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Can someone please explain the appeal of watching others play?

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posted on Nov, 12 2019 @ 04:42 PM
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It seems to be prevalent and I just don't get it. My grandson has several consoles and games, but instead of playing games he literally spends hours daily watching this guy who yells a lot playing games. My coworkers (most in their 20's/30's) also seem to constantly do this.

No one can explain why. I like playing games, not watching. And if I need help in a game I just google it, and can find the answer in seconds without watching a video



posted on Nov, 12 2019 @ 04:45 PM
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a reply to: vlawde

I was just talking to someone about this today.

This generation is lonely.

That is also the reason they like to watch people do things like eat. I couldn't believe how many videos there are of people slurping down food. They have huge followings.

Kids now don't have friends come over and play, so this is the next best thing... sad



posted on Nov, 12 2019 @ 04:45 PM
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a reply to: vlawde

I haven't figured it out yet either...
I get watching some gameplay to gain some tips from good players but just watching for hours makes no sense....



posted on Nov, 12 2019 @ 04:45 PM
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Meh, I do it sometimes. Depends on the game, some people just do funny sh# in games instead of play it serious, some people do walk throughs so you can see the game before you buy it, some make tutorials, I mean it depends. Some gamer channels have pretty funny content and decent production so it's pretty ez to smoke some cabbage and sit back and watch some games.



posted on Nov, 12 2019 @ 04:52 PM
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a reply to: vlawde

seems to be a big thing with the younger generations... I've had this discussion a few times

My buddy's kid is 7, has a few systems and yet watches people play Fortnight for hours instead of just downloading the game and playing...

I don't get it either...



posted on Nov, 12 2019 @ 04:52 PM
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For the same reason people like watching someone play pool, or bowl. Play pinball. It's about seeing someone else's skills. And I agree with you, also for company.



posted on Nov, 12 2019 @ 04:54 PM
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I am in my early 40's, and I watch people stream games. Mainly, I really do not have the time to sit down and play a game for 2-4 hours a day, and most games now are either pay to win, or such a grind that to even be competitive/advance in the game, it needs to be like your job. Hell, to beat the new Kojima movie (it is barely a game) you need to play upwards of 40-50 hours!!! Unreal. The streamers play it, edit footage into 20-30 min vids I can watch when and wherever, and a lot of times (at least the ones I watch) add hilarious commentary as well. win win.

Don't get me wrong, I still game. Right now I have a HUGE backlog to play through. Still havent finished Days Gone, then it is on to Destiny 2 Shadowkeep for starters (Cyber Punk and Last of Us 2 I will 100% play myself tho)........just dont have the time to play everything I find interesting.



posted on Nov, 12 2019 @ 04:54 PM
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If you are talking watching people stream then I personally don't enjoy that though I do watch the stream feeds we have up at work when walking into the building or during lunch if my team isnt doing something.

I can tell you that the thousands of people that watched the E League events 2 weeknds ago had a great time and it didn't feel much different then being at a sporting event.

It takes all types of things to make the world go round and if someone enjoys watching people play video games in some capacity then more power to them.
edit on 12-11-2019 by opethPA because: (no reason given)



posted on Nov, 12 2019 @ 04:58 PM
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That's how I learned cribbage. I must have watched a few hundred "lunchroom" games before I jumped in. Now I'm pretty good (cough.)



posted on Nov, 12 2019 @ 05:20 PM
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a reply to: vlawde

Why do people watch sports?

Maybe because it is entertaining to see others doing stuff, competing, succeeding, failing?



posted on Nov, 12 2019 @ 05:22 PM
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I watch mainly to see if it's a game i'll like,
Also if it's a pc or console exclusive.



posted on Nov, 12 2019 @ 05:23 PM
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It just depends on my mood and I'm in my 50's watched a lot of RD2 cause wanted to see what the fuss was. But use to game all the time when I was younger. Got two daughters and among other things, we would sit down and play games together for hours, well Id play but Id get them involved to ask them where I should go what should I do. We loved it LOL played the old Trespasser game they loved the dinosaurs and getting scared when a raptor or TRex was after us. Spent quite a few rainy weekends doing stuff like that.



posted on Nov, 12 2019 @ 05:26 PM
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a reply to: vlawde

Hey man get ready to be blown away. My next door neighbor is a 19 year old famous YouTuber who literally plays games, comments during the game and that's ALL he does and he rakes in around $60K / month. He doesn't show others how to play, doesn't offer them cheat codes, or anything you would think would be of value. He literally just comments while he is playing a game. Posts the video and sits back and rakes in piles of cash.

To make that even more unbelievable the average age of his YouTube audience are pre-teens. Meaning they are the part of the spending populace who literally has ZERO disposable or ZERO income for that matter. So he makes a boat load of money from a subset of the population watching his videos who don't even spend money in the marketplace. Sure they may get mom and dad to cough up a few bucks here and there for the odd video game but YouTube video advertising is geared towards the adult consumer base.

To make things even more unimaginable I don't suppose you are aware of the dollars at stake in the eSports gaming industry. This is an industry where large corporations (mainly brand names) sponsor professional video gamers who actually try out to be on the gaming team. They compete in world wide tournaments and people by the thousands flock to huge locations to watch competing gamers compete against each other.

By the year 2022 the market valuation of eSports is expected to reach nearly $2 BILLION !



posted on Nov, 12 2019 @ 05:26 PM
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Personally I find Its one of the best ways to determine if you'll like a game before buying it. Especially true of online games, nothing sucks worse than getting a game only to find out the online community is dead.



posted on Nov, 12 2019 @ 05:40 PM
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Eh, I will occasionally watch a certain kind of game stream.

There's the type of gamer who does insane things in games that I won't take the time to do, but if they're going to take the time and I can see it done that way, I find it amusing especially if they run up a good commentary.

There's a guy who's doing a sort of "Big Brother" type series exploiting all the different ways you can kill Sims in Sims 4, and it's pretty funny. He's scared them to death, burned them death, waited to see which ones would drown first, made them die of anger, expire from heat exhaustion, die from a disgusting house full of filth, run on treadmills until they die, etc.

All things I think about but I never take the time or effort to do, but it's pretty funny when someone else does it to creepy sims named Florida Man and Babs Ross and Beth Amphetamine, etc.

Or I'll watch speed builds to get ideas and tips.

I've also watched videos where people use cheats and exploits because again, it's something I won't do, but with the right commentary, it's pretty darn entertaining.



posted on Nov, 12 2019 @ 06:15 PM
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I'm not a gamer so I can't speak for them, however my guess would be they do it for the same reasons I watch that "Columbo, Season 1" dvd over and over -its somehow familiar, comforting and calming.

Sal

a reply to: vlawde



posted on Nov, 12 2019 @ 06:51 PM
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I'll watch speed runs sometimes but that's about it. I don't really get the appeal of watching people play games either. I'd rather play them.



posted on Nov, 12 2019 @ 07:00 PM
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Aside from a game trailer, info on what it's about and first impressions/reviews, I like going into a game and being surprised, and learning as I play. I dunno, just seems if I watched lengthy play videos it would be spoiled for me, like watching a video an hour long of a movie before watching the 2 hour film itself



posted on Nov, 12 2019 @ 08:07 PM
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a reply to: vlawde

I have never been the spectator kind myself BUT were sport is concerned for many fan's it is about watching the team you wanted to play for as a kid or your father or mother supported, perhaps a team that represent's a regional location or a national identity and when they win even those disinterested like me smile a little.
But for some it is a passion and a hobby and also a talking point among most social grouping's were many people may have nothing in common except the sport and players they love.

Were computer game's are concerned, well players like to see and pick up trick's by observing but to be fair I also don't get it, BUT when money is on ANY sport you would be surprised just how interesting the most mundane, slow and boring game suddenly become's.

If you have no interest in something then it is something you are not going to understand BUT if you have a hobby yourself then think of it in those term's, it's one of there hobbies and just like any hobby it also has social benefit's BUT since there is the element of competition involved it also become's a subject of rivalry - hopefully friendly but some abuse anything such as football hooligan's, for them it was never about a team or even a sport but about fighting rival fan's - often in cowardly gang attack's but sometime's against other hooligan's.

Also as JAGStorm point's out perfectly correctly this generation are the cell phone generation so they are lonely, for some of them just seeing other real people rather than talking to a piece of junk held up to there head is a novel experience.
And Kid's these day's do not play out just as JAGStorm also say's, they don't have that social interaction that they used to have, with the increase in awareness of predator's parent's are also often not keen on there children playing out for fear of this seemingly more dangerous world.
In Asia and also now in the west a psychological condition has even been noted were the sufferers can not relate to real people of the opposite sex but can relate to virtual people on computers more easily, very sad and a very real social disorder that affects Japan particularly badly and mostly male sufferers (in part as woman are more sociably by nature while males are less so - usually sorry to stereotype but it remains a fact of our biology woman would stay at home and care for the kids and the guy's would go off hunting for long periods of time).



posted on Nov, 12 2019 @ 08:30 PM
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a reply to: vlawde

While I love to game, I travel often for work, it's not always economical (2-3 day stays) to carry a gaming capable laptop or console with me. Now I don't watch most streamers because I don't care to hear someone speaking, I'll watch a walk-through or something similar so I can enjoy the story, kinda like watching a TV show.

I watch one streamer who plays MTG Arena, but I also play that when I'm home. He's got a good personality, good chat with the camera, and plays some pretty amusing decks and strategies.

As for the folks that yell or get silly, just not my cup of tea. It is however a valid form of entertainment, so I can understand why people do watch them.
edit on 11/12/19 by Hypntick because: Spelling




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