I have always loved video games. I love the idea of taking control of a character and guiding them through a story, long or short, simple or complex. There is nothing that fascinates me more than a good story told through such an inventive medium. But, just because I love the idea, doesn’t necessarily mean I’m the one playing. So let’s play!

A Brief History Lesson

The creation of the Let’s Play (abbreviated to LP) is attributed to a nameless group of “goons” on the Something Awful forums. In 2006 they created a thread chronicling their progress through a game called Oregon Trail by uploading screenshots of the game as they played and then adding a little something more. The “goons” let the audience contribute to the playthrough by allowing them to comment and take part in the decision making process. The goons then used the screenshots of the game, along with some stock photos, to narrate a parody story based on the game. It was a true “Let Us Play” with a comedic twist.

But this quiet, almost quaint Let’s Play looks almost nothing like what is commonly referred to as a Let’s Play today. So what happened?

In 2007, user slowbeef uploaded what is widely recognised as the first video LP. He made a recording of his playthrough of Super Metroid for SNES including his commentary on the game along with some “bad jokes”. The format was well received and soon numerous “Let’s Plays” sprang into existence.

Today, LPs are almost exclusively videos recording one or more gamers as they play through a game with little to no input from the audience. Gamers continue to talk about the game and joke as they go along, much like an improv performer; they make up material as they go along.

There are several groups now who make a living creating these types of videos. Companies like Rooster Teeth and independents like PewDiePie and Tobuscus put out regular content, the videos, on Youtube. They then make a profit based on how many views their videos get. Some companies are even sponsored by big gaming companies. For example, Rooster Teeth is sponsored by Microsoft. They get paid to play and review Microsoft games and products. Not a bad nine-to-five, if you ask me.

Critics and Killjoys

Why, you might ask, is this idea of watching someone else play a game so popular? Why watch someone else play a game when you could be playing it yourself?

Why watch a show about fashion designers when you could just design and make your own clothes at home? It’s the same principle.

Let’s say you wanted to play a certain game, but you don’t have the resources to play it, whether that means you don’t have the time, money, or energy.

Video games take a certain time commitment. There are some games that you just can’t play for a 20 minute period during your free time. To get the full gaming experience, you’d need to sit down for hours and fully immerse yourself without distraction. Let’s Plays come in episodes, usually released every few days on a regular basis. Watching a 20 minute episode of an LP allows you to see the game without the time commitment.

Video games can be expensive. Let’s Plays are free to watch and enjoy.

Video games take energy and patience to play. After a long day, when your patience is running low, it’s much easier to watch someone else play the game.

Above all, here, is the fact that Let’s Plays, just like any other form of media, are created to entertain. With all of their humor and drama and familiarity, they are made for people to enjoy at their leisure. So why not enjoy them?

Storytelling

The video game often gets a bad rep for being time consuming and pointless, a lesser form of entertainment. This, however, is completely untrue. Video games have an amazing potential to tell a story in ways unlike any other medium.

With their interactive format video games can pull you into their world. You become involved in their stories, concerned with their characters. They can make you love a character in the most unexpected ways and they can rip your heart out when that character dies. They give you an active part in the story and, in doing so, make the story all the more meaningful.

When a Let’s Player plays a game, they can do it in any genre: horror, adventure, comedy, even romance. They can play for fun, to promote a game, or even to provide a full playthrough.

But this brings up the question: are the stories told in video games as meaningful if they are experienced through a Let’s play?

Meaning…?

The immediate and expected response would be “no, absolutely not”. The story told in a video game was told in that medium for a reason, because it was the most effective and meaningful way to tell it. Experiencing a game through any other medium defeats the purpose of creating the game in its original medium at all. The “player”, now viewer, has been stripped of their active status; they are now a passive observer of the game and, by extension, the story. The decisions the Let’s Players make during their playthrough will almost certainly be different from the viewer’s own. This could manifest itself from what gun the player chooses for a segment to the overall ending of the game, as some games have several. Kenny will probably remember that.

Some Let’s Players will even talk over the characters’ dialogue and paraphrase lengthy reading during their playthrough. They tend to streamline the game so the viewer only sees the most important and interesting content. Because of this, the viewer will not get the full impact of the story; they are never fully immersed like they would be playing alone. Even if the viewer was watching a friend play at home, they would still have the ability to talk to the one one who’s playing, involving them in the decision making. Because the viewer has no connection to the LPers as they play, they have no access to the game itself; they are removed from the storyline.

The other side to this coin is that, because the viewer is not directly connected to the action in the game, they are removed from the gameplay and can focus solely on the story. If the game get’s too hard or frustrating, some gamers will put down their controller and leave the game for days or even weeks at a time. This will cause them to forget key details in the storyline, resulting in a less meaningful story.

Also, LPers often talk about game lore and history, showing the viewer easter eggs and hidden or otherwise hard to find content. This adds to the overall meaning of the game because the viewer gets to experience the inner-workings of the game without the sometimes arduous process of actually playing.

The happy medium exists when the two arguments balance each other out, just like the pros and cons of watching Let’s Plays. Since there are pros, like the additional information, and cons, like the streamlining, the viewer still gets a full view of what the game is about and the general storyline. The viewer can still make guesses and predictions and enjoy the story overall while hearing some interesting tidbits along the way. They experience the same content, just in a different format.

End Screen

In the end, every Let’s Player has their own style that leaves an impression on the viewer. This style is what makes a Let’s Play unique. Remember, Let’s Plays are created primarily to entertain, not to tell a story, but that doesn’t mean they make the stories any less meaningful. Most importantly, Let’s Plays exist as a way for gamers and viewers alike to have fun and enjoy a storytelling medium.

This has been my essay about Let’s Plays. I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for reading and remember to Like, Comment, and Subscribe!