Watching Other People Play Video Games
The notion of live streaming or recording video game playthroughs is now a clearly established part of popular culture. It is something you can do while sitting on your sofa, watching TV in your lounge. A decade ago, people were far more sceptical about it and would scratch their head and ask “why would you want to watch someone else play a game”? Yet here we are in 2025 and 15% of YouTube content is about video games. Furthermore 20 out of the top 100 content creators are producing video game related material. As of last year, YouTube videos about games were generating 6 billion monthly views, on average. Where there are views, there’s advertising. Hence there’s the potential to make a lot of money, which only encourages further growth.
The notion of live streaming or recording video game playthroughs is now a clearly established part of popular culture. It is something you can do while sitting on your sofa, watching TV in your lounge. A decade ago, people were far more sceptical about it and would scratch their head and ask “why would you want to watch someone else play a game”? Yet here we are in 2025 and 15% of YouTube content is about video games. Furthermore 20 out of the top 100 content creators are producing video game related material. As of last year, YouTube videos about games were generating 6 billion monthly views, on average. Where there are views, there’s advertising. Hence there’s the potential to make a lot of money, which only encourages further growth.
I won’t waste too much time extolling the virtues of Twitch TV and YouTube from a gamers perspective. They provide free marketing and promotion of video games along with a wealth of useful tips and hints. In many ways, videos can be far better than in-game tutorials. Content creators can also create communities. If I am considering buying a new game, I will always go online to watch some gameplay footage prior to purchase, to see if the game suits my personal tastes. Hence, in principle all of these examples are useful things. The content creators do all the immediate work and provide a service that is easy to consume and essentially free. However, if you examine this “cottage industry” a little more closely, then you’ll find that there are plenty of potential flaws and pitfalls.
Dr Disrespect is a well known internet twat
Content creators are not held to any professional standards or subject to any code of ethics. Hence, things may not always be as they appear and expressed views may be driven by other agendas, rather than being purely personal opinion. Furthermore, the bar for uploading material to YouTube is pretty low. It is technically not that difficult to do and as a result the standard of content varies greatly. The ability to press record and talk is no guarantee of quality. I suppose the politest thing that can be said is that there is a lot of “white noise” out there. The democratisation of video production has many positive virtues. People can make niche market content and connect with others all over the world to build communities. However, there is virtually no quality control and the free market approach leads to a race to the bottom.
Like many other people, I have watched YouTube videos and thought to myself “well if they can do that, so can I”. Sometimes I think with a degree of hubris, that I could do better. So I have decided to carry out a few test recordings of video game footage and see if I can edit together some content suitable to upload to my abandoned YouTube channel. So I have purchased some video editing software and will spend the next few weeks seeing what I can come up with. I have no aspirations beyond this at present. I’m more interested in the process of making videos, rather than growing a YouTube channel. The latter seems like a lot of hard work as you try to identify a target audience and then produce regular content to appeal to that demographic. It is an already saturated market that is very competitive. Plus YouTube places a lot of restrictions upon content that seeks monetisation.
Enjoying LOTRO Through Others
When you’ve been doing any leisure activity for a long time, there comes a point where over familiarity does become an issue. It tempers one’s enjoyment and impacts upon the way you experience that particular pastime. I’ve written about this situation before with regard to my relationship with cinema and films. More recently it has started to occur with my gaming activities, especially with the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online. I have been playing this game since December 2008 and I’ve had a long and complicated relationship with it over the course of twelve years. The game was a mainstay of my life at a time when I was living alone and doing contract work. Hence I had a lot of leisure time to sink into LOTRO and few other obligations whenever I wasn’t working. It was in many ways the perfect time to enjoy an MMO as I could “commit” to it. And so I embarked upon the same gaming journey that many others have taken.
When you’ve been doing any leisure activity for a long time, there comes a point where over familiarity does become an issue. It tempers one’s enjoyment and impacts upon the way you experience that particular pastime. I’ve written about this situation before with regard to my relationship with cinema and films. More recently it has started to occur with my gaming activities, especially with the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online. I have been playing this game since December 2008 and I’ve had a long and complicated relationship with it over the course of twelve years. The game was a mainstay of my life at a time when I was living alone and doing contract work. Hence I had a lot of leisure time to sink into LOTRO and few other obligations whenever I wasn’t working. It was in many ways the perfect time to enjoy an MMO as I could “commit” to it. And so I embarked upon the same gaming journey that many others have taken.
Nowadays, LOTRO is very much a game that I have placed on the back burner, so to speak. Having experimented with various alts over the years, I now play a single, primary character (a level cap Lore-master) and only return to the game when there is new content to experience. I enjoy my time in-game but LOTRO is no longer my gaming obsession. Many of my fellow gaming bloggers have invoked an analogy about video games being like relationships, as they do often share a similar course. Nowadays, LOTRO is a trusted friend whom I meet up with several times a year and spend some time together. We tend to cover the same old ground but it is still fun to do. As for recapturing that sense of excitement I felt in 2008, well we all know the expression about how “you can never go home again”. It is certainly relevant here.
However, sometimes what is needed to revitalise a situation such as this, is a fresh set of eyes or a new perspective. And that is exactly what I inadvertently discovered yesterday. During the afternoon, I had my Twitter client open and I noticed that someone was just about to go-live on Twitch TV and that they were playing LOTRO for the first time. This piqued my interest so I joined their stream and then spent the next three or so hours watching them discover the game for themselves. The streamer in question Omar, is obviously a fan of Tolkien and it was therefore doubly enjoyable as he picked a class and race, logged into the game and undertook the initial stages of LOTRO. It was nice to be able to experience this MMO from a new player perspective, especially when he recognised lore references or realised that it was Strider himself who was leading him through the initial quest stages.
I was one of several existing LOTRO players present in the chat channel and hopefully we made ourselves useful with our advice, as opposed to being a nuisance. Sometimes you have to curb your enthusiasm and let people find their own feet. In fact that adds to the vicarious enjoyment that I felt, as I watched someone navigating a new game and the complexities of LOTRO’s systems and mechanics. Omar also comes from a console background and has only recently come to PC gaming. So in many respects he really has jumped into the proverbial deep end. However, he did well and clearly had a good time, which in itself was a timely reminder of how I used to feel when playing LOTRO. And that was a major shot in the arm for my own gaming enthusiasm. It was like when you watch a classic film with someone who hasn’t seen it before and they really enjoy it. Perhaps I should watch more streams like this.
Twitch.tv
Until recently I’ve been somewhat sceptical of Twitch. I’ve tried in the past to find both content and personalities that chime with me but have seldom had much success. Sadly, all too often I find the humour and general banter of some streamers to be not to my liking. Then there is the issue of channel monetisation. I appreciate that streaming is a business for some and that there is a requirement to attract subscribers and encourage donations, but I do feel that it’s not always approached in an appropriate fashion. Twitch and streaming culture is often aimed towards the younger viewer. Being of an older age group, the light and casual approach to presentation and interaction is not always to my taste. However, I have now managed to find some streamers who are more to my liking and have subsequently reviewed my opinion on the medium.
Until recently I’ve been somewhat sceptical of Twitch. I’ve tried in the past to find both content and personalities that chime with me but have seldom had much success. Sadly, all too often I find the humour and general banter of some streamers to be not to my liking. Then there is the issue of channel monetisation. I appreciate that streaming is a business for some and that there is a requirement to attract subscribers and encourage donations, but I do feel that it’s not always approached in an appropriate fashion. Twitch and streaming culture is often aimed towards the younger viewer. Being of an older age group, the light and casual approach to presentation and interaction is not always to my taste. However, I have now managed to find some streamers who are more to my liking and have subsequently reviewed my opinion on the medium.
For me, Twitch is as much about the audience viewing as it is about the individual streaming. Part of the attraction of the platform is the scope for interaction between streamer and viewers. I find that streams that attract substantial audiences lose this quality quite quickly. The text chat scrolls up at a prodigious rate and the moderators will often struggle to separate appropriate questions and banter from general shenanigans and trolling. I also find that some of the commercial streams and official channels of known corporations to be as bland and as hollow as mainstream television. However, a when you put an entertaining and gregarious streamer together with a small but enthused audience, you’ll often be rewarded with a very enjoyable two-way conversation.
Fortunately, my concerns over being able to find suitable content and streamers has benefitted recently by Twitch adding a “communities” option to their browse feature. In the past you had to search for material you like by game only. The addition of this button (although it is still in beta) means that it is easier to track down streamers with similar interests and aspirations. At present is somewhat rough and ready, lacking somewhat in variety. However, there are some promising categories such as tabletop, painting and fitness. It is reassuring to see this side of Twitch, which for to long seems to have been dominated my core gamers, focused on achievement, speed runs and competitive gaming. If handled properly, there is scope for it to become a much broader media platform, which is possibly what its owner, Amazon is considering.
Finally, it would be remiss of me not to mention the Twitch community that I’ve recently discovered. The Moogle’s Pom Tavern is a collective of streamers “who focus on chill streams where we share positivity and of course, video games”, to quote their website. What I like the most about this friendly group, is their upbeat and laid-back perspective on gaming. It all done for fun, rather than any other motivation. The streams are engaging, with a lot of banter. You soon get to know everyone and it’s very much like a social evening down the pub with mates. A lot of the participant do other creative projects, so they’re an invaluable source of information as well. Overall, it’s a great place to hang out, away from the some of the more brash and bellicose aspects of Twitch. So, if you feel so inclined, do checkout their schedule and come along and have a chat. It may make you revise your opinion on streaming, as it did with me.
Fun With The Jackbox Party Pack 3
For me, the best sort of fun is that which occurs organically and spontaneously. I not a big fan of organised fun, predicated on a predetermination that “everyone will enjoy themselves” (whether they want to or not). Therefore, I’m sure that it will come as no surprise to you that I hate institutions such as Holiday Camps and bullshit like Secret Santa in the workplace. However, this is not a post about the psychology of group interactions and humour but simply a slap on the back to Jackbox Games. Specifically, I had a crash course on The Jackbox Party Pack 3 last night, courtesy of Wolfyseyes Twitch Stream. Let it suffice to say that it was immense fun and I cannot remember laughing so much in a long time. It was a good job I wasn’t on Discord. The games themselves were a creative and enjoyable platform for the fun and mirth but the real comedy gold was down to the crowd of people playing.
For me, the best sort of fun is that which occurs organically and spontaneously. I not a big fan of organised fun, predicated on a predetermination that “everyone will enjoy themselves” (whether they want to or not). Therefore, I’m sure that it will come as no surprise to you that I hate institutions such as Holiday Camps and bullshit like Secret Santa in the workplace. However, this is not a post about the psychology of group interactions and humour but simply a slap on the back to Jackbox Games. Specifically, I had a crash course on The Jackbox Party Pack 3 last night, courtesy of Wolfyseyes Twitch Stream. Let it suffice to say that it was immense fun and I cannot remember laughing so much in a long time. It was a good job I wasn’t on Discord. The games themselves were a creative and enjoyable platform for the fun and mirth but the real comedy gold was down to the crowd of people playing.
First off, for those unfamiliar with the concept, here’s succinct summary of The Jackbox Party Pack franchise, taken from Wikipedia. "The Jackbox Party Pack are a series of party video games developed by Jackbox Games for many different platforms on a near-annual release schedule since 2014. Each installation contains five or so games that are designed to played in large groups, including in conjunction with streaming services like Twitch.tv and provide a means for audiences to participate". Last night Wolyseyes hosted the games from his PC and streamed them. Players then joined the game via a webpage using an authorisation code. For some games joining via a tablet or phone was more practical than a computer. To play you watched the live stream and interacted via your mobile device or web browser. It’s simple and very effective means of bringing people together online as well as great fun. The technology works well.
The games themselves are very creative. Guesspionage is based around making educated guesses about questions drawnfrom data gleaned from the internet. For example, one player would have to guess what percentage of US citizens use a car wash. Once they have made a choice, the other players would have to guess whether the answer is in fact higher or lower. The questions themselves are comically trivial in nature but cunningly contrived because they’re the sort of things that once asked, you really want to know what the answer is. Trivia Murder Party is a stylised horror based trivia game. You get to answer questions and amass money but if you get a question wrong then your avatar will be killed. This game includes some very droll banter from the narrator as you play it. Furthermore, once your character is dead you still get to compete and have a chance to win in the final round. Some of the questions are a little US-centric but that’s to be expected from such products.
However, the game that proved the most fun and provoked the most mirth from the participants was Tee K.O. It’s a drawing-based game, in which you have to create several designs for T-shirts along with some pithy phrases and tagline to go with them. Once everyone has completed several of each, the players are randomly assigned a selection of images and phrases combined into completed T-shirts. These then go head to head and the players vote for which one is best. As you can expect the artwork is often bizarre and the mottos are somewhat left field. I made the school boy error of being far too ambitious with my picture, trying to quickly pen a picture of Cthulhu. Left it suffice to say it was paired with the most random of phrases. We played several rounds of Tee K.O. and I was laughing so hard at times I had tears in my eyes.
I won’t bore readers with an excess of examples that have been taken out of context. Much of the humour and banter you share with friends is purely situational and impromptu. But I will happily sing the praise of these games by Jackbox as they are a perfect conduit for bringing people together online. It was nice to spend time with a diverse group of players from around the world and make new friends. As a result of last night, I have joined a new Discord channel as well as started following some new streamers and twitter accounts. Overall it was a great evening and a welcome change to take part in gaming that isn’t based around an excess of competitiveness, shooting stuff in the face and people getting angry. I really look forward to doing it again soon.