Why watching games is just as fun as playing them

[@lorenpeterson5255]

watching ur sibling play flash games truly is a lost art

[@Katsumi_Maki]

I watch EazySpeezy play flash games, so not completely lost!

[@Minihood31770]

Rip flash

[@robot_spider]

@@Minihood31770 Flash was so good for about a decade. Then it flew too close to the sun and was lost. At least we have HTML5! Right guys? Guys? HTML5? Remember?

[@danielgoldberg8214]

yes

[@soldierstride554]

​@@robot_spiderhonestly tho, if you get into it, HTML5 games are actually pretty good. Maybe what it really is is that we need to admit we stopped playing browser games altogether...

[@robot_spider]

My wife watches me play--though I prefer to say "we play it together". I'm just the one with the controller. Primarily Zelda games, but others as well. She likes the story and the excitement, but doesn't handle the twitch controls as well. It's something we've done together for a long time. I don't make her watch me play FPS or city-builders, but she likes the adventure games a lot. I'll see something and say "Where did we see that symbol before?" and she's the one to remember "It was on the wall inside that water temple".

[@AmbientRadiation]

My partner and I do this all the time (I play games but with one TV and my bad wrists they get a lot of the play time) and it's so fun being the guy in the chair to remember all the details that are easy to miss or hard to remember during active gameplay. It rly does feel like playing together.

[@chase5103]

This! Yes! I don’t think I ever want to play Elden ring because the controls and UI are very overwhelming to me. But it’s an amazing game to watch.

[@michaeln9931]

This is so sweet and wholesome. Filled my hearts up a lil. Thanks for sharing!

[@victoriafrombhbh8659]

My partner and I do this is well! I don’t do well in games with combat. My partner enjoys the combat. We make a good team 😆

[@MeowMyselfandI]

I do this with my bf (he plays, I watch) and we always consider it playing together as well. We also play games separately but I'm more into story than gameplay so I often ask him to play games for me with gameplay I'm bad at/don't like. It's especially great for bigger titles we both want to play at launch, with just one TV and a small apartment it's much easier to play together than try to arrange some sort of playtime schedule to avoid spoilers haha

[@ElysianLys]

I'm a lifelong game watcher, as somebody that's legally blind with impaired fine motor skills. I play some that don't require quick reflexes myself (I love visual novels!), but I don't have that same drive of "no, *I* wanna do it!!!" that some people have. I love watching a bunch of different people play a game because of the unique way they play it; you get a broader and more varied experience that way, and maybe learn things you never would've figured out on your own! I wish gamers at large were more understanding of people who don't or can't play the same titles but still accept them as genuine fans, just as much as any player. Thanks for the video!

[@rosavanopheusden5211]

since a few months I've been in a similar situation to what you describe & am still trying to come to terms with not being able to play most games myself. reading this comment gave me a lot of hope, thank you ❤️

[@ElysianLys]

I'm so sorry to hear! It can be so isolating to feel like you're losing a beloved hobby, but even if it's not the same, the love is still there 💗 You're not alone, you'll always have games!

[@Gigawolf1]

Special shout-out to the one poster who said "watching someone play guitar." YOU MEAN LISTENING TO MUSIC?!

[@0Fyrebrand0]

Wow, imagine watching someone play music, maybe even singing. Wouldn't that be ridiculous? Like, if people paid good money to gather in an auditorium just to watch a band play songs? Total insanity, it will never happen!

[@victorhugosolachegomez859]

I think he was refering that it's not the same thing... But yeah different experiences aren't synonymous of bad or worse

[@BrandG.]

Im a Watcher and player. But I watch games I don;t play as a way to experince them.

[@BrandG.]

My first experince with backseating on a game was in 1998 watching my dorm RA plug his PS1 into the bigscreen in our lobby and play throgh the entire Metal Gear Solid game one afternoon. It was so magical, seeing someone who knew the game just go through and just do the thing.

[@goblong]

@@BrandG. I feel like that was so much more common when I was growing up. I think for my generation it was the GTA games on PS2; we used to sit around trading off playing those games for hours on deaths, and it was also fun to just let your friend have a longer turn sometimes.

[@nosoulboy13]

Same. I like puzzle games but they put me to sleep when I play them, so I tend to watch people playing them.

[@Talion64-oh5qy]

that's how I am, there are several games that I love to watch simply because they bring out the best in one of my favorite youtubers, even though I have little to no interest in playing the actual game.

[@lain-or-shine]

Younger sibling watching their older sibling play video games is weirdly universal and deeply precious to me. I might not have had my hands on the controller, but watching my older sibling play FF7 or MGS3 are beloved memories for me.

[@midnightmagi]

Your example with souls games about how watching someone more skilled means you get to see more about the game is EXACTLY why I prefer watching let's plays than playing myself. I'm someone who cares more about story and lore than actual gameplay, and I can get all those things watching someone else play without having to do boring stuff like level grinding or material gathering

[@sweatshirt7880]

But the game isn't about playing good, it's about overcoming the difficulty and the themes of the story reflect this. When you do go through this experience even the story has a more powerful impact because it was designed to serve the gameplay. If you prefer story and lore, books have more quality in this department and it might be more meaningful spending time that way. Just my opinion not wanting to hate if you prefer it your way it's perfectly fine, but as someone who was in your shoes and then forced myself to play I now have much more meaningful experiences

[@Delmworks]

Not gonna lie, I have watched a few hitless runs just to figure out how to dodge a bosses’ attacks more than once

[@maggiescarlet]

​@sweatshirt7880 I can see where you're coming from, like if they enjoy lore then why not listen to an audio book or something instead, but maybe they have gamer friends they enjoy discussing it with, or some streamers they enjoy the commentary and chat of, or just the extra visual stimulation without needing to give it the full attention of a tv show etc. Personally I've just accepted that I don't have time anymore to get good or grind at most games (there are exceptions like Celeste) so Story mode is my new friend 😂 idk why I replied on their behalf tbh

[@joedav67]

@@sweatshirt7880seeing someone else overcome that difficulty is also a fun experience though

[@The8BitBoi]

I think the last point really needed to be the main point as imo the reason a majority of people watch Twitch isn't for raw gameplay but for personalities playing them, like I didn't watch Awful Squad because I cared about PUBG, I watched it because I liked watching the Polygon crew make jokes and goof off and get oddly tense

[@chase5103]

For me it’s a bit of both. Some streamers I watch I don’t care what they play, I just enjoy watching them and how they interact with the game. Other times I’m looking for a specific game or experience, and I can watch the gameplay with little/no commentary.

[@MasterMemo]

It needs to be born, or else people would only watch Just Chatting

[@rootyful]

God, I miss Awful Squad.

[@_imfriendly95_67]

watching puzzle games is an interesting experience, because as the viewer you might still be able to figure out the solution even when you aren't playing, i also enjoy puzzle games and sometimes prefer to play certain ones by myself but use watching videos as a way to discover more.

[@sund0gs]

“And by you, I mean Pat” except that’s also my way to approach fighting games

[@AlexSinclair]

Everyone's older brother came up with this video title.

[@FebruaryGhost]

I love watching games because I love games as a medium, and want to experience as many as possible, but some games are simply not fun for me! The construction of horror games is fascinating to me, but I don't want the stress of my hands on the controls. Soulsborne games have some of the best art design ever, but I don't have the patience to do the same section over and over again. Watching games lets you enjoy far more games than you could otherwise, IMO

[@saschb]

Movies where the person acting influences the tone? You mean plays? Like theater productions? That’s the comparison I usually go with, when sports fall short, for non-gamers who claim they can’t fathom why you’d want to watch someone else play a game. Reading a manuscript, watching a play, and being on stage are different ways of experiencing the same thing. Watching a recording or screenplay are two more. Audiobooks and paper books is another good example which some people can relate to.

[@TimsGamesDoneHard]

Recently I've been playing a bunch of horror games with my cousin. And by that I mean she joins on Discord and I stream the game to her. She loves horror games but can really only play a little, she much prefers watching, and I prefer controlling the character. And until recently I also mostly watched horror games on KZbin because even if I like scary things, I enjoy having that shared experience with someone else, whether that's watching reactions or just talking to someone about it in real time. So now I get the best of both worlds, I get to experience the game first hand and talk with someone about it as the horror unfolds.

[@shytendeakatamanoir9740]

I'm a younger sibling. A lot of my early gaming experience was as a watcher. And it's something I perpetuated with my nephews when they were younger too.

[@XxRedShadowxX]

I'm a watcher and the playerim watching greatly changes my experience. The reference to watching a friend play a game is a great metaphor for how I experience it. I love commentary and jokes, but I also enjoy the feeling of experiencing a game with another person. It may be younger sibling energy too lol

[@StoryMode180]

I really enjoy the videos Polygon produces. They have a polish, a humor and a style that I absolutely love, and aren't paced in a way that overwhelms me with content. I've found more and more that I enjoy videos from everyone, even if I started watching because of one or two creators on the team.

[@sophiathekitty]

the "not experiencing it" part is kinda the best part of watching somebody play a video game. like watching grey do gta challenge courses is fun.... actually playing those courses looks like it would be absolutely miserable. like... i don''t have to experience the stress of doing the nonsense to get back to each of the attempts at the part he's stuck at in the video. and yeah. grey's commentary is like the majority of the point. anyways... there are lots of games that are watch only games for me. and mostly... whatever video game i'm playing is kinda like the gameplay background footage that the youtube video on the tv is talking over...

[@Arcane_Archer]

When I was a kid, I would watch my dad play Ocarina of Time before I played it myself. Great memories. Watching let's plays or streams gives me the same vibe.

[@Matthew42]

I rarely play games, but I love watching people play games. Because I know so much about games I am forced to call myself a gamer because "game fan" isn't a normal thing to call yourself.

[@Kraolia]

Growing up in the 90s before KZbin, video gaming was always a group activity for me. I was better at platformers and my older sister at RPGs, so with our mediocre skills combined, we were able to experience a lot of different stories during our limited weekly screentime. Even though I didn't play all the games myself, I have so many fond memories of them over the years because of the countless hours spent cheering on during tough boss fights, dubbing over cutscenes and reading dialogue boxes with silly voices, and backseat gaming with a GameFAQs walkthrough open on the family computer.

[@Flameclaw123]

I'd also add that games are an expensive hobby. You want to play basketball? You need a hoop, a ball, and any paved surface, and you can use the same ones forever. You want to pick up gaming? Well it's a few hundred bucks for a console or suitable PC, then anywhere from $5-70 per game depending on if your tastes run indie or triple A. The average person just doesn't have the money (let alone the time) to personally play every game they're interested in, and buying a game before you know the jist might mean you've dropped $60 on something you won't even finish. Watching other people play games is fun, but it also means you can decide if you like the game enough to buy it for yourself, or experience some games you don't have the time/funds/interest to play. Obligatory caveat that there are cheaper options for games (ex. many libraries are now letting people rent games alongside books, movies, and a host of other stuff), but often the selection is limited to what they have available, so it's far from a perfect alternative even though I think it's great that these options are available!

[@CoquetteCygnet]

Sometimes the story is too good, I have to watch them like they’re a movie!! It just enhances my enjoyment of the game

[@cynthiag3694]

My favorite activity ever is watching my partner play games. I have the spatial awareness of a baby bird so the concept of using a joystick makes me want to puke, which of course is not helped by my motion sickness. The funny thing is that I don’t like watching streamers or lets plays though

[@erinwilaby7624]

I'm one of these "games fans"! But I don't watch games so much as consume the meta content - I love watching polygon videos, reading reviews, reading synopses, etc. I don't have a lot of time, and I love the stories and art that video games make, so I love being able to have a little taste of them in a time commitment I can actually do

[@MrWhiteSuit17]

Love this video. You never hear people talk about this part of gaming. Well done.

[@thieleaf_the_shelf_dragon]

a lot of the games i love, i absolutely *hate* to play. but watching someone else play them? chefs kiss mwah! i find it incredibly hard to focus on one thing at a time, and, well, games require full time looking at the screen to play. also. sometimes i dont have 60 hours of full attention time to give a video game, but i *do* have 60 hours of time to do other things while i watch the experience. plus first person cameras make me extremely motion sick when i play myself but not nearly so much when i watch it. that being said, i also like playing games with a friend watching! my beloved doesnt enjoy playing games themself but is always asking to watch me.

[@ArktheLark]

I love watching someone play games, but I get weird about watching someone play a game I’m excited to play/haven’t had a chance to play. I mostly watch for games I know I can’t play (physically/time constraints/ability to focus) or want to see someone else’s experience with it and thoughts on things.

[@Yoarashi]

4:20 INSANE take. does PvtPill know about these things called concerts

[@MartyMango0]

I'm a games watcher because my level of interest & level of ability are vastly unequal. We didn't have consoles or even PC games at my house growing up (excluding educational computer games like Zoombinis & Clue Finders) & I didn't play them at friends houses so I didn't slowly develop the reflexes moving on to harder games as I got older like basically everyone else, but storywise the things that keep my interest now as an adult are the same things as my peers... which all kinda passively expect you to be coming to them having built up the reflexes laying easier games first. Trying to play them is just frustrating & no fun because I feel inadequate & get stuck on things clearly not meant to be difficult (& I can't justify the cost of games or consoles if I'm not gonna lay because it's making me upset because I keep failing, which means I don't develop the skills, which makes it frustrating... & so the cycle reinforces itself), but I still want to experience the games & their stories like everyone else; watching other people play is a great solution for me. Most of the streamers I follow are people I know from other youtube channels already so putting on a stream/stream VOD while I work also kinda scratches the same social itch as hanging out in a common space with your classmates/dormmates while everybody does their own thing does.

[@SleepFaster18]

My teacher in high school when i told her i like going to my friend's house to watch them play "the only thing i can think of sadder than someone spending their time playing games is spending their time watching someone else play them"

[@CodemanS1]

lol what year was this in and how old was the teacher

[@SleepFaster18]

@@CodemanS1 probably junior year. The teacher was in her late 40s probably

[@Feasco]

​​@@SleepFaster18the correct response would have been "I can think of something sadder, being a high school teacher. which is smaller, the paycheck or your sense of satisfaction at the end of the day? "

[@SleepFaster18]

@@Feasco ouch haha I became a high school teacher myself lol

[@clover3124]

I play games, but I watch streamers a lot more. I just don't have the time or money! Plus, it reminds me of taking turns with my brother growing up. I was always way more into games than him, so we would take turns watching each other play. I did the same thing with my roommates in college. Watching live streams feels super nostalgic for me. It's kind of like audiobooks vs. physical books. They're different mediums that allow you to enjoy the same thing. And like audiobooks, there will always be people who say that's not "real" reading, even though it's the only/best way for some people to enjoy books. (To me, audiobooks count as reading, btw) watching people play games isn't exactly the same as playing them, but it's super enjoyable and a totally valid form of entertainment.

[@jer103]

I've played many games, in the past. Yet, in my current financial situation, I don't have money to buy the newest console or games. This is the reason I watch walkthroughs. I get to see the story, and it feels like I'm playing the game with a friend.

[@EdinMike]

I was a 90s kid. But I was on the Sega side of the “Console Wars” These days I watch more than I play. Although I do have over 250 hours in Stardew Valley 😂

[@AllisonDeVoe]

Tina Time!!!

[@boydstephensmithjr]

I had one roommate that did like watching me play games, but did NOT play. It's completely valid -- and as I get worse at video games, I can understand it more. I think it's likely I'll never get through Hades or Hades II, but I can enjoy watching a run, definitely.

[@rukeyazu8669]

I’ve only enjoyed watching people play games if they are games that caused an emotional reaction on my end, and I want to see how the person playing responds. I like watching it for the person, not so much for the game itself. A game like LoL, or Overwatxh, and games like that, I find very boring to watch.

[@cyberspacecat]

I think the point you bring up about motor resonance and mirror neurons explains a lot of unsolicited backseating too, you might be experienced with a game but you're not in control, so you might try to direct someone's game to resemble yours, like someone who yells at a sports match about how the players should've played. I really enjoy the communities that spring up around game streams, it kind of does feel like sports for non-sports fans, especially if it's an e-sport or, often in my case, a speedrun of a game you're familiar with.

[@byebyecitybyebye]

tag yourself, I'm "I don't go on trips, I just read an atlas" like I legit can't go in the sun, abhore cardio, am very antisocial, and travel stresses me out to no end but like... oooh pretty

[@boaconstrictor2001]

I'm really interested in some games (Fallout: New Vegas and Red Dead Redemption) that I know I could not play due to my horrible reaction time and fine motor problems. I still really enjoy them and all sorts of things about them. A friend was playing RDR2 on discord once and went back to look at some brick textures for me! I feel very "are you winning son?" when watching my friends play games, but it is nice to watch them do whatever the hell a "roman cancel" is.

[@xan42O]

I would 100% assume if someone liked a sport they also play it casually.

[@jluca9219]

Personally, a lot has to do with pain. Things with heavy platforming or a boss-rush are too much for my hands. So the types of games I watch are often just the games (or sections) that would hurt too much. Will absolutely do 100+% and Steel Soul runs in Hollow Knight. Will never Path of Pain, or do Hall of Gods. So it goes.

[@MoratJuanka]

we needed exactly this video. i've been thinking on this in the background of my mind for ages. i like to pay attention to what my body and mind do when engaging in different activities, and I've definitely noticed the differences in engagement between watching games i've played, games similar to things i've played and everything else. watching something i've played a lot feels a lot closer to playing that game than it would seem to be. if you pay attention to yourself, you will notice the game model in your brain running in a sort of low power mode, so as to understand and think about what will or should come next.

[@fitz7663]

I actually often find it more enjoyable to watch someone play a game I haven't played before, as I get frustrated when they don't notice or do something I would have done if I was playing. I enjoy watching games I haven't/won't play for the social aspect and to see something I otherwise wouldn't. It's also nice to see how a game is (at least at the start, I click off to not spoil it) before buying and playing it myself.

[@benjaminarenas8507]

I am mainly a player, but I like watching professionals doing seamlessly difficult tasks that I know from first hand that require tons of dexterity.

[@JG-pp8cc]

Coincidental timing. The Stuff You Should Know podcast just did an episode on Minecraft, and the hosts were perplexed by Let's Play videos.

[@jendorei]

When I play Minecraft, I dig a hole and mine until I find diamonds. Or until I die and lose my stuff - not fun. Then I stop playing. When someone else plays Minecraft, they might build something cool. They might be way better than me at the action aspects of the game. They might show off mods, mechanics, minigames that I don’t know about. It’s just a way fuller experience than going around digging holes and building dirt houses. Minecraft is a damn hard game.

[@anisa2273]

this is me! i play games but mostly easy/cozy/puzzle ones and the rest I LOVE watching others play! especially horror ones, it's less scary and more fun to see someone else play them

[@bokodasu]

Back in the olden days before KZbin or Twitch like 8-10 of us used to go over to my friend Tony's house to drink and watch him play Silent Hill. Nobody but him wanted to *play* it, but we were all utterly engrossed in whatever was coming around the next corner. Super fun. To this day I have no interest in playing horror games, but I love watching other people play them.

[@jd4317]

I like watching super sad games that would be too much to play lol. Like TLoU 2 and Life Is Strange

[@lenovaes]

I say I played The Witness, but for most of the game, it was my wife playing. I was just watching and commenting. And it was really as exciting as playing it

[@shytendeakatamanoir9740]

For me, it was Portal 1 and 2 with my brother. I tried to help him figuring the puzzles, but it was mostly me watching, really

[@4649kasumi]

thank you!! I stopped watching playthroughs because I felt shamed by my ex for doing so. I just don't have the time or money to play all the games I want to 😢

[@loganl3746]

Currently, I can't afford all the different consoles or a computer I'd need to play all the games I'd want to, and I don't have the time. I can watch a Letsplay on YT or twitch while I'm working tho. Growing up, I used to watch my brother play games (Metroid or Starfox or Smash Bros on the GameCube iirc, especially so). Mostly it was because he was better at it, but also because it's so much easier to focus on the story and environments when I'm not trying to also remember the buttons (which I have a serious difficulty no matter how long I play, idk why)

[@NeonNijahn]

Some of us just like to watch. Don't shame me!

[@livemynd]

Yes, excellent nuanced take. I am a gamer myself, but there are days when watching someone else play is fun -- especially if they are more skilled than myself. It's not the same as playing the game itself, but a significant part of the experience does come through from just watching. Arguably, watchers have more mental leeway to enjoy the graphics and sound because they don't need to pay attention to enemy tells and so on.

[@colinmackeruo6812]

I grew up watching my older brother play games. There were certainly games I enjoyed playing by myself, causal games, simulators and city builders, but I never really enjoyed playing the more skill based games as much as I enjoyed watching my brother play them. Whether it was Sonic 2, Turok, or DBZ BudoKai I loved watching my brother play. I never really got into other genere of games until after my brother moved out for college and I finally dipped my toes into Halo and World of Warcraft, but I really feel like I felt the magic when I found games like Oblivion and Red Dead Redemption. Now in days I like to think Ive found a happy medium in my game playing with Rimworld and CK3 which for me feel like a combination of RPG elements I enjoy and the city builders I played as a kid.

[@apafoltyn3220]

Hey Tina, thanks a lot for this video! It resonated with me a lot, I really like video games, but I would not consider myself a gamer. Majority of my experience with videogames is probably through watching and watching my older brother (10 years older) play Assasin’s Creed is one of the coolest memories from my childhood! I agree some games are probably better to play yourself and you can usually have more intense experience when you control it, but growing up with a lot of anxiety, some games were (and some still are) just way too much for me and I wouldn’t be able to experience them by myself. Great video! ❤️

[@TheCrackingSpark]

2:08 That stock clip is CRAZY

[@emewyn]

Sometimes if I'm excited about a new game, I watch a bunch of different lets players play it to see their reactions. It's like the parasocial version of dragging your friends into trying your new hobbies.

[@hemangchauhan2864]

5:47 Having reading having same motor resonance and having connection with you watching games was legit mindblowing 🤯

[@glitchasaur]

I like the Tim Rodgers style of this video. You touch on the physiology behind why we like playing and watching games and have a solid conclusion 👌 This is the type of journalism I like as it transcends "game is good"

[@MINTY_FN]

I got into games as a kid sitting beside my mum watching her play the Core Design era Tomb Raider games on PC. Those gaming memories stick with me harder than most games I've actually played.

[@grahamgilmore42]

My 5 yr old daughter watched me play my favourite childhood game Paper Mario earlier this year. It was fantastic to see her so invested. One weekend morning, she woke me up and asked “can we go beat Tubba Blubba?” Since then, she’s watched me play Mario Wonder and Odyssey. We’re now almost done TTYD. Might go to Mario RPG after this. She’s also been asking to play the “Luigi ghost game”.

[@sapphosplace]

I left behind my computer when I went on a cross-country bike trip in 2015 and never picked gaming back up. At first it was the cost of getting a new PC, but eventually I just realized that I was happier watching the art evolve without getting myself caught up in all of the reward/addiction loops. It's kind of funny because I've kept a (now rarely updated) list of games to play whenever I do want to get back to it and catch up, and Witcher 3 is definitely not a "new" game now.

[@MrFaleh1129]

4:27 that guitar analogy is poor from that person enjoying listening to music "guitar" its as fun or maybe more than playing the instrument itself .

[@Deception975]

"Watching is a less intense experience." I would argue, watching someone who is completely oblivious to what they are supposed to do. Because they skipped a dialogue/tutorial, can be pretty intense. Seeing them struggle on a basic task, due to that, can be quite stressful. Just yesterday, I was watching someone play Saints Row 2. They were looking for a person. They spent nearly 30 minutes, couldn't find them, so they gave up. But 2 minutes into searching, the person appeared on their mini-map. Which they never looked at... It was a little unnerving hearing them complain the whole time about how the person isn't showing up. Even though they clearly did.

[@thatdrivesmecrazy]

Love this!! I rarely play but watch games content and listen to podcasts almost every day.

[@Noah_Krakatoa]

I’ve really been enjoying Tom Walker’s play through of GTAIV with the cars modded to maximum acceleration. It’s definitely not something I’d want to try myself, but it’s one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen

[@lisa_in_space]

I broke my elbow right as Tears of the Kingdom came out so I was devastated I couldnt play! But watching my sisters boyfriend play it was one of fhe best experiences ever because we all worked out the puzzles together. Playing it on my own later felt like a second play through, you can be as involved as if you were holding the controller sometimes

[@vampire_irl]

great parallel is with my best friend and i playing Shadow of the Colossus on PS2. i was the controller guy and when i couldn't figure out a traversal puzzle or needed help navigating the map we would figure it out together. and that way, we both got to experience a beautiful game. it was a special moment that i hold dear to this day

[@munafruit]

i have started playing a lot more games now but i used to pretty much exclusively watch others play them. largely bc i couldn't afford the games i wanted to play and bc i was bad at the games i wanted to play. since being able to afford more ive also found games i can be good at and gotten better at some i used to be bad at. but for some games (cough soulslikes cough roguelikes cough metroidvanias) i will always remain a watcher. it does get frustrating not being able to control things lol but it's also super layered enjoyment of the player and the game itself. i love being a gamer *and* a watcher. and i stand by "watcher" as the term

[@tomasdelcampo2]

it's funny how it's kinda common and which is the case is for me is that playing a Fromsotfware/team ninja/soulslike game as someone who has played tons of them is mostly almost entirely not actually stressful at all and honestly feels relaxing in a way like I feel like right at home. Not only that but watching someone else play a souls game will most likely be frustrating as most people are not really that competent at playing them if we're being honest and there's a lot of games where I want to make all the decisions or use my own build Plus playing the solo is the only way we can enjoy them while some who do play feel it's almost absolutely necessary to summon. Bottom line is any way where gameplay is really important are designed to actually be played and will be a massively different experience to watch and I would very strongly recommend playing those instead of watching them

[@Wezzeth]

Full length Xtina video? What an amazing start to the weekend! Gotta admire the chutzpah of being a statistically more likely target for harassment by internet weirdoes inoculated against getting the joke, and still deciding to do peak troll bits like deliberately using Dark Souls footage when talking about Elden Ring. We can't help but stan

[@georgieboye167]

Watching my brother play resident evil 4 will always be my favourite version of the game. Watching him get all the treasures, shoot the water, die several times. However, watching someone play hollow knight will never be as captivating as my first playthrough

[@javierper3z]

There are multiple elements to the “fun” a game creates and lot of them can be shared by watching: the story, the thrill of exploration, strategic planning or just being part of the conversation. If the game’s objective is the challenge, you can enjoy watching someone incredibly skilled do things you could never, like any other sport. Watching games is not playing them, but it is perfectly valid way to enjoy them.

[@lady_xelas2441]

I usually hate watching people play games I’ve played because it can be frustrating, but I love watching games I either don’t have time to play myself or just don’t like the play style of (souls/horror game, for example)

[@amazeedayzee]

when i was young my sister and i would fight over who got to watch the other person play a difficult or stressful game. you got to see what happened and be there for the feeling of it without having to worry about being the one whose character is dying. big fan of watching games as an adult

[@AFishNamedBob]

This was interesting. I've been a gamer since my Apple IIC and as much as I still play and love playing, I've never understood why some people like to just watch. But I've experienced it my whole life with people always enjoying watching me play.

[@robert.sec2]

This is such an incredibly well-researched, compellingly argued video-- and I also just can't stop thinking about the Mansfield Park conversation in Metropolitan lol

[@Raddlesnakes000]

I've can count my Tarkov hours on one hand, but I've watched AquaFPS play hundreds of hours of it. Some of my fondest memories are of my sister hanging out and watching me play Most Wanted.

[@benadrylthundercrotch7144]

Ive only ever watched resident evil games because j like them but actually playing them stresses me out too much (he says in the middle of his 5th elden ring playthrough idk man)

[@lethargy4098]

I definitely have genres of games that I can only watch. One day I'll learn to enjoy playing smt/persona

[@shytendeakatamanoir9740]

I really get that one. I love building Social Link and stuff, but all the gameplay quickly bore me (I stopped P3P just before the end)

[@KrowKills]

I love watching someone play games. And my sister used to watch me play growing up. Good times.

[@MozieSmozie]

I enjoyed watching you talk about people who like watching other people do things. :)

[@markf5931]

when I was young, I enjoyed going to a friend's house and watch him play video games on the PC. Sometimes it's because I don't know how to play it but it's still fun to watch a friend play and comment on what's going on - there is still social interaction.

[@DreySabriel]

Ive ended up watching a lot of FromSoft game streams recently, and its interesting to me how having played those games (even if not extremely well) translates into an eerie sense of “feeling the hits coming” a split second before they happen, if whoever Im watching happens to mistime a roll in a boss fight or something. It’s not 100% accurate, and certainly not fast enough that I can do anything about it, but my brain still sends the *DODGE NOW* signal in a way thats palpable to me. Thanks, mirror neurons! XP

[@dapperboo2963]

"It's like watching someone play guitar, that doesn't make you play guitar." Yeah, but people still enjoy experiencing other people playing the guitar. Different people play guitar differently, that's what makes it enjoyable. Same with video games.

[@randomripoff123]

i've got slightly/occasionally messed up hands and extremely high baseline anxiety and stress--so i much prefer to watch gameplay. my family tried to get me into playing games as a kid when tony hawk pro skater was a thing. i'd watch my brother and mom play, and they insisted i try, but i simply didn't want to. i played by myself on sandbox/free play mode so that i could just have fun button mashing and figure out combinations and high scores but without the intensity of challenges and a timer or playing against others. i tried a challenge round once and i'm pretty sure i cried. lol while i've matured, i'm basically the same way now. i hate simulated stress and anxiety bc i'm trying to have fun, and i don't do well under that kind of stress. just not enjoyable to me. so i watch almost entirely for personalities, and then also for games that are genuinely funny, interesting, engaging, etc., and if i like them enough, then i even watch games that would be intensely stressful and upsetting for me to play. it's nice, bc i get to enjoy more games that way than i would if i forced myself to play. i do play a couple games myself--mainline pokemon games, excluding legends of arceus (that wasn't an enjoyable level of difficulty and stress for me [which should demonstrate just how low my tolerance is lol], though i did try and made it like an okay amount of the way into the game lol), and acnh. hilariously i'll also do among us, but only with friends so we're just fucking around. however, i HAPPILY play ttrpgs. i'm dming a longform campaign rn that just dealt with pc conflict and a [albeit temporary] pc death, i'm DESPERATE to play candela obscura which is stressful and scary, and any/all amount of stress in those kinds of games? v welcome. so i do wonder if there's any difference for anyone else in that regard. i imagine it's the complete opposite for some ppl because of dice rolling and roleplaying.

[@Biscuitsdefortune]

I tried playing Minecraft once, I really didn't like it, did not found it interesting and way too hard. But I realized long after that I started to love watching Minecraft played by other people. Several years later, I tried playing Minecraft again and the experience was totally different and really enjoyed playing with it. I'm honestly more of a watcher to see if I'll like X or Y video game, but sometimes, like for Minecraft or Stardew Valley, I enjoy the video as much as playing it.

[@LaserbeaksFury]

It makes me wonder if the urge to "backseat game" also stems from the mirror neuron effect. If I see someone playing a game and having a hard time, there is an urge to offer help. It might be that my seeing someone having a hard time makes me feel like *I* am having a hard time, and I want to either alleviate that discomfort or even possibly "prove" I am not playing that badly by expressing my game knowledge. I've learned to suppress that urge (mostly), because it's very rude to try and explain a game to someone gracious enough to share their experience with it.

[@TheDudieBoy]

This was really well done and quite fascinating. Thank you for making this, Tina.

[@goblong]

Here before Gamers™ get mad at the very concept of this video.

[@benross9174]

I mean livestreaming has been popular since the Starcraft games. And things like Street Fighter tournaments have always been something for the spectator

[@goblong]

@@benross9174 I don't disagree with you, but I promise that won't stop Gamers™ from being triggered by the mere existence of this video. Give it time.

[@benross9174]

@@goblong Im just saying watching videogames has been a thing forever; it started with the hardcore stuff arguably. Not to mention things like Speedrunning which mostly appeals to more hardcore fans of games. It doesnt make much sense to be against the idea; especially if your a hardcore gamer/gaming is a big hobby

[@goblong]

@@benross9174 Again, I agree with you, but I promise Gamers™ will *not* take this sitting down in their gamer chairs.

[@ibbigail]

Great video! I enjoy both watching and playing games now, but as a kid with an older brother I definitely watched much more than I played. I considered Twilight Princess to be my favorite game (I liked that Link could turn into a wolf) but I never played it, and my brother never finished it despite my constant pleading lol. It never occurred to me that I could have just tried to play it myself. I also love watching friends play games or having friends watch me play games, but I’ve never really thought about this social aspect of gameplay before. I’ll be showing this video to the people I’ve bored by needing to talk to every npc twice to get all of their dialogue 😆

[@zaidlacksalastname4905]

I love watching people play games, even though I own them and have played them. I've beaten elden ring 4 times and I love it but I still watch hours of it on YT every week, usually challenge runs and other fun stuff. It's great

[@tobysinbad]

Polygon has literally always got my back

[@AbyssWalkerLW]

As a kid I'd watch my dad play video games as often as I could. And if the game did have multiplayer we'd play together. One of the big reasons I got into video games.

[@No_research]

I watch people play games because I feel I have a experienced a lot of similar games in my time. So I can then see if a game is going to be different enough for me to consider. And all the other reasons you have mentioned. I don’t have time these days and it’s nice to keep my oar in as I am still interested in games

[@SkylarV5]

Tina, I love all your videos. You're doing a great job, keep it up!

[@TheBookwormBakery]

IMO playing video games and watching video games be played are equivalent (though not identical) ways to enjoy games. By playing a game yourself you get to experience the gameplay itself, and for games with differing choices/endings you get to choose which one YOU want to see, but you're also limited by your own skills and knowledge of the game. By watching someone else play it you get to experience all of the same story and visuals/sound of the game, and you can SEE the gameplay, but won't get the experience of how the controls feel. There's also the obvious benefit that was discussed early on of you can experience a game without having to own the console it's available on, which is a big thing for console exclusive games as well as the price of anything to do with gaming lately.... the biggest downside is that if you're watching someone else play, usually you don't have any say in the choices they make while playing. I used to be a huge Game Watcher but as i got more of my Own Funds i got more into Game Playing and i realized that sometimes i don't want to watch someone else play a game that I can play because I'll want to make different choices. Other times I'll want to watch a friend play a game that they're better at than me so I can see parts of it that it would take me a long time to see on their own. Hell, even just being a Game Watcher can turn a lot of people into Game Players, I got into video games at all by watching my aunt play stuff like WoW and Metroid as a kid and it pushed me toward playing more games myself. Both forms of Enjoying Video Games have their own merits. Yes they are an interactive medium, but they're also called VIDEO games. They have cutscenes and lovingly rendered graphics and iconic music for a reason: for people to watch and enjoy. And hanging out in a group and watching a friend play a video game can also be a social activity in itself, and has often been some of the most fun I've had interacting with a game.

[@Michael_Lindell]

Then there are those who like to watch others play games in order to criticise them. You know who you are.

[@887frodo]

Watching ContraPoints trying to pour wine into a cup with trembling hands midway through a Resident Evil session is its own kind of joy… and I’m not gonna stop.