Poll: Do you watch "Let's Play" type videos?

[mjc0961]

Not really. Every now and then I will stumble across one in the suggestions section and click to see, but I never watch an entire series. In fact, I usually never watch the entire video anyway. Maybe I'm not finding the good people, but most LPs are boring to me. The player's comments generally range from boring and useless to downright annoying and useless. And perhaps the most offensive thing I've seen in a "Let's Play" was a guy calling his LP a "walkthrough", but was actually playing the game via a ROM and emulator and abusing the hell out of save states to get through a game he was terrible at (of course, my bias against incorrectly naming things comes into play there; walkthroughs and LPs are not the same thing!!).

Although I have a friend who is thinking about doing some at some point, so I'll probably watch those. I was never really big on watching those Pokémon battle videos either, but I check his out and they entertain well enough. Never bothered to watch other people though, and it'll probably end up the same way again.

But yeah, generally when I go to watch a video of someone playing a game, it's because I want to see how they beat, it so I prefer true walkthroughs over LPs as a good walkthrough creator explains what he or she is doing, whereas an LPer may or may not bother.

 

[John the Gamer]

Yes. Often they suck at it which is both frustrating and funny.

 

[Hatchet90]

How does someone make LPs? For PC I know that you can just use FRAPS, but for consoles like PS1-2-3 games, I'd like to know so I may begin doing some of my own.

OT: I watch LPs all the time, Its interesting to get peoples reactions and see how they solve puzzles.

They hook up their game consoles to a DVD recorder and, using A/V splitters, connect the game into the TV. As they record the footage, they wear a headset, to record their reaction to the game, onto a computer via Premiere or other recording software. They import the gameplay footage and match up the commentary at the right times and voila, instant Let's Play. There are other ways to do it, but this is probably the easiest and cheapest.

For instance you could use dual monitors on a PC and using a capture card, record the footage with a live feed so long as you have splitters, but if you don't have a computer with enough memory it will lead to a loss in A/V synchronization. You could also use a device known as a Canopus AD-VC 100, which can be used to capture anything coming out of your TV through the use of A/V splitters, but through my experience this leads to a dreadful loss in A/V sync, especially if your computer can't handle recording a Live Feed (a la memory lower than 4 GB). It is indeed difficult and costly to do, and I hope in the future it gets easier to record game footage.

Probably the easiest way is to just get an emulator for the PC and record using Fraps. You can usually find one for free for any pre-PS2 games. Though, a lot of purists and commenters don't like players using emulators because that usually means their cheating through save-states. Granted for any game using a CD, one usually need a copy of the game to work, and I am by no means condoning the stealing of a game, I am simply giving you an example of what some reviewers do.

OT: I enjoy watching Let's Plays, and I believe that Spoony's are the best. Phantasmagoria, Ripper, and SWAT? Yes please.

 

[superbatranger]

Never have to be honest. Not sure why though.

 

[MassiveGeek]

I listen to them while I draw or watch them when I'm bored.

They're like my music.

 

[darth.pixie]

Usually written LPs only. English is not my first (or even second) language so listening to someone talk with the game going on is distracting and I end up paying attention either to one or the other. I just generally dislike them.

Written however are more fun, you get comments and stories that you couldn't in a video (like say, what was cut from a game) and the writing is often amusing.

 

[Kajt]

Indeed I do. I only watch LPs of not so well known and old games though.

 

[William Ossiss]

Chuggaaconroy says it all. STEVE!

 

[ChaoticKraus]

Yeah, they can pretty entertaining. Especially if you don't have/plan to get the game yourself. Of course it all depends on the narrator. A bad narrator makes it unwatchable (especially if he communicates via voice. But a good narrator can make anything watchable.

They are also a great way to check out games you are on the fence about buying.

 

[Mistermixmaster]

Yes. I watch LP's from 7 different Let's Players. Why? Because I find their commentary fun of course! What games they do is just a bonus really. I think 4 of the guys I'm subscribed to have done Silent Hill 2 (some of 'em even done a Blind run A.K.A. first time playthrough), but I've still watched every part they did.

Finding a good LP'er to follow is hard though, there's so many variables. Voice (not a kid with a squeeky voice), accents (one of my favourites has a thick Yorkshire accent that some of my friends find hard to understand but this can also give bonus points!), humour and jokes, level of professionality (it's boring to watch someone play a game and know everything about it and talk in a monotous tone) and how much fun the LP'er is having (watching an LP where the LP'er is bored but still continues gets boring fast)... There's probably a lot more variables, but these are the ones that spring to mind at this moment.

 

[ChipSandwich]

Not a video, but very very informative:

http://lparchive.org/Knights-of-the-Old-Republic-II/

 

[magma]

I don't have much money for games so I tend to watch ones with limited replay value that interest me enough to watch but not buy or if they exist on a different system. I also use them as replacements for demos with demo-less games that I am interested in buying since my computer will handle pretty much anything.

 

[Th37thTrump3t]

I mainly watch LP's of games that I have already played and beaten. It's especially fun to watch horror game LP's for obvious reasons.

 

[Admiral Stukov]

Yes, Totalbiscuit's videos.

 

[Wolfram23]

431 votes are in!

And 79% of you watch LPs! I'm actually very surprised by this number. I've never really watched one before, except a brief episode on "surviving your first day in minecraft" haha. That video convinced me to buy the game too.

 

[hazabaza1]

Hells yes.
And I may or may not MAKE THEM! [http://www.youtube.com/user/MrHaza2?feature=mhum]
[sub][sub][sub]Hint hint[/sub][/sub][/sub]

 

[MrShowerHead]

If they're funny enough they are worth watching. E.g. This one http://spoonyexperiment.com/category/lets-play/phantasmagoria/

Oh, I also watch a lot of retsupurae, if that counts. It's a group of people that talk over other people's let's plays and mock them.


Mean spirited I know, but kinda funny on occasion.

...Why haven't I found this earlier?!

My God, thanks dude! Going to watch those videos all night

 

[CactiComplex]

Yep, mostly for the entertainment, and occasionally because I need another perspective to help me figure something out.

 

[Ashcrexl]

they're really helpful if i'm stuck in a 3d environment (which is always). text can only go so far for descriptions.

 

[Eumersian]

The only Let's Play I've ever watched was the Legaia one from Unskippable. It was OK, but I don't think I'll really go around looking for awesome Let's Plays anytime soon.