Can someone please explain the appeal in watching other people play video games? My Facebook feed is exploding with people going to massive arenas to do this? Isn't the point of a video game A) that you play it and B) it's something that can be done without leaving your room?
>>21335 One reason I can think of is not having a computer powerful enough to run those games. Not to mention console games unavailable for the PC.
I did so with Deus Ex: The Fall because I had heard that the PC port was crap and I just couldn't be arsed to install it myself. Watching proved to be quite boring to me, so unless there is a really solid reason I won't be 'gaming on YouTube' again.
Another reason — I shit you not — is being lazy to play the damn game yourself.
I just wrote out a massive fucking post about all the different kinds of gameplay video I watch, and why, then my fucking browser crashed. Now I'm angry and swearing and angry.
I might do it again later though, but now I need breakfast.
I like watching longplays in which no one talks because it effectively turns the computer games into films, many of which are very absorbing and watchable.
Alright, I've had breakfast and I'm ready to post.
So usually the gameplay videos I'm watching are games that don't have very big audiences, or for videos of games I don't play it's usually because the people playing them are interesting. Those second lot are probably more akin to radio shows I guess. Also have you seen most TV? It's usually boring and being repeated for the 4th time that week, and/or full of ads.
Because Amnesia was scary and isn't narrated by a man with a nice accent, I watched this instead. Thinking about it, it is narrated by a man with a nice accent, just not a nice Shefield accent.
This is clearly bibble to anyone not familiar with this game/the inner workings of late 20th century combined arms warfare. But because not many people play this game, this is one of the few places to pick up strategies and discuss things.
Arma videos are popular for a few reasons. One reason's that not many people can actually run the game, another's that the videos tend to the generate their own little plots, so it's kind of like a new movie each time you watch, with the same characters too, admittedly with most of the dialogue replaced by machine gun noises.
I feel like this is just a pale imitation of my original post, but I tried.