Guidelines for a game to "Let's Play"?

[PhoenixWright]

As a PC gamer, I've been looking to get back into doing "Let's Play"'s of games, but I can't really think of one that'd make for a good series. Perhaps some of the LP'ers out there could lend me a hand and discuss what makes a game good for a LP and maybe suggest some good ones that are on either Steam or GOG?

 

[Corven]

A game that is good for a lets play is a game that you are interested in doing.

A let's play is 1000 times more watchable if the person providing commentary enjoys what they are doing, and not just doing whats popular for views.

 

[Jazoni89]

Just watch Retsupurae on Youtube for examples of how not to do a let's play.

They do sometimes pick on LPers for no apparent reason (and petty reasons like accent, tone of voice ect), but some of the worst stuff on there beggars belief.

Example, someone Lping Sonic the Hedgehog and strategizing for ten solid minutes on how to complete the level before play, then losing all lives on the first level of Green Hill Zone. No, i'm not making this shit up, some retard thought that that would be a good vid for Youtube.

Some people just shouldn't be allowed to LP.

 

[masticina]

There are different methods.

But keep it entertaining I would say. There are those that do a silent LP, they say nothing more then when pointing out at menu's or so. But then the rest you can follow the game and story. Its a valid form of LP.

Other LP's you know talk through their playing, be it topical or not even on topic. Indeed they can be very on topic or be very off the actual game topic.

Some use gameplays as background to talk about other things. They tend to use shooters for that.. for obvious reasons.

Others talk about the game and some talk allot. Mmm give me a moment.

https://www.youtube.com/user/Kikoskia is awesome. He talks allot, allot.. half topical and half not topical. But it is entertaining. Then there are those who grief, you know minecraft griefing, fun to watch to. Definitely if those doing it are over 16 year old [you know the voices deeper sound better]

I am not sure if retzepurea is the best choice but its fun to watch. And oh yes totalbiscuit, doesn't really does LP's but his content is awesome. So you can learn from him.

In the end you need to make your own brand, have your own way to do things. Offer your viewers something they can expect. Yes even pewdiepie is.. le sigh.. successful. He is in my eyes irritating and stupid, but his business model [pro tip it is just a show he is running] is solid. Seemingly enough people want to see such.

So look at some very successful RP-ers take notes... how are they able to say so much. And prepare your LP's well!

And choose a nice game to LP. Oh and very important having fans is great but don't listen to much to them. Yes they have good ideas at times but also bad ideas. And you know stick to your own style.. if you have allot of fans that like TB and want you to be more like TB. Well screw them... you have your own style.

Also a way how to keep people hooked, it sounds not so nice but.. cut the LP up in smaller pieces. For instance kikoshia does an LP of 10-15 minutes.. every day. So every day people return to his channel to get another video.

If you make the videos and put them out on the same day you will get that people will watch them once and not really keep an eye on your channel. If you spread the content out over a time people will have to return. Episodic content!

If you are going to LP make your own style, set your goals, make sure you upload regular. Very important if you do a full LP of lets say .. the old Castle Wolfenstein.. then post nothing for 7 months before oh you found Duke Nukem how interesting. Guess what you not posting has lead to your channel looking inactive.

And yes find a game with a good working SAVE system. So you can save where you want! So you can do episodic lp-ing. If you LP one of those game without a decent save system .. ugh.

And good choices? Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas, Skyrim.. to a point. Old RPG's as Kikoshia is doing works fine to.

As long as the content is interresting and you can retain your LP-style being intteresting it ought to work.

Bad choices... Race games.. oh my are those boring to watch. I understand it is hard to make that funny because.. seriously it is just you racing. With an RPG at least you can show a personal method of doing things. I mean you could play sneaky or you could play two handed sword kill kill. In Racing its.. racing. Shooters? They are thougher to LP well, after all allot of in between time is just shooting. You need to make it interesting.

Simulation games, yes you can LP those.. and actually those go pretty well. You can LP a Simcity and that can be very interesting. Or do a LP of a Civilisation game. The point is everybody plays different in those games so the way you play can come over fresh.

With racing games this is much harder!

You know begin simple, get an older game that isn't to long. Maybe a Nintendo 64 game and begin there. Yes it will be humble beginnings BUT it is a good test. Can you make content like that.

 

[triggrhappy94]

I seriously posted this thread a week ago.

Well if you plan on doing commentary. Make sure to choose a game with lots to talk about.

 

[KillaBC]

Look into Nerdcubed for a good LP'er. He even makes simulations entertaining so he must be doing something right. He's also very consistent with uploads so there's always something to watch.

 

[Baldr]

As a PC gamer, I've been looking to get back into doing "Let's Play"'s of games, but I can't really think of one that'd make for a good series. Perhaps some of the LP'ers out there could lend me a hand and discuss what makes a game good for a LP and maybe suggest some good ones that are on either Steam or GOG?

Personality trumps gameplay. It doesn't matter what you are playing if you have a good personality to accompany it.

 

[shrekfan246]

Just watch Retsupurae on Youtube for examples of how not to do a let's play.

A game that is good for a lets play is a game that you are interested in doing.

While these are solid pieces of advice, that's not really what OP is asking.

For instance, a thirty+ hour RPG that's chock full of dialogue and flavor text and has a pace slower than a snail is not really the best idea for a game to LP, at least not if you want to provide commentary over it. Good commentary can indeed save boring gameplay, and you could always provide two sets of videos (one with commentary over cutscenes or dialogue and one without), but that's a pretty heavy weight to lay on someone's shoulders when they're just starting out.

Anyway, I'd say go with something short. Or something that just constantly throws new things to talk about at you. Or maybe just your favorite game, since you should have plenty to say about it. I don't know if I could really recommend anything specific, but hey, worst comes to worst you don't have to upload whatever you record (which is something that a lot of people on Youtube should learn...).

 

[Resetti's_Replicas]

Don't skimp on recording equipment, that's the most important thing. You can fake competence, but not video quality (won't mention any names, but you can probably think of some examples).

Do some digging on other LP's of your game. Do you have anything to contribute that hasn't already been said?

 

[Tom Waits' hat]

A game that is good for a lets play is a game that you are interested in doing.

A let's play is 1000 times more watchable if the person providing commentary enjoys what they are doing, and not just doing whats popular for views.

Agreed and disagree. What's the point uploading/ streaming "let's play" when nobody is watching it?

 

[Gone Rampant]

Games that give you a lot of material to talk about or are just the kind that let you go crazy (Saints Row 3, Crackdown, etc) are good for LPs that aim to be funny. Alternatively, you could do an LP of a game you don't like and explain why during the LP by pointing things out as you go (Like an LP of Homefront being hosted on Something Awful right now). Overall, just be yourself and have good recording equipment.

 

[lacktheknack]

MOST IMPORTANT RULE OF INSANE IMPORTANCE THAT THOU SHALT NOT BREAK:

Enjoy what you're doing.

Whether you're playing through a game you love or ripping a terrible game to shreds, you MUST enjoy recording it. This is why blind LPs are risky: You don't know if you'll enjoy it.

Less Important (but still important):

-Decide now whether you want to do a text/picture LP or a video. Text/Picture works well with slower paced strategy games, video is required for FPS/Action/Horror games, and everything else can go either way (Myst or Elder Scrolls, for instance, can be done either way). Make sure you play to the strengths of the format. For instance, a text/pic LP of Uplink should focus on the strategic approach you take to the game, while a video LP of Uplink should focus on the pulse-pounding hacking jobs themselves.

-Decide on vocal quality (if you're doing video). If you hate your voice, stick with atmospheric games that don't require talking (Malorie's LPs of Alone in the Dark and The 7th Guest, for instance, use text overlay on the video). If you can do funny voices, feel free to use them, but be aware that many people will hate you and others will love you for it (see PewDiePie). Otherwise, stick with a generally professional tone and don't drone.

-Learn when to shut up. Nothing wrecks a climactic battle like someone yammering about boobs in the background.

-Start short. This is where I royally screwed up: I tried to do an LP of Daggerfall, and while I put out an admirable amount of content, I didn't even get a third of the way through before it became too arduous. Had I played something like Tomb Raider instead, I would have finished it easily.

-Don't be afraid to cut the crap. If you're struggling to do one section over and over, if you're doing busywork to get to the next part of the story, or if you're wandering around dazed and confused, it's time to grab the pruning shears and get editing.

 

[wolf thing]

im not a huge fan of lets plays but the ones i do watch they are usually experts at the game, providing tips and tricks, and over all an exspranced view of the game. the other are ones were they certice or analysis the game, all in depth and stuff. this is what appeals to me, it may not appeal to me.

 

[Ratties]

As someone who can't stand bad comedy, don't attempt to crack lame jokes while you are doing it. Perhaps being silent is the best thing to do in a lets play, don't add stuff that the viewers don't give a shit about.

 

[The Wykydtron]

Try to stay on topic. Seriously, I know my dear friend Rookie loves you Game Grumps, but for the love of god STAY ON TOPIC! Even a little bit!

Literally half a video into their Demon's Souls LP they were singing random shit for a good solid fifteen minutes. Fuck.

Oh and their opinion on game tutorials telling you literally nothing is stupid. They berated the game for telling you which button does what via messages. Sorry we're not playing Mega Man X and there are more than a grand total of two buttons to figure out...

Max and Matt on YoVideogames manage it because they discuss both the game they're playing and compare it to other stuff with the occasional anecdote. Seriously, Matt's story in their DMC4 LP... Words cannot describe.

I love Cry though. His production quality is through the roof. Each video has a unique intro and outro and he throws small bits of text around very sparingly. Like he missed a drawer to open in his Last of Us LP and he pasted "open me" onto it as he walked right the hell past it.

Personally beats gameplay really, if you're funny you'll sell. Look at fucking Pewdie. Just look.

Oh and League is HUGE right now. Just a thought. I mean I would try for a League channel myself if I bothered with the software and shit, i'm a pretty funny guy. (Shut up I am)

 

[Roxas1359]

snip

Well for one if it's your first game I would suggest doing a small and or short game so then you can get used to recording and doing commentary. Some Indie games could be a good way to start, such as The Binding of Isaac or something. Also, and this is a huge important point: beware copyright on YT and be prepared to have good arguments to dispute claims.

When it comes to doing Let's Plays the main thing to do is to find a game that you're comfortable with when it comes to your knowledge of the game and whether you think you'll be able to come up with commentary for it or not.
The main thing is to stay on topic for certain things and to show that you are enjoying the game instead of trying to lug through it. Another thing is to make sure that you have good or decent equipment when recording. Since you're going to be doing PC stuff the recording software is a lot easier for you, you can get something like Fraps for eaxmple. You also will need a decent editor when editing the video together. Currently I use Sony Movie Studio Platinum 12 64-bit for my editing and before I used Pinnacle Studios 15 (avoid that program, it's not that good...). Lastly a decent mic is good so then your audience can hear your commentary clearly. Logitech mics are good, I currently use a Logitech G330 Gaming Headset and that cost me about $30.

I've been doing Let's Plays for a little over a year now and one of the main things to keep in mind is to not get discouraged if you are not getting a lot of views as it's hard when starting out. Also, don't let fans try to bully you into making new content if you don't want to. It's wise to listen to your audience, but there will be times in which some will try to force you to do things or games that you don't want to do. That's why I'm taking a break right now.

MOST IMPORTANT RULE OF INSANE IMPORTANCE THAT THOU SHALT NOT BREAK:

Enjoy what you're doing.

Quoted this for the large amounts of truth that it contains. ^.^