Watching games—is it a thing for you?

[Brian Boru]

I've seen a few posters mention they love watching, either videos or friends.

It's fairly rare with me. Of course I watch YT videos of upcoming or just-launched games that interest me, and occasionally of a mission I have/had trouble with to see if there's a better way, but I don't watch long playthrus of even my most fav games.

Watching friends is not a thing, just happens when I visit and that's what they're doing.

How about you?

 

[Colif]

Sure beats buying them. I like watching someone who knows the game and can perhaps show you new things, instead of people learning games. I don't want to waste my time watching someone who hasn't played it before. If I am going to watch a 20 video series I want to know they actually won at end, I don't want to waste time watching someone who dies all the time and doesn't get anywhere.

 

[Johnway]

I won't lie, i do watch youtube videos of other people playing games. They can all boil down to several categories:

Long plays of retro games. For nostalgia mainly. Seeing other games that i didn't buy at the time because of my age and stuff that i missed out. Especially Amiga and Mame games.

help guides - there are a lot of good videos for learning.

sample gameplay - This is for games i'm sitting on the fence on. I watch some gameplay and get a feel for the game. If it looks good, i watch some more and over time i get a better picture what it really be like. I do sometimes watch twitch footage for this as well. But i do find it a bit pointless sometimes with games you play already. Why watch other people play the game when you can actually play it yourself? Sure you might learn a few tips and tricks, but i can condense that info on youtube with try-hard gameplay.

Recently its been chivalry 2 - apparently the game has been getting worse and i wanted to see for myself. Juries still out on that one... Hell, if i watch it enough i might give up on actually playing it. With battlefield, back4blood etc coming out the population count is going to nose dive. Thats on top of the recent patches making the game progressively worse and people still having problems playing on servers etc.

 

[Pifanjr]

I don't care for watching videos of people playing games, I prefer watching and being able to interact with the person playing in person.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

I'll sometimes watch some videos of older games if I'm feeling nostalgic rather than play them. I hardly ever watch a whole series through though. Speed runs of games I've already beaten can be fun to watch too.

There's a Youtuber called Splattercat who does shortish daily videos of indie games that I sometimes check out if I see a game I might be interested in.

Lore videos for some games or franchises can be nice to wind down to in the evenings. I also used to watch a lot of TW Warhammer multiplayer videos to try and keep up with the meta back when I played it a lot. I think Esports people probably watch a lot of LOL/Starcraft/Whatever they're into for the same reasons. That was the only time I used Twitch regularly as well as occaionally I'd have a match against a streamer I knew and check out the replay

So yes I watch a little something game related almost daily I guess

 

[Alm]

I watch a lot of high level Hearthstone players on Twitch. Apart from that, if there's a personality I like I might watch whatever they are playing. In the main everyone I watch is good at gaming.

 

[Hitobat]

I watch a bunch of stuff on YouTube, although typically it's for games that I don't intend to buy or play myself but still find somewhat interesting. Or maybe a Lets Play first episode for a game I am considering purchasing.

In addition I also like to watch people play games that I've already played, but at a more expert level. Some examples of this would be Factorio, which I put plenty of time into but don't want to play anymore (too much "work" now for me). Or perhaps something like Frostpunk which I really enjoyed, but have no intention of playing the survivor difficulty.


That said I think there's a range of presentations of videos, so if you tried a few and didn't enjoy it then it might actually be the presentors style, rather than the game or watching the game itself. For example I prefer a commentary of what the person is thinking of doing in the game (and why) as they play.

So I don't really enjoy videos of just the game screen on its own. Similarly I don't particularly enjoy an over-the-top exaggerated/populist style either, so some of the larger more-popular youtubers I find unwatchable because of that.

 

[Yggdrasill]

I do like to watch my friends playing, but I also watch videos/streams, especially games I wouldn't play myself (Horror, Soulslikes) or can't play (console games), on a very regular basis.

I also watch tutorials/guides, like for CK III for example.

 

[Pifanjr]

I have watched a lot of videos about Total War: Warhammer 2. Or rather, listened to them while driving. Mostly from Zerkovich, who takes way too much time to say what he wants to say, but that just makes it perfect for listening to while doing something else.

 

[mainer]

As for watching streamers play a game, I'm not really into that. I have watched some gameplay videos on UT if I'm having a problem with a boss battle( @Brian Boru there's those bosses again), or a particular difficult section of a game, but it's kind of rare, as my first step is to consult a Wiki or similar source. For both sources, it's really a last resort, as I'd rather figure things out myself if at all possible.

With the gameplay videos the quality can vary greatly just by the narrator's voice, and how well they enunciate their words. Some are great, others, not so much. I remember watching a video years ago, where the narrator sounded like he was eating from a large bag of chips and spraying crumbs everywhere, I could barely make out his words. I had to turn that one off.

Game announcement videos, as well as gameplay videos from the game developer; I love watching those if it's a game I'm interested in, or if I'm undecided about buying it.

help guides - there are a lot of good videos for learning.

This very much so. Back when I was first learning to mod games, I watched a lot of UT videos on certain aspects of modding, and they were extremely helpful. There's several videos by a modder named Gopher that are very helpful, detailed, and presented in a logical way. I still watch some of those vids from time to time If I'm doing a fairly large mod order.

Just last year when I was modding FO4, I was having a certain problem with a mod called We Are the Minutemen. Found a short UT video by TheAldipose that showed step by step instructions how to solve that issue by using FO4Edit. For things like this UT can be a great source.

 

[Brian Boru]

Youtuber called Splattercat who does shortish daily videos of indie games

Thanks for that, subbed—looks interesting. I watch a much smaller YTer called Sampstra Games for Indie. Czech chick—wanted to say that, ha ha—who's presentation is sometimes great, sometimes not, but the games are often interesting.

games that I've already played, but at a more expert level

I almost never rewatch a video unless it's something I'm learning, but 2 YTers I'll rewatch are Clockner and StealthGamerBR—they've done some fabulous stuff.

there's a range of presentations of videos … I prefer a commentary of what the person is thinking … I don't particularly enjoy an over-the-top exaggerated/populist style

Same here. My science YTer Anton Petrov has the most soothing presentation I've seen on YT, allied to great content and his ability to communicate at the interested layman level.

I really appreciate YTers who break up their videos so you can mouseover to find sections quickly, or alternatively post timestamps in the description.

 

[Zloth]

PC Gamer had a play-through of NetHack which was fun. I got to see how the game has changed since I played it, got to see some stuff I never figured out, and got to see somebody make the same mistakes I did. (Remember folks: if you're going to handle a dead cockatrice, wear gloves!)

I rarely watch stuff like that, though. Why watch when I can play? And, if I can't play, I'll probably just read a book.

 

[Colif]

I like to watch people who only talk about the game they playing this moment and don't sit there and talk to people in chat or talk about anything they did that day, I don't care, I just want to know about this game, not what you had for lunch. SO I don't watch streamers, I never watch anything live.

I think I started just watching videos as many reviews these days don't even tell you about gameplay and so seeing what game was like is what started me watching.

Sometimes I watch games I will never play, just to see end.

 

[Pifanjr]

Does anyone here listen to video game related podcasts?

I tried a few but they all kinda feel like being part of a conversation I can't participate in. Which is an experience I've had often enough in person already.

 

[ZedClampet]

Sure beats buying them.

Just no. Watching someone play a game is like watching someone cut their toenails. Scintillating.

The only people I ever watch play are my kids. The exception to this is if I want to watch someone do one specific thing. I did this recently with Car Mechanic Simulator 18 (to see what an ability did before spending my skill points), but I just watched a couple minutes of the video, mostly just the part I needed. The YouTuber was pleasant enough, but why watch if I can play? Also, he wasn't as good at the game as I am, so it would just be irritating.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Thanks for that, subbed—looks interesting. I watch a much smaller YTer called Sampstra Games for Indie. Czech chick—wanted to say that, ha ha—who's presentation is sometimes great, sometimes not, but the games are often interesting.

Glad to introduce you. I only tend to watch his videos on games that I like the look of, but I do like his presentation and he does genuinely seem to love trying the games which helps.

I subbed Sampstra too. There's so many games released on a daily basis now its great that there are people out there looking into them.

Does anyone here listen to video game related podcasts?

I tried a few but they all kinda feel like being part of a conversation I can't participate in. Which is an experience I've had often enough in person already.

I've been listening to podcasts pretty much all day instead of radio for a while. PC Gamer has one which I check out but its quite irregular. Gaming-wise almost all of the ones I listen to stem from Giant Bomb. Ex editors there have started quite a few different ones with some others in the mix.

Nextlander, Waypoint Radio (which can get political), Fire Escape Cast. The Giant Bomb Cast has improved again IMO recently with the new lineup that happened after many left in a short space of time. I just find most of these funny sometimes, even if I don't always share their taste in games.

I'd also love to hear of any different video game podcasts anyone recommends, I just really liked the Giant Beastcast which ended recently and I've followed some of those guys around without looking into it much further.

 

[ZedClampet]

PC Gamer had a play-through of NetHack which was fun. I got to see how the game has changed since I played it, got to see some stuff I never figured out, and got to see somebody make the same mistakes I did. (Remember folks: if you're going to handle a dead cockatrice, wear gloves!)

I rarely watch stuff like that, though. Why watch when I can play? And, if I can't play, I'll probably just read a book.

I tried to watch James Davenport (PCG) play an XCOM 2 mission before the game came out, and it was like being hit in the head repeatedly with a hammer. Took him about 5 minutes just to decide where to move his first character. He kept mousing over each unit to see where they could move during their turn. He did each one several times. Then he finally moved the first unit and started the process all over again. I almost cried.

 

[Zloth]

Something like this, @ZedClampet?

View: https://youtu.be/VfFvFQuNStA
P.S. The game has an accelerated mode, but where's the fun in that?

 

[Furr_Man]

I mostly watch competitive gameplay, live or recorded. Singleplayer stuff is usually reviews, guides, sometimes walkthroughs, speedruns or trivia. I do often like youtube reviews that insert some humor, but I really don't like unscripted "personality-driven" stuff like a lot of popular streamers that just do whatever and blab on over themselves bumbling through a game. That being said, I do find myself watching a lot of gameplay footage. Maybe its from growing up with an older brother, and always watching him play.