Why do people actually watch Let's Play videos?

They seem to have invaded the internet, filled the youtubes, hell even some of my friends have started producing them ... and I just don't understand why.

I get Quick Looks, you watch a bit of a game in action to get a feel of what it's actually like. Makes sense.

I might even be able to understand watching a Let's Play if people doing it are generally funny or insightful, but I've yet to see a let's play video series that is. Almost everybody (if not, everybody) that makes these videos seem like drooling morons. The least offensive of them seem to occasionally mutter one or two nasally sentences in a ten minute video, but the worst of them seem to get off on their own voice, blabbing the most unfunny quips possible every second they can get.

What am I missing here? Somebody enlighten me.

This was the only LP I've ever enjoyed because he hates every aspect of what he is doing and is very synced up with my own type of humor.

Because I find the people making them to be funny and/or insightful, as opposed to drooling morons?

Hamsteralliance.

Exactly the same reason people watch Quick Plays, or Last Saves. They either want to see what a game is like being played, or they think the person playing is funny.

@Meowshi: I've gone through a cursory examination of all the top rated ones on youtube. They all seem like driveling, nasally morons.

Because I find the people making them to be funny and/or insightful, as opposed to drooling morons?

@BrainSpecialist said:

Exactly the same reason people watch Quick Plays, or Last Saves. They either want to see what a game is like being played, or they think the person playing is funny.

I must just not be seeing the right ones, because I have not seen a single one where the person doesn't just sound like some idiot making one word quips or dumb sentences in stupid voices.

Hell if I know. I don't have the endurance to watch someone run through an entire game. I'd rather play it myself.

I've also never found one where I think the person is funny. Although I do enjoy the videos Hamster makes from time to time.

Almost everybody (if not, everybody) that makes these videos seem like drooling morons. The least offensive of them seem to occasionally mutter one or two nasally sentences in a ten minute video, but the worst of them seem to get off on their own voice, blabbing the most unfunny quips possible every second they can get.

What am I missing here? Somebody enlighten me.

I don't have the money to buy every game ever released.  So i usually watch a lets play to see how the game's story plays out.   I'm guilty of doing this for Deadspace 1 and 2.

@louiedog said:

Hell if I know. I don't have the endurance to watch someone run through an entire game. I'd rather play it myself.

That's probably it for me as well. I just don't see the appeal. (I also don't really see the appeal for the Endurance Run on GB either though. I watched a few, and they were funny, because the GB crew actually are pretty humorous, but I can't watch it all.)

I do have to say though, I forget who it was, but one persons Let's Play of Europa Universalis III did help me both learn the games mechanics, and decide to purchase it for myself. But I only watched four of his 182 videos of the game.

@allworkandlowpay said:

@Meowshi: I've gone through a cursory examination of all the top rated ones on youtube. They all seem like driveling, nasally morons.

That's because you're watching YouTube LPs.

@allworkandlowpay said:

@BrainSpecialist said:

Exactly the same reason people watch Quick Plays, or Last Saves. They either want to see what a game is like being played, or they think the person playing is funny.

I must just not be seeing the right ones, because I have not seen a single one where the person doesn't just sound like some idiot making one word quips or dumb sentences in stupid voices.

This one is really excellent. It's done very professionally and features a game that's pretty much unkown by most.

But yeah, for the most part I agree. It almost makes me wish Youtube had some kind of quality control, the majority of LP's are absolutely abysmal.

Giant Bomb ERs are the only ones I've ever enjoyed.

Giant Bomb ERs are the only ones I've ever enjoyed.

Since everyone that I care about, regarding videogames critic/journalism/shenanigans, works at WM, I don't know any of the other shit that's out there.

I've been known to watch Let's Plays for games I like but ones I know I'd never be able to finish on my own. Agree that 99% of them need not exist because not everyone is an entertainer.

@WinterSnowblind said:

@allworkandlowpay said:

@BrainSpecialist said:

Exactly the same reason people watch Quick Plays, or Last Saves. They either want to see what a game is like being played, or they think the person playing is funny.

I must just not be seeing the right ones, because I have not seen a single one where the person doesn't just sound like some idiot making one word quips or dumb sentences in stupid voices.

This one is really excellent. It's done very professionally and features a game that's pretty much unkown by most.

But yeah, for the most part I agree. It almost makes me wish Youtube had some kind of quality control, the majority of LP's are absolutely abysmal.

I suppose I could see this being interesting to someone involved in game design, and it certainly seemed informative. Unfortunately it was also dreadfully boring. the only reason why I watched the entire thing was because I've never heard of this Jurassic Park game before.

Thanks for the link though.

Different people like different things.

There are plenty of games I don't plan on playing, but I'm curious about - so I'll watch someone else play them. For example, I hate scary games (I can't even play Quake 2 for prolonged periods) - but I wanted to know what Amnesia was all about, so I watched Jesse Cox play it through. I'd never touch Deadly Preminition on my own - but thanks to GB, I have experienced the story without having to suffer through the agonizing gunfights.

Right now I'm watching Deus Ex, Crysis 2 and Dead Island playthroughs because I'm interested in them, but not enough to spend money and play them myself.

a guy on youtube called Ithilion the Brave did a Demon's Souls walkthrough. Not only pleasant to hear but gave a shitload of helpful tips

another called SupaGogoMan did one of the Resident Evil remake and this one was just plain hilarious. His "esophagus" problem part in particular

There are some games I want to see but not play myself (often because they are, well, bad)

Others it is because of great and/or funny insightful and entertaining commentary.

@BulletproofMonk said:

Hamsteralliance.

Going to throw another vote in for Chip Cheezum and General Ironicus. I have watched all the LPs on their site and enjoyed them all. I like watching LPs for different reasons. Sometimes it is because I love the game and I like seeing other people's approach to it or to hear their insight and thoughts about the game. Other times it is because I have no interest in playing the game and I would like to see the story etc. Lastly, in the case of Chip and Ironicus I just generally like the personalities and much like videos on this site I will watch a video about something I don't particularly have an interest in just because I enjoy the discussion and chatter of the people being recorded.

Not a video, but a great LP.

http://lparchive.org/Dwarf-Fortress-Boatmurdered/

Well at the end of the day, Giant Bomb are the original and best at these kind of gameplay videos. It helps as they have an extensive history with games, plus the wit and humor to pull it off.

After that, pretty much everyone else is going to seem like second best, but they do it because Giant Bomb does it. They just can't do it as well.

Well, that's my take on it from my own experiences.

@EuanDewar: "Got away with murder! Well, I didn't really get away with it. I've got a license to murder... License to Murder doesn't sound as cool as License to Kill."

Okay you got me, dude made me laugh. I think there's something to be said for a Let's Play video where the guy is exasperated and enraged at every aspect of the game. Maybe get Yahtzee from Zero Punctuation on the case.

Legendary

Not a single episode is boring or unfunny from Toby

they want to watch people play video games. they watch it to find out what the game is about and stuff.

Never heard of them.

Good question.....I find the majority of people who make LP's have incredibly annoying voices making them unwatchable.

I am poor and I live vicariously through them.

This is a thing?

One of the greatest LPs of all time:

Not a video, but a great LP.

http://lparchive.org/Dwarf-Fortress-Boatmurdered/

Because there's no endurance run

Watch some of Total Biscuits videos.

Legendary

Not a single episode is boring or unfunny from Toby

I'm a big fan of AccountNightmare and her Devil May Cry playthroughs. She usually plays on the hardest difficulty level (Dante Must Die), except for Devil May Cry 3, and is extremely well-informed of the games' mechanics, lore, and is pretty much just real fun to watch. Also, she doesn't talk over cutscenes and is also very Australian. Two things I enjoy.

I'd agree. Until last week; I ended up watching 25 episodes of TotalBiscuit's Let's Play Terraria in a few days before getting into Terraria myself.

Agreed with OP. They're hacks who do nothing but cater to the lowest common denominator with shitty, year-old internet memes and "lol so randum" faux-ADHD spazfests.
 
Fuck everything, I'm done.
 
@Dick_Mohawk said:

Well at the end of the day, Giant Bomb are the original and best at these kind of gameplay videos. It helps as they have an extensive history with games, plus the wit and humor to pull it off.

After that, pretty much everyone else is going to seem like second best, but they do it because Giant Bomb does it. They just can't do it as well.

Well, that's my take on it from my own experiences.

Only stuff I've seen outside of GiantBomb is for games I will probably never get to play, mainly because I don't own a PS3! So I checked out Heavy Rain and some other games, never got to the end though.

I like watching for the funny comentary and to see how others play games.

I like psychadellicsnake, davidx64, BlueXephos' channels on youtube.

Sir Ron Lionheart.

Only LP out there worth it.

The only one i have watched are Fallout 1 & 2 ones. I learned a lot and I think it is funny, some parts.

Dopefish is fucking incredible

You people really seem to only have found the bad lp's. There are plenty of older (and thus way more sensible) lp's out there.

As for why you watch them; I started watching some Resident Evil videos/lp's (back when that was pretty unique) because I really didn't like those games and wondered what people saw in them.

Then I really enjoyed the guy's commentary and watched his other videos. That's when I simply just found it fun to listen to some people. But I'm personally really selective, there's only a couple of people I can even stand listening to, much like the OP.