Poll: The State Of Let's Play
- Thread starter Awesomesauce123
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It depends on who you watch. Anyone from the TGS (TheGameStation) is a pretty safe bet (love me some Jesse Cox! XP). However, I can't even make it five minutes through a PewDiePie video, so... yeah. Depends on who you watch.
I suppose the state of LP's as a WHOLE is probably quite poor, since, in the broadest aspect, there are thousands of amateur Let's Players out there copying everyone they can and playing bandwagon games like "Happy Wheels" and "Minecraft". But more experienced LPers who have some decent equipment (for the love of God, get a good mic!) tend to be, at the very least, worth a try. So if you just ignore the idiots only out for Yogscast-like fame, then LPs are fairly enjoyable.
I suppose the state of LP's as a WHOLE is probably quite poor, since, in the broadest aspect, there are thousands of amateur Let's Players out there copying everyone they can and playing bandwagon games like "Happy Wheels" and "Minecraft". But more experienced LPers who have some decent equipment (for the love of God, get a good mic!) tend to be, at the very least, worth a try. So if you just ignore the idiots only out for Yogscast-like fame, then LPs are fairly enjoyable.
some of them are decent, the rest is awful
some of spoonys old lets play were pretty good(especially swat 4 XD)
the guy who calls himself DSP is damn hilarious in that he absolutely lacks common sense and doesnt know what he is doing even when the game tells him what to do
some of spoonys old lets play were pretty good(especially swat 4 XD)
the guy who calls himself DSP is damn hilarious in that he absolutely lacks common sense and doesnt know what he is doing even when the game tells him what to do
I really only watch GPLP and Two Best Friends and i feel like that's enough. I don't really need any more than that so i guess my needs are being met.
Used to watch Tobuscus LP's, but i feel like those've gotten too samey.
Used to watch Tobuscus LP's, but i feel like those've gotten too samey.
I find it interesting that game developers don't have issues with Let's Plays. I mean sure you aren't getting to play the game yourself, but you are getting to see all the content and cutscenes and stuff for free, which for some games like Mass Effect is the most important part. Not that I'm complaining mind you.
To be honest though I'm not really sure who Let's Plays are aimed at. People who own the game have already seen it all before and can just replay themselves it if they want to experience it again. People who don't own the game probably aren't interested enough to spend hours watching someone else play it. And if they are interested in it wouldn't they rather wait to buy and play it themselves rather than spoil it all by watching someone else play it first?
Anyway, I'm kinda indifferent to them myself, I think it's a little dumb though how there are probably hundreds of different Let's Plays of Half-Life 2 when only one or two good ones would suffice.
To be honest though I'm not really sure who Let's Plays are aimed at. People who own the game have already seen it all before and can just replay themselves it if they want to experience it again. People who don't own the game probably aren't interested enough to spend hours watching someone else play it. And if they are interested in it wouldn't they rather wait to buy and play it themselves rather than spoil it all by watching someone else play it first?
Anyway, I'm kinda indifferent to them myself, I think it's a little dumb though how there are probably hundreds of different Let's Plays of Half-Life 2 when only one or two good ones would suffice.
I love LP's. Especially blind LP's. It's kinda fun watching someone play a game you've played through already and watch them try to figure out the solution to the problems they face in the game.
Of course, obviously, there are also some bad ones:
Why. Just... Why?
Of course, obviously, there are also some bad ones:
Why. Just... Why?
Well, I watch the content of several LPers, and I really, really enjoy it. But the thing is, none of them make money from their videos, and as far as I know, they don't want to. So they do it simply because they enjoy it and/or are passionate about it rather than trying to make a quick buck. From what I've seen, when money and commercialism aren't factors into something, the quality tends to be higher. There are always exceptions, but I'm speaking generally here. LPs is much like anything, really. If you want quality, you need to look for it. If you aren't patient, then you're just going to end up with bullshit like PewDiePie and what have you.
Personally, I like how Let's Plays are so popular. Mostly because it just means that if one person doesn't suit your taste it's more likely that you'll find someone who actually does entertain you. Generally I prefer to watch Cry and TheRadBrad but LPers like PewdiePie just annoy me since I can't stand it when someone screams at every little thing.
I think it's fine. There's nothing wrong with the game company making their own. One of the benefits of Lets Plays is that they act as advertising for the game.Awesomesauce123 said:
And, nothing is stopping people who just want to do it for fun from doing so. As it happens, I just finished a text-only Let's Play of The Witcher, and am currently doing a Let's Play of the Witcher 2. Right here on the Escapist forums, as it happens. Here's the link:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.404351-An-Impromptu-Witcher-Lets-Play-now-with-the-Witcher-2?page=1
So yeah, nothing wrong with Let's Plays other than they're getting more popular.
As someone who originally got into watching LP's on the Something Awful LP subforum, and then started doing my own LPing about a year a half ago, the only thing I can really say about it's current state is that it's grown exponentially.
There are more LPer's and more commentary styles out there now than ever before. Sure, some of them might not be your cup of tea, and some of them are downright awful to pretty much anyone (camcorder LP's much?), but as people in the thread have said, there's usually at least one or a dozen LPer's that will appeal to most any tastes.
Personally I'm a fan of LPer's that focus on thoroughly showing off a game that they're extremely familiar with and have spent more time with than the average player, giving a better overall look at a game than the player would normally get. LPer's like ChipCheezum, Voidburger, and SuperGreatFriend, who coincidentally you won't find much of on Youtube.
Anyhow, to avoid further rambling, I honestly think that the quality of the LP is often tied to the reasons why an LPer LP's. I myself LP because I enjoy it, and because even before I started I would constantly commentate about whatever game I'm playing to myself, so it wasn't much of a change to doing it while recording. LPer's who do it for money or popularity usually put out lower quality stuff more frequently, and develop this attitude that they have to suffer through games they don't enjoy for the viewer's sake. If you're not having any fun, how can you expect the people watching to enjoy it in a way other than schadenfreude? To continue to beat a dead LPing horse, people like Pewdiepie (the flavor of the month) take something away from what makes the best LPing by forcing themselves to react for nonsense and physical comedy, with the background distraction of a game as their safety net if they aren't being funny, while getting paid for it.
The other reason I enjoy LPing is that I've always loved sharing the things I enjoy with other people, whether it's describing a movie in intimate detail or just buying a game for someone on Steam that they might not play otherwise. LPing lets me cover the older, indie, or less well know games for people who would likely never play these game themselves, but find them interesting enough to watch. For example, pretty much any survival horror game, which people seem to prefer watching over playing because of the bad controls, fear factor, and the sometimes obscure puzzles.
The one thing I think that tends to hold back most would-be LPer's is a complete lack of any technical know-how, something that's pretty easy to obtain through Google. Pointing your dad's old camcorder at a TV is not a good solution, as you might as well just be narrating a series of still images for all the good it conveys. That said, one of the reasons LPing has expanded so much is because of how easy it is to do. All you need is a copy of Fraps, a headset, and any old video editing software as well as a Youtube account to get started. I think as time goes on more people will pick up on the technical aspects of it and the number of people at the bottom of the LPing barrel will shrink.
And really when it comes down to it, "Good. Bad. I'm the guy with the fun."
TL
R LP for fun not cash, camcorders suck, do some research before LPing.
There are more LPer's and more commentary styles out there now than ever before. Sure, some of them might not be your cup of tea, and some of them are downright awful to pretty much anyone (camcorder LP's much?), but as people in the thread have said, there's usually at least one or a dozen LPer's that will appeal to most any tastes.
Personally I'm a fan of LPer's that focus on thoroughly showing off a game that they're extremely familiar with and have spent more time with than the average player, giving a better overall look at a game than the player would normally get. LPer's like ChipCheezum, Voidburger, and SuperGreatFriend, who coincidentally you won't find much of on Youtube.
Anyhow, to avoid further rambling, I honestly think that the quality of the LP is often tied to the reasons why an LPer LP's. I myself LP because I enjoy it, and because even before I started I would constantly commentate about whatever game I'm playing to myself, so it wasn't much of a change to doing it while recording. LPer's who do it for money or popularity usually put out lower quality stuff more frequently, and develop this attitude that they have to suffer through games they don't enjoy for the viewer's sake. If you're not having any fun, how can you expect the people watching to enjoy it in a way other than schadenfreude? To continue to beat a dead LPing horse, people like Pewdiepie (the flavor of the month) take something away from what makes the best LPing by forcing themselves to react for nonsense and physical comedy, with the background distraction of a game as their safety net if they aren't being funny, while getting paid for it.
The other reason I enjoy LPing is that I've always loved sharing the things I enjoy with other people, whether it's describing a movie in intimate detail or just buying a game for someone on Steam that they might not play otherwise. LPing lets me cover the older, indie, or less well know games for people who would likely never play these game themselves, but find them interesting enough to watch. For example, pretty much any survival horror game, which people seem to prefer watching over playing because of the bad controls, fear factor, and the sometimes obscure puzzles.
The one thing I think that tends to hold back most would-be LPer's is a complete lack of any technical know-how, something that's pretty easy to obtain through Google. Pointing your dad's old camcorder at a TV is not a good solution, as you might as well just be narrating a series of still images for all the good it conveys. That said, one of the reasons LPing has expanded so much is because of how easy it is to do. All you need is a copy of Fraps, a headset, and any old video editing software as well as a Youtube account to get started. I think as time goes on more people will pick up on the technical aspects of it and the number of people at the bottom of the LPing barrel will shrink.
And really when it comes down to it, "Good. Bad. I'm the guy with the fun."
TL
R LP for fun not cash, camcorders suck, do some research before LPing.
LP videos will fade.
Unlike a walk-thru video, documentary, or opinion video 'Let's Plays' have no focus. The enjoyment people find behind these kinds of videos is solely on the personality playing them. PewDiePie is an example of a crazy/wild/loud personality whom has little to nothing to say about the games he plays. Proper reviews, previews, opinions, documentaries, and walk-thru videos require time, patience, and effort.
Example: Watch one of JonTron's newer solo videos. Now watch any episode of Game Grumps. The quality and overall replay value of JonTron's solo work is simply staggering.
Much like the early days of television, viewers will eventually grow to demand a higher quality of video production that LP video makers can not provide. It's just a matter of time.
Unlike a walk-thru video, documentary, or opinion video 'Let's Plays' have no focus. The enjoyment people find behind these kinds of videos is solely on the personality playing them. PewDiePie is an example of a crazy/wild/loud personality whom has little to nothing to say about the games he plays. Proper reviews, previews, opinions, documentaries, and walk-thru videos require time, patience, and effort.
Example: Watch one of JonTron's newer solo videos. Now watch any episode of Game Grumps. The quality and overall replay value of JonTron's solo work is simply staggering.
Much like the early days of television, viewers will eventually grow to demand a higher quality of video production that LP video makers can not provide. It's just a matter of time.
the lpers you're referring to aren't killing off the old ways or anything. so while i agree with you about how atrocious a lot of the bigger names are, i disagree that they're causing the downfall of lping in general. you can still find plenty of good lpers out there. they're not all following these trends you speak of. a great deal of them don't. most just have less fame.
While he demos the games he shows in the WTF videos, he can only give first impressions. It's certainly a good series for getting a feel for the game and deciding whether you may want to buy it or not - although I've sometimes seen him mess up quite badly or simply not getting a mechanic or misrepresenting the game by only showing that early slice. But that's understandable considering the format, of course. I wouldn't really count that as Let's Play, though, since he doesn't actually finish any of the games or go into any depth regarding their gameplay, story or what have you.Auron said:
You should try watching the LPs on Michael's personal channel: LtMKilla. They're a lot more like a typical LPs instead of just videos edited to show only the parts he rages at. His LPs are some of my favorites because he can be really funny even when he isn't angry.Goofguy said:
OT: I like that it's so easy to start doing a Let's Play and it's easy for people to access it. I plan start making some soon, but I'm not expecting to get "internet famous" or whatever. I'm doing it because I like making movies and so I can make my friends laugh at my stupidity. To me, if even one person finds my video entertaining, it's worth it.
That's purely because of the fans. Slowbeef doesn't want people to look at him as an LP authority like that, and he's constantly trying to get his fans to stop harassing people they retsupurae'd. They're just making fun of bad videos, it's not about harassing people or trying to 'purify lp'.joshuaayt said:
Hell, a good part of Retuspurae is self-parody. slowbeef doesn't want to see bad play in LPs because that's his gimmick.Benpasko said:
As for LPs in general? I watch quite a few, I don't think it's changed much, apart from obviously technology being better to capture and broadcast.
Personally I think racing is often more entertaining. (I for one shall always believe in Iron Chitlin.)