For me, it is any city/building construction game like City Skylines, Two Point Hospital, Planet Zoo etc.
I typically don’t watch playthrough videos, but I would say games that require more time or skill than I can offer. If the video creator can take a long, challenging game, and make a video of the highlights and random silly things they encountered while cutting out the monotony that happens in between, I’ll enjoy the video.
For example, Elden Ring. I played it for an hour and decided it wasn’t for me, but the kids will watch Elden Ring videos, and I’ll watch with them and learn about and experience that game without wasting my time playing something I don’t enjoy.
Age of Empires 2. It’s like watching a live chess match. The more I learn about the game, the more my own gameplay feels clumsy. Thankfully, the aoe community is larger than ever, even though it’s been 20 years since release.
The same goes for me and Total War. I love battle strategy but I am just no good at it haha. Some of my favorite streamers will occasionally play them, which is good enough for me
DauT is my spirit animal
Competitive games and broken games (in the se se that there are glitches that can be expolited for fun)
I’ll never be on that level, So i prefer to watch them.
imo you don’t have to be good at those games to still enjoy them. I loved playing counter strike, and I never made it out of the lowest possible rank.
Yeah, i agree. I fact i play Rocket League casually with friend. But seeing people playing in another level it’s like seeing another dimension of the game that always surprises me and i never expect what may happen.
that’s fair and understandable
for a bit a few years ago i watched a ton of minecraft experts create very advanced things that i never would’ve been able to. eventually i had seen enough.
You know what I did in minecraft? I dug a hole. Then I dug it downwards. It was like 60x60. Just a square hole. And next to it was a tall tower. I’d get that cobblestone from diging, and used it to build a tower. Then at the top of the tower I built a sky highway using cobblestone roads, and track.
I want actual trains in minecraft. Old timey steam trains. But a minecart and redstone is all I have.
Hmm.
I think that there are a couple of ways to look at this.
First, there’s just casually looking over someone’s shoulder.
I haven’t done this for many years now, but I don’t enjoy playing jumpscare games – don’t enjoy being startled – but I don’t mind watching someone else play one, can enjoy the story.
I was, years back, at least okay at FPSes, but never outstanding. I had a friend who was really solid and didn’t mind having people side-seat driving, and I enjoyed that.
Second, there’s outright collaborative play, but where one person has the controls. I think that this often comes up a fair bit with adventure games – I read about a number of guys talk about playing a game with their wife, but where they’re doing the clicking. Adventure games aren’t much about the control, but figuring things out and experiencing the story. I think that the experience watching and thinking it through here can be pretty comparable to playing. Maybe more fun if there are some tedious bits that you can just skip.
Third, there are professional streamers. That’s a whole 'nother ball of wax.
Cataclysm: Dark Days has some streamers like Vormithrax that amount to being the tutorial to the game for many players, because it’s so stupendously complicated and ever-changing, and he verbally walks through what he’s doing.
There are e-sports players. I don’t really like playing Starcraft or DoTA 2 multiplayer, but I can enjoy watching a presented event.
I understand that there are some “gamer girl” streamers; obviously there are people who enjoy that. I’ve never looked into it, but I imagine that it could be entertaining in a way that the game alone isn’t.
I remember once watching a fighter pilot watch an arcade-ish air combat game (IIRC either something in the Ace Combat or Project Wingman series). They were commenting on tactics, realism, and plane capabilities. Again, interesting in a way that the game itself isn’t.
Literally none. I enjoy interactive entertainment much more than passive consumption.
Any of the 4x/grand strategy type games (e.g., Crusader Kings, Hearts of Iron, Civilization). I don’t really enjoy the menu management of some of those games and the density of information and mechanics is anxiety inducing. However the emergent narrative those games provide really interests me so watching someone else play is the best way to access what I enjoy about those games.
Dwarf fortress, I love to see how and what people build and the emergent chaotic stories when a giant or vampire or whatever shows up.
Jump scare games, definitely. And survival horror, like that Alien game where you walk around and hide. Yeesh. Stuff like that. Also racing sims.
There are a couple of occasions where I watch someone else playing: when deciding if the game is worth buying (gameplay vs cutscenes) and when I’m stuck in a part of a game I can’t really google.
Elden Ring and most other soulslikes - I don’t have the skill, time or will to “git gud” at them, but they are a beautiful spectacle and a joy to watch, especially when watching someone who plays really well.
Triple A titles with a story. I don’t have the rig or the patience myself, but I stream some video gameplay on another monitor while I work…
I really enjoy a good narrative roleplay, like Neebscraft’s Subnautica.
…also this thread needs links!!!
I love that they added Neebs and Apsro voice lives to the actual game
None … I understand how video games work. You play them.
Lol, being down voted because I liked to play video games.
My spouse and I are gamers. It’s fun to introduce them to a game and watch them experience it for the first time. Every now and then they don’t like a game I’ve introduced, and other times they end falling in love with the game. Right now my spouse is introducing me to Hades, and they’re watching my experiences with it: it’s a good game so far, but they rave about it so I wanted to know what it’s like. We get to hang out while they watch me play, and it’s quality time together. Who knows, maybe this will be a favorite game of mine too?
I don’t watch strangers online play games, but let’s pretend there’s a content creator who I enjoy watching, is close to my age, and I enjoy their personality. How cool would it be to watch that person play some of my favorite games: nostalgic games, ones that inspired me, introduced me to new concepts, broke me, etc. If I aligned with that content creator, I’d love to hear what they think - what they liked and didn’t like about the game, how they felt with the thought-provoking moments, etc.
With that said, some persons like to watch others play games for these reasons and more.
Oh, I get why people like watching games, I’ve watched people play games lots. But mostly I’ve watched when I can’t play a game myself. I had a job with a lot of downtime for a while, and while I couldn’t install games on the computer, I could watch twitch or YouTube all I liked. But given the choice, I’d much rather be playing the games.
Oh man we’re going to tell the NFL, FIFA, and the others that fans are out of line and must be prevented from watching any games.
P.s. you’re being downvoted for a gatekeepy asshole comment.
I’m not saying anybody is out of line… I’m just saying * I * would rather play games than watch them. And I think games are most fun when played (which I don’t think is really a crazy statement).
But it’s true, I’m not really into spectating sports either, I don’t get much out of it. I would much rather play a pickup game of basketball than watch the NBA finals.
You play them.
Funny how that means “I”.
Counterstrike and Tarkov because I’m too bad at them to have any fun playing myself, but I really enjoy watching competitive matches or streamers raids here and there.
Also, Dark Souls 1-3 and Skyrim. I’ve played them all so much and still play through here and there, but I like to watch challenge runs and see all the modded or otherwise ridiculous playthroughs that I don’t have the patience to commit to myself.
Have you ever got a friend to play Dark Souls? It’s a fun game to watch someone new play it. My late best friend did that with me during the first lockdown, and I got the sense that he was vicariously enjoying the game through me.
