Watching others play games

[Dizzi]

Self explanatory do you enjoy watching others play games and offering advice or do you not enjoy playing and wanna do it yourself....

 

[Spirit]

I don't enjoy it.

I would rather go and play the game myself and have more fun.

If the person playing it sucks it can be dull and annoying watching them get lost, defeated or just exist aimlessly until they give up.

 

[Jirohnagi]

For the most part i enjoy playing the games myself but i do enjoy watching people play games at a level i can't personally do, such as speedrunners or challenge runs, or for that matter games that require a large amount of people to play.

 

[Dio]

No I don't enjoy it. I don't watch let's plays or anything like that and only watch gameplay videos to see if I might like the game.

 

[ToonLink64]

while it can be fun to play, it can also be fun to watch people play at a level I'm not at, as said earlier

 

[Azure Sage]

Does this apply to real life or watching videos on YouTube? If the latter, it depends on what I’m watching. I mostly only watch gameplay of games I don’t own anymore, to vicariously re-experience them. Watching people play games in person is a different story. I enjoy watching my little cousins try to figure out their way around various games, and sometimes I get to play with them and show them the ropes. That’s always a good time.

 

[NintendoCN]

Both for me, I find the best way to improve in a game is to watch someone more experienced play it, I also watch people like Naka Teeleli for his charisma and his banter with Elemental Ogre.

 

[LegendOfMeesh]

I thoroughly enjoy both gaming myself, and watching others play. I prefer to watch people game in person to be able to talk about the game and such, but every once in a while I do watch people play on YouTube.

 

[Pen]

I enjoy both in different ways.

I like to play games myself as long as it's a game I enjoy.

I like to watch others play games as long as the person playing is entertaining to me.

 

[Caramel H]

It depends on the person, how they play, and the game they're playing. I like to watch CallmeKevin play games but for comedic reasons, others I watch because it's satisfying, kind of like watching a sport you're interested in.

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

eh, I think I'd rather be the one who's playing honestly, I find I get a bit bored just sitting around and spectating

 

[Fraxinus]

I enjoyed watching my sister accidentally run into lynels when she first started playing BotW.

Like, depends on my relationship with the person, and it has to be entertaining for me to watch them. I live for seeing people react to things in games I have played that got a reaction out of me, but its more enjoyable if I know the person well. I'm not as keen on watching people play games I haven't played, though.

 

[A Link In Time]

Surprised to see the number of people in here who don't like seeing others game. When I was little, I often looked at my brother playing before I could, so I never minded. Nowadays, I watch a fair amount of streams on Twitch, especially for League of Legends and Super Mario Maker.

 

[Turo602]

I used to watch my brother play video games when I was young, particularly games I wasn't considered old enough to play like Resident Evil or Zelda. Not because of the violence or gore or anything like that, he just assumed I would suck at them... and he was probably right.

Regardless I did enjoy watching him play back in the day as it was how I first got into gaming on a deeper level than just playing. I sat down and appreciated story in games, the music, visuals, and adventure. Games like Resident Evil and Zelda left me with feelings of mystery and wonder just by watching them.

But... as a 23 year old gamer who has his own games and can play whatever he wants, I can't say I'm too fond of the idea of watching someone else play on the internet. If anything, I'm watching more for the person playing and their commentary than for the actual game. Though, I can definitely see how it could be a bonus if they were playing a game you love. I personally watch James and Mike from Cinemasscre, but like I said, it's more for their commentary and conversation than what they're actually playing. And if some of my favorite Youtubers are ever streaming games, I don't mind watching for a few minutes or leaving it on as background noise.

However, what I don't understand is why people watch others play video games they haven't played yet. For example, I haven't gotten to Spider-Man or Red Dead Redemption 2 yet, so why would I ruin that experience by watching someone else play it first? And so many people stream those games on day one and get so many views. It's unbelievable.

 

[VikzeLink]

I enjoy both playing myself, watching someone else play (depending on the game, I remember back when I was younger, my friend would invite me over to hang out, but then he'd sit by the computer playing WoW, expecting me to watch, talk and come up with something else to do... not that fun) or watching Let's Plays. I'm not so much for watching walkthroughs with pure info, or gameplay without commentary. I also do Let's Plays myself (currently OoT! (shameless selfpromotion ftw!)).
When I was younger, I used to watch friends play single player games (or they watched me) and we kinda played together by figuring out stuff and experiencing the story together. But now that I'm 25, we don't really have the time to hang out that much anymore, and when we do, we generally play multiplayer games, so it's been quite some time since I did that.