Would You Play a Video Game or Watch Someone Play the Video Game With Commentary?

[AnimalCrossingcool]

Would you want to play a video game or watch someone play the video game with commentary?

Personally, I like watching other people play video games because the games I have require you to think and sometimes I want to space out after being at school for 7-8 hours.

What about you?

 

[ChibiSylph]

I play it myself, watching others is BORING.

 

[irisubunny]

i like to actually play it to get more of an experience. i only really watch someone play it with commentary when i can't play the game myself because i don't have the console or somethin

 

[BellGreen]

Watching Minecraft with commentary is so boring. I'd rather play a game myself unless I don't have the game.

 

[Lauren]

I like watching LP's but id rather play myself!

 

[LunaRover]

I like playing. Sometimes I watch people play though.

 

[ShinyYoshi]

For me, it really depends. I can watch Chuggaaconroy do LPs all day and never get bored because he's hilarious and his videos are great. And with really old games I know I will probably never own, I don't mind watching people do LPs on YouTube just so I can see the game.
But, if it's not Chuggaaconroy, I'm not a huge fan of commentary.

If it's a game I haven't played yet, I'd rather play it myself first. Then if I beat it I probably wouldn't watch someone else play it just because I already experienced it.

But when I was little, I loved watching my older sister play Animal Crossing. I'm not sure why xP

 

[StarMayor]

It's hard to say. I do enjoy watching people LP videogames, whether I've played them or not. If there's a high chance I won't get to play a game at all, or I won't get it for a while, then I'll watch someone else play it.

 

[bluegoat14]

I would much rather play, but I don't really mind watching. I've spent quite a bit of time watching my older brother.

 

[Midoriya]

I like playing the game, watching commentary about it isn't that interesting in my opinion.

 

[meggiewes]

I really like playing games myself, but I do like watching other people's Let's Plays while I knit or clean. It is like podcasting for me and it helps me decide if I want the game myself. (like Pikmin 3) I mean, I even found an ACNL let's play that is entertaining enough for me to watch while I knit my mom a sweater.

But if it is something like Pokemon or Skyrim or Sims then I find it boring to watch other people for a long time. I would much rather play the game myself.

 

[Officer Berri]

Considering 90% of my subscriptions on Youtube are LPers, I gotta say I think I don't mind watching others play games. Especially if they're games I can't play and want to learn the story of. Or if I just want to watch someone else play through all the old games I loved as a child. It's nice to hear someone else's take on the lore of a game, an even that happens, or stuff like that.

I'd be an lper if I had recording stuff, probably. Though being a girl I can't really see myself becoming successful, since most people in my experience seem to not like female LPers that much.

Certain games though, I refuse to watch others play unless they really, really know what they're doing. Like Skyrim. I won't watch someone play Skyrim if they have no knowledge of the lore or if they're just goofing off. I really hate that in games with a deep-seeded lore. And I'm not even a veteran elder scrolls fan or anything. I also can't easily sit through games that drag on with repeated gameplay things. I have to experience something new or I can't sit through a video without skipping ahead.

So to answer the topic question, I'm in the middle. If it's a game that looks good, I'd rather play it to experience it all myself the first time, and then if I like it enough, watch others play it. But if it doesn't look like my cup of tea and I still want to see the story, I'll just watch someone else play so I don't have to deal with frustrating game play mechanics.

 

[DJStarstryker]

I'd rather play but, yes. Yes, I watch games with commentary. Case in point: Gamecenter CX is one of my favorite Japanese TV shows and I'm even going to go next month to a live challenge/taping of it. For those who don't feel like clicking the link, that's an episode of Arino (the host of Gamecenter CX) playing Super Mario Bros 3. It's subtitled in English, so it's OK even if you don't know Japanese.

I also play RPGs with my husband that are actually single player. We just take turns controlling it and the other watches. It takes less time if we can play 1 game at the same time than to each play it separately sometimes.

 

[gnoixaim]

I like watching Let's Plays'; I like watching them when I'm too cheap to buy a video game But I also would rather play video games myself (if I could).

I HATE when people watch me play though, especially when I'm playing Skyrim and my boyfriend is there commentating about everything. I pretty much hate back-seat gamers, LOL.

 

[Farobi]

I watch people play because POOR

 

[Unidentified Floor Orange]

If it's a game I can't (Starcraft 2) or don't want to play (usually games I've already played and don't feel like playing again), then I'll watch others play. Otherwise I'd rather play the game myself.

 

[Croconaw]

I'd like to play the game myself.

 

[Hyoshido]

You forgot the third option.
"Watch people play games but with no commentary"

I'm sick of all these British LP's though, I honestly hate our accents.

 

[Trent the Paladin]

I'll watch commentaries on multiplayer focused games like Battlefield or Call of Duty, but probably wouldn't for anything else unless the dude/dudette/group is pretty entertaining (Game Grumps).

 

[Tortimer]

I'd prefer to play the game, though if it's a game I think I'll have trouble getting my hands on, I certainly have nothing against watching a Let's Play. They do kind of bore me, though--I'd rather there be something more to the video than just some guy playing a game and talking about it.