyone can play soccer, but there are people who are the best at soccer and those are the people we watch. The difference for speedrunning over competitive play is that a speedrun is just one person putting all of their skill into one game, rather than a 10, or a 100, people playing each other.
For me it's mostly a passive form of entertainment. I don't always have time to play the games myself, despite wanting to, so instead I throw a Twitch game streamer or YouTube Let's Play on in my...
For me it's mostly a passive form of entertainment. I don't always have time to play the games myself, despite wanting to, so instead I throw a Twitch game streamer or YouTube Let's Play on in my third monitor to run in the background while I work or do other things. It's really no different than an audiobook but one that when something funny/interesting really catches my ear I can stop what I am doing and actually watch for a little bit as well.
I liken a lot of them to a podcast really. The backdrop is someone playing a game, but it's generally not the most interesting happening. Most Let's Plays I enjoy "watching" are less gameplay...
I liken a lot of them to a podcast really. The backdrop is someone playing a game, but it's generally not the most interesting happening.
Most Let's Plays I enjoy "watching" are less gameplay footage with a narrator, and more long-form conversations about videogames.
I feel the same way, I usually have The Office or some gameplay on a secondary monitor. I like it as "background noise"; I don't need to give it my full attention, but it's nice to be able to stop...
I feel the same way, I usually have The Office or some gameplay on a secondary monitor. I like it as "background noise"; I don't need to give it my full attention, but it's nice to be able to stop for a bit and just watch/listen to it.
A specific example of this is Let's Play/Achievment Hunter. They generally make 30-60 minute videos, and the gameplay isn't always the most exciting... It ends up more like a podcast to me.
You ever get that feeling that a game could have some interesting story bits but definitely not long enough for a full $60 price tag and surely to contain long runs of fluff content? Those are the...
You ever get that feeling that a game could have some interesting story bits but definitely not long enough for a full $60 price tag and surely to contain long runs of fluff content? Those are the games that I tend to watch people play.
I like watching PUBG because it's not the sort of game I could easily play myself (since I didn't grow up playing FPS games). I'm not sure if I'd be interested in going to an arena to watch a...
I like watching PUBG because it's not the sort of game I could easily play myself (since I didn't grow up playing FPS games).
I'm not sure if I'd be interested in going to an arena to watch a tournament, though. The most recent PUBG tournaments were super fun, and part of that was because I could focus on my favorite streamer but also hop to the main stream or another streamer if I wanted.
There definitely is an appeal to watching people play games. Speedrunning is a very popular way of playing a game and attracts many viewers due to its impressive nature. Oftentimes, the content...
There definitely is an appeal to watching people play games. Speedrunning is a very popular way of playing a game and attracts many viewers due to its impressive nature. Oftentimes, the content creator emphasizes comedic commentary (I flock to channels like Game Grumps, OneyPlays, or SuperMega for friends dicking around and cracking jokes with a game as a discussion point). Other times, it's the community and camaraderie that attracts viewers. People just wanna kick back, laugh, and enjoy other people experiencing a game for the first time or playing a game a different way than usual.
I spent a couple years in a depressed haze. I'm still spending years in a depressed haze, but I used to, too. I no longer watch streamers consistently, and it only happens rarely. Anyway, during...
I spent a couple years in a depressed haze. I'm still spending years in a depressed haze, but I used to, too. I no longer watch streamers consistently, and it only happens rarely.
Anyway, during that time when I watched them, I was hibernating in my room well beyond what would normally be considered socially humane. It felt almost torturous. The only things that saved me were Reddit(RIP) because it allowed for constant assertions and expressions to others, then the silly fact that I watched streamers and tournaments of games on my second monitor.
I can't deny that was a time of horrible depression, but when I look back on it, it was another one of those "firsts" in life that seem to lose their flair after you experience it. I would watch CobaltStreak playing Binding of Isaac, Lethalfrag(occasionally, although he always felt too formal in an odd way,) then Sevadus and his logistical Minecraft stuff hooked me in pretty hard. Those people are my friends and I don't even know them.
I look back on that period, and despite the depression I know was persistent, I feel like it was a happier time. I felt those friendships, my gaming depression hadn't infected me so deeply, and typing things out to essentially anonymous people felt more powerful. Meaningful, even...
Trapped between knowing I need to get out into the world and live—but also knowing I might continue to fail at that, and it feels strangely comforting to know I could return to indulging in those one-sided friendships again.
Such a strange feeling. So much of my life feels unreal, yet I know so much of it would be valid if I only had a few basic aspects added to my life. A person to love, and some type of productive effort, and all of a sudden my old gaming/stream-indulgent life would feel like a paradise.
I get why people watch other people play games, but I find it really dull myself due to the pacing being rather being terrible when just watching games. Playing the same level that I find boring...
I get why people watch other people play games, but I find it really dull myself due to the pacing being rather being terrible when just watching games. Playing the same level that I find boring to watch is more enjoyable though.
It all depends on the game for me. I used to be heavy into the esports scene. Loved the competitive play, loved the players, and the casters, but eventually I grew out of it. I think I was just...
It all depends on the game for me. I used to be heavy into the esports scene. Loved the competitive play, loved the players, and the casters, but eventually I grew out of it. I think I was just being burnt out watching so many games and not playing them myself.
I will watch people from time to time, but I'm back to playing and even streaming games that I play.
There are a few creators, like Sips, who are such compelling personalities, that it's almost less about watching them game and more about just watching them. I've watched him on and off for God knows how many years and I still enjoy him.
The way, and the things that people consume as entertainment is always changing and the old media is just catching up - pretty soon it wont be strange that people watch other gamers and then it'll become mundane.
I strongly agree with this. I'm not sure if I'm an expection, but I generally watch gameplay videos for the people, less for the gameplay itself.
Edit: I guess an exception would be e-sports or professional players, who I mostly watch for their skill or to get excited about team matches.
I think this is the biggest thing. Footage of some avergae gameplay can be boring on it's own but a lively presenter can transform it into something completely different.
The game is more of a setting or a tool that's used by the creator whose essentially starring in their own show. Compelling personalities can be entertaining playing solitaire.
I'd rather play them, but there is no denying this growing trend. I like to compare it to soccer in a way that soccer is so popular because you don't need anything to play it. You just need a ball. Video games are pretty similar in that they are simple to get into, easy to play, but hard to master. It's the masters that people like to watch.
Sometimes people would prefer to live viscerally through other people for a very large number of reasons. For games, maybe because they don't have the equipment for it. VR is very difficult to get into, for example. Sometimes it's because they're just not good enough at the game and would prefer to watch someone play it better than them. Or it could be that they just want to see all the nooks and crannies explored. Maybe they just like the YouTuber / streamer. In any case, it's the same thing for all media.
I don't know what it is, but I can't watch competitive twitch streams, but I'll watch speedrunners all day. I'm certainly not alone in it. I think it's partially about learning. I'm not really going to gain much from watching a CS:GO stream. I know I'm watching people good at the game, and there is some enjoyment in that, but at the end of the day it's one person who shoots better than the other people (normally, I've seen some crazy CS:GO clips that go beyond normal human capabilities.) I couldn't watch Ninja play Fortnite, but I'll watch AGDQ and SGDQ even when it comes to games I don't care about.
Hell, I'm watching ZFG right now. He does the exact same run, more or less, over and over again. It's the exact same thing, so I can't make the argument about how watching Fortnite is the same shit over and over again. Fortnite certainly is less interesting than an Ocarina of Time speedrun (seriously, OoT speedruns are fucking crazy) but I've watched ZFG play OoT for years.
I think it does come back to what you said. Anyone can play soccer, but there are people who are the best at soccer and those are the people we watch. The difference for speedrunning over competitive play is that a speedrun is just one person putting all of their skill into one game, rather than a 10, or a 100, people playing each other.
I don't get it but I know the kids love it. It's here to stay.
For me it's mostly a passive form of entertainment. I don't always have time to play the games myself, despite wanting to, so instead I throw a Twitch game streamer or YouTube Let's Play on in my third monitor to run in the background while I work or do other things. It's really no different than an audiobook but one that when something funny/interesting really catches my ear I can stop what I am doing and actually watch for a little bit as well.
I liken a lot of them to a podcast really. The backdrop is someone playing a game, but it's generally not the most interesting happening.
Most Let's Plays I enjoy "watching" are less gameplay footage with a narrator, and more long-form conversations about videogames.
I feel the same way, I usually have The Office or some gameplay on a secondary monitor. I like it as "background noise"; I don't need to give it my full attention, but it's nice to be able to stop for a bit and just watch/listen to it.
A specific example of this is Let's Play/Achievment Hunter. They generally make 30-60 minute videos, and the gameplay isn't always the most exciting... It ends up more like a podcast to me.
You ever get that feeling that a game could have some interesting story bits but definitely not long enough for a full $60 price tag and surely to contain long runs of fluff content? Those are the games that I tend to watch people play.
I like watching PUBG because it's not the sort of game I could easily play myself (since I didn't grow up playing FPS games).
I'm not sure if I'd be interested in going to an arena to watch a tournament, though. The most recent PUBG tournaments were super fun, and part of that was because I could focus on my favorite streamer but also hop to the main stream or another streamer if I wanted.
There definitely is an appeal to watching people play games. Speedrunning is a very popular way of playing a game and attracts many viewers due to its impressive nature. Oftentimes, the content creator emphasizes comedic commentary (I flock to channels like Game Grumps, OneyPlays, or SuperMega for friends dicking around and cracking jokes with a game as a discussion point). Other times, it's the community and camaraderie that attracts viewers. People just wanna kick back, laugh, and enjoy other people experiencing a game for the first time or playing a game a different way than usual.
I spent a couple years in a depressed haze. I'm still spending years in a depressed haze, but I used to, too. I no longer watch streamers consistently, and it only happens rarely.
Anyway, during that time when I watched them, I was hibernating in my room well beyond what would normally be considered socially humane. It felt almost torturous. The only things that saved me were Reddit(RIP) because it allowed for constant assertions and expressions to others, then the silly fact that I watched streamers and tournaments of games on my second monitor.
I can't deny that was a time of horrible depression, but when I look back on it, it was another one of those "firsts" in life that seem to lose their flair after you experience it. I would watch CobaltStreak playing Binding of Isaac, Lethalfrag(occasionally, although he always felt too formal in an odd way,) then Sevadus and his logistical Minecraft stuff hooked me in pretty hard. Those people are my friends and I don't even know them.
I look back on that period, and despite the depression I know was persistent, I feel like it was a happier time. I felt those friendships, my gaming depression hadn't infected me so deeply, and typing things out to essentially anonymous people felt more powerful. Meaningful, even...
Trapped between knowing I need to get out into the world and live—but also knowing I might continue to fail at that, and it feels strangely comforting to know I could return to indulging in those one-sided friendships again.
Such a strange feeling. So much of my life feels unreal, yet I know so much of it would be valid if I only had a few basic aspects added to my life. A person to love, and some type of productive effort, and all of a sudden my old gaming/stream-indulgent life would feel like a paradise.
I get why people watch other people play games, but I find it really dull myself due to the pacing being rather being terrible when just watching games. Playing the same level that I find boring to watch is more enjoyable though.
It all depends on the game for me. I used to be heavy into the esports scene. Loved the competitive play, loved the players, and the casters, but eventually I grew out of it. I think I was just being burnt out watching so many games and not playing them myself.
I will watch people from time to time, but I'm back to playing and even streaming games that I play.