Longplays and Let's Plays?

[Tanukitsune]

I don't know if I'm the only one person here who does this, but I love watching longplays and Let's Plays!

A longplay is a video someone playing a game from the beginning to the end, while a Let's Play is (as far I know) the same thing with commentary, and episodic, usually 10 minutes each time, but they do play the whole game too!

Cubex55 is owned by lots of longplayers and has tons of videos, so if you like longplays, it's a must see!

DerSchmu does C64 longplays, although you have to go to their mainsite to see the longer ones...

As for Let's Play the only one I know who is entertaining enough to me is Deceased Crab.... HUZZAH!

So... Do you watch longplays or Let's Plays? Which do you like? LIKE ME, BABY!

[syntheticgerbil]

Haha, I can never sit through someone playing a whole game since I have a hard enough time making myself finish games sometimes.

Longplay videos do come in handy sometimes when I'm on a hard part of a game and I can watch someone else complete a portion I'm having trouble with.

I've also used them to take note of people's general strategies in puzzle games.

[Tanukitsune]

Well, if it doesn't have commentary I do tend to slip a lot, but you're right they are a godsend when you're stuck in a game!

[elmuerte]

My neighbor does, but I don't like it at all.

Games are like sports, they should be played, not watched.

[Tanukitsune]

My neighbor does, but I don't like it at all.

Games are like sports, they should be played, not watched.

Yeah, but it's nice to look at games I'll probably never own or games I wouldn't want to own until I've seen the gameplay...

[Wurtsi]

Generally I don't like let's plays, but I really enjoyed this one.

I started watching it because I had previously played the game to a certain point already and didn't feel like going through it again. Turned out there was something extremely satisfying about watching someone else struggle with the puzzles instead of you. It's almost better than playing it yourself.

[SignorSuperdouche]

I tend to take a look at this sort of thing if I'm thinking about picking up a game but I'm not quite sure if it's going to be my sort of thing. Watching 10 - 15 mins of gameplay will often swing it one way or the other for me.

[mr.miffmiff]

Ah, let's plays. Never heard of a long play. Until now. Check out HCBailly and Doctor1297. And of course ElectricalBeast. He was a bit shaky on the updates of his only Let's Play, for like a year. Meaning he didn't make the last episode. But it'll come soon. Or so says his recent update.

[Nachimir]

Wow Tanukitsune, I hadn't heard of these as a named thing before.

is a really weird thing to look back on, partly because of what the film did for CGI: I consider that and 8 bit consoles to have such a gulf, between them, when in fact they were still around at the same time. There's also the way it's been translated into 8bit, there are so many little things it picked up because that's what games were at the time: Sounds that could have been cribbed from Megaman, not just in what the SFX are, but the way it uses them, plus the really perfunctory treatment of story (Worth skipping to just before the boss battle at the end).

Games are like sports, they should be played, not watched.

Ah, total bollocks. They're a means of cultural preservation, as well as a way of looking at things you didn't own, never saw, and which would be hassle to get running nowadays. Besides, my brother and I used to spend time watching each other play games, and I knew a lot of people who did the same as kids. Even now, with a shared house, we sometimes watch for a while.

[Korax]

Sounds like you might be a fan of Giant Bomb's Persona 4 Endurance Run. Vinny and Jeff play in 20-minute chunks every weekday. They're somewhere around 90 hours in.

I enjoy watching people play games, but usually only in person. Commentary on the game is only really interesting to me if I can interact in some way.

[BooJaka]

When I was blasting through Super Metroid I consulted a long play incredibly often because I wanted to 100% it. I did and it was awesome, if only I realised it was done on speed, not so much on percentage.

And that brings it round to the other thing which I don't think anyone's mentioned yet: SPEEDRUNS! Speedruns are always awesome when they're just ridiculously flukey versions of games you know well. The

is a prime example.

[Noyb]

Games are like sports, they should be played, not watched.

I would not have seen over 90% of I Wanna Be the Guy without the Let's Play of it.

[Korax]

Games are like sports, they should be played, not watched.

And yet, there's a multi-million-(billion?)-dollar industry based around people doing just that. It's a crazy world we live in.

[Azazello]

I don't watch many of these, but I thought that this

let's play was pretty amusing, even though I'd already played it. Also, British.

[elmuerte]

And yet, there's a multi-million-(billion?)-dollar industry based around people doing just that. It's a crazy world we live in.

I wasn't implying nobody should watch it, I was just saying that I don't like watching it. Which was what Tanukitsune asked.

Also, I don't think that just because there's a "multi-million-(billion?)-dollar industry" for something means it's a good thing.

[Korax]

Also, I don't think that just because there's a "multi-million-(billion?)-dollar industry" for something means it's a good thing.

I completely agree. Just playing a little Devil's advocate.

[Nachimir]

elmuerte to learn E-Prime plx.

[elmuerte]

elmuerte to learn E-Prime plx.

Hmm.. that is interesting.

No wait, that interests me.

[ethanThomas]

I find longplays/let's plays worthwhile either when the players are funny or it's a game where I'm interested in the story but have no interest in the gameplay. (

Giant Bomb's Endurance Run provides both of these)

[clyde]

I did a let'sPlay of Sky Blue by Gigoia Studios

[Problem Machine]

I like Longplays of games I've played or have no interest in ever playing as a general sleepy time pseudo-research activity. It's very relaxing and enlightening sometimes to study old games that way. As for let's plays, I'll watch them if it's someone who I enjoy watching, which is usually going to be Northernlion or occasionally Ster. They both rarely play one-and-done narrative-focused games though, so it's a bit different than the usual let's play experience I think.

[Trip Hazard]

My favourite YouTube let's play thingy at the moment is Matt Lees' thoroughly entertaining (and not too time consuming) Bloodborne Diaries.

Give it a deek if you're into that game.

[syntheticgerbil]

Almost all Let's Play types annoy me, especially if it is talking over a narrative game. The only ones I like are if they are giving tips on how to beat stuff or be a better player, like this weirdly relaxing one on getting a Big Boss emblem on MGS4 Extreme:

 

That said, I often watch Vinesauce Vinny because I guess partly because his New Yorker accent amuses me and partly because his edited videos cut out all of the boredom of his long streams. Also he picks weird shit that no one wants to play, which is way more entertaining than watching someone play a good game.

[clyde]

I didn't occur to me until I saw this that we are going to start seeing Let's Plays within VR-displays.
https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/35102

[Dosed]

It's not technically a Let's Play but I didn't know where else to put it and I thought this guy deserved more recognition:

 

 

I thought this one was hilarious and I love his accent. Does anyone have anything else like this? Or anything more generally about video games? I used to watch Yahtzee but then I got bored and I liked Errant Signal but I ended up disagreeing with loads of stuff and found myself getting annoyed.