Let's Plays. I Don't Like Them

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superangrymonkey

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I'll be the first one to admit that I don't like Let's Plays. I mean, it started as a thing that no one was doing and then all of a sudden, and I really mean that, we're bombarded by people playing games that either no one cares about anymore or that they have made into a pet project that ruins the appeal of a game I might actually like.

I don't mind tutorials. I don't even really mind reviews if that's what's going on but I think at the end of the day that watching someone else play video games is not fun, boring, and a little bit sad.

What do you all think?
 
I never really could get into the whole "Lets Play/Game Commentators" thing. I don't see why people would watch a whole let's play when they could just play the game itself. Why watch someone else play when you can play it yourself? I understand if you are interested in a game and want to see what it's like and all, but to watch somebody else play the entire game? Nah.
 
I really don't enjoy let's plays that much either, but there are some good ones to watch from time to time when you have time to kill.

But guys like penguinz0 are pretty funny to watch and Game Grumps reminds me of the stupid nonsense me and my friend would say when playing video-games.
 
I agree with all of you guys. When its something like minecraft, its helpful when you are a beginner to watch them and get ideas, but the whole idea of it is pointless.

I want to watch useful and educational/entertaining stuff when I go on youtube, not watch other people play a game that I can already do on my own. Now if they are doing a combination of them both, like talking about other stuff but playing a game behind it to keep you interested, I can get into that. But just a whole video on someone playing a game that I can do on my own? I believe its pointless.
 
I agree at a certain point. I don't think Let's Plays are boring, but they get repetitive after a while.
There are wars everyday on channels saying they copied one another.
If their commentary is good, I will watch it. If they don't, I won't.
 
Hmmmm, well when you really think about it... aren't Let's Plays like walkthroughs in a way? I get it, the commentators are annoying (i.e. Roosterteeth), but I think the main concept of useless Let's Plays is to just have fun and talk. It's like a podcast but with games instead. I don't like it'd be appealing if it was just called "Podcasts".

My favorite Let's Play uploaders are Northernlion and Roosterteeth, mostly because I like to listen to what they have to say, and watch them play a favorite game of mine.
 
They are boring at times. Though, I do watch some that does the older games. It actually sometimes compels me to go out and buy those games and play them myself.
 
I hate them too. They're completely pointless - why would I want to sit for an hour or more watching some teenager play a game I own, stupidly commentating on everything with forced comedy, when I can go play it myself? Or in the case of not owning the game, reading an online review and then buying it depending on those factors?
 
TheGingerWriter said:
I hate them too. They're completely pointless - why would I want to sit for an hour or more watching some teenager play a game I own, stupidly commentating on everything with forced comedy, when I can go play it myself? Or in the case of not owning the game, reading an online review and then buying it depending on those factors?
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Honestly, some of the commentary is pretty funny. I guess you'd kind of have to have watched the series from the beginning in order to get a good feel for the humor.

>"watching some teenager play a game I own"

I don't know exactly which Let's Plays you're watching, but the ones that I watch aren't teenagers. They are grown men (some of them even write reviews for video game magazines) that have jobs on the side and genuinely enjoy making videos. Yeah. I think you need to stop judging based on the crap that you've seen and watch some actual good Let's Plays.
 
You could go play it yourself, you could read the reviews. I mean, no one is forcing you to watch the Let's Plays and not everything is going to be funny to everyone. But for the people like me, that actaully need to see a game being played before I buy it, it's pretty helpful. I'll give you an example. TheRadBrad is a grown man that made a walkthrough/Let's Play of Dead Space. Without watching that, I probably wouldn't have bought the game.

It's almost unethical to base your purchasing choice off of someone's opinionated views of an art form such as a video game. You can't know you'll like it unless you play it yourself or watch someone else play it.

It's like looking at a soda to buy. "Ohhh! Let me read reviews." then you find reviews like "Ugh. This soda was too sweet/fizzy/not sweet enough." How can you base your purchase off of someone else's taste buds?
 
I very rarely like Let's Plays. A friend of mine will get a group together and do like "Let's Play New Super Mario Bros".
When you're getting four people together, all drinking and playing New Super Mario Bros... it's amusing.
You don't watch for the game, you watch for the commentary and them accidentally killing each other.
 
I feel like the Let's Play movement got too large and in the long run, it's bad for gaming. I mean, they started off as "We play them so you don't have to" so to argue that they aren't killing sales of games is not true, they totally are. For every person who buys a game after watching an LP, there are 10 that say "That game sucks so bad, I'm glad I watched some nerd play every second of it on YouTube instead of paying for it!" and it's depressing. No one is willing to take a chance on games anymore.
 
CaptainWoodzy said:
I feel like the Let's Play movement got too large and in the long run, it's bad for gaming. I mean, they started off as "We play them so you don't have to" so to argue that they aren't killing sales of games is not true, they totally are. For every person who buys a game after watching an LP, there are 10 that say "That game sucks so bad, I'm glad I watched some nerd play every second of it on YouTube instead of paying for it!" and it's depressing. No one is willing to take a chance on games anymore.
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I'm with you on this. My Friend watches let's plays almost religiously and he argues that watching the videos makes him go out and get a game because it looked fun, but he just doesn't see the other side of it and how many games he's skipped over because of it. I'm also the type that doesn't like to look up any cheats or guides(On most types of games.) and if I watched someone play through a entire games it's likely that I wouldn't feel the need to buy it because I've already seen it.
Overall I just don't see the appeal to watching everyone play so many games, I rather play them myself.
 
I must agree, however I do like to watch them when I am surfing forums or am just lazing around! The youtubers themselves seem to enjoy doing them, so I guess if they enjoy it then we shall let them be! :)

-Paul
 
I like them, but the cold truth is that most of them aren't worth viewing. If they're done with decent quality, good and/or funny commentary, and acceptably skilled playing, I enjoy them. Sometimes I'm curious as to how a game is, sometimes I just want to be entertained, and sometimes I'm playing a boring game myself (most likely for achievements) and want something to keep me from going insane. I'd also think that if anything, LPs and videos of the like promote game sales, or at least ensure gamers don't invest money into a game they wouldn't enjoy. For me personally, I have purchased games due to seeing footage of it beforehand, and I've been swayed in the other direction as well, but better that than being burned in my view.
 
I have really only seen a couple videos and they were of GTA 4 online. It was pretty cool to watch the things you can do on the PC version with many people, and made me wish I had the PC version but my PC just couldn't handle it I don't think. I don't care much for the other ones though, I agree they are quite boring, especially if they are old games in particular.
 
I do enjoy Let's Play videos, but only by certain people. I'm not exactly sure how it started with me, but I watched the videos on Minecraft.net's Help section, back when it had the how-to videos by PaulSoaresJr. I started watching, and kept watching because I enjoyed his commentary style, and that started branching out to other people who I watch. I really don't watch them for the game at all, I'll usually put a video on and listen to it like a podcast. It's more about the person who is doing the commentary about the video.
 
Honestly... I don't get the hate. I like Let's Play because they're hilarious. All the fun of watching your friends screw up or freak out while at the same time looking over a game you probably aren't going to pay for. Like, many of the Let's Play I look at are for things like Animal Crossing or Oregon Trail or PC junk. I'm never going to buy this... but if you make it into something hilarious then I'll go with it. I haven't played the original Fallout in forever, but having the character slowly but surely change from starry-eyed to a shattered hull of himself is wonderful. I mean it's just entertainment and no one is pointing a gun at anyone's head to watch it. I mean what about the millions of videos showing basically the entire game or all the story points with nothing but the original dialogue of the game? Don't you hate them too? Or do they some how get a past? At least a Let's Play is a sort of MST3K thing.
 
It depends a lot on the genre of the game being played as well as the commentary quality.
I Love Let's Plays for strategy games like Civilization, RPG's like Dragons Age and Adventure games like the Walking Dead.
If you are not enjoying them it's because you are watching games that aren't suited for it (OP mentions Super Mario)
 
My brother and his friend do let's plays and they are really funny! I just think most of the people that do them are boring and not funny at all. If you are gong to do a let's play you should probably be funny or at least interesting, otherwise, honestly, what is the point?
 
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