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Jimmy Kimmel makes fun of YouTube Gaming

I mean how is it any different from watching people do other things? Like cooking shows or whatever.

The only guys I watch playing games are the Giantbomb crew and it's because I like they commentary and opinions about the stuff they are playing. It's not rocket science to understand why.

Still, it's a comedy show and it's obvious just played for laughs.
 
It's unfunny but watching people play games is stupid. Watching people cook is dumb too unless you're learning recipes.

South Park did it better and it wasn't funny when they did it either. They treated poodiepie too nicely.
 
Sort of funny, but a bit out of date since Twitch is almost 5 years old now. And South Park had an episode on this a while ago.

But yeah, a bit defensive some people are.
 
Yes, we can watch sport or people cooking instead of doing it because we aren't pro or good enough in those activities.
False. Pro athletes and chefs are some of the biggest fans of other athletes and chefs. By your logic, the best athletes wouldn't watch the sport they play.

Kevin Garnett wears his heart on the sleeve as he pours everything he’s got into playing basketball. His fire and enthusiasm for the game can be seen as over the top sometimes but that is just what makes Garnett so great.

So it is no surprise that Garnett can’t just sit down and relax while watching basketball. He gets so into what he watches that it causes him to sweat and yell, just like he would on the court.
Source (video)
 
Sort of funny, but a bit out of date since Twitch is almost 5 years old now. And South Park had an episode on this a while ago.

But yeah, a bit defensive some people are.

The thing is that it's topical humor. The concept may be dated, but YouTube Gaming is brand new and trending... so the writers went with this.
 
I find it weird people are giving Conan credit here since 90% of his video game skits involve him dismissing and generally shitting on nerds and nerd stuff. Playfully, obviously, but the whole premise is that he doesn't understand, care about, or like games.

He's funny, of course, unlike Jimmy Kimmel, but good odds a Twitch-themed Conan joke would be based on the same premises.
 
This isn't an "old man" thing so much as it is a "normie" thing. Most people in their 20s think watching strangers play video games is weird too.
 
It's a harmless joke guys.

I'm a hardcore gamer who GAFs daily and I don't get the whole streamer craze either. I'll watch a bit here and there but I'm puzzled every time I see people gobbling up 3 hour streaming sessions of a dude sitting while playing a game is rather be playing myself.
 
you're taking this way to serious sir gamer sir
Why? Because I made a post and decided to back it up with a source that took two seconds of googling because I'd watched the video recently?

I am not offended by Jimmy Kimmel's statement, but it does remind me of arguing with my girlfriend about why watching sports is not stupid. So there is that, I guess.
 
Yeah, that was severely outdated and unoriginal, but it's hardly offensive. It's simple audience pandering. Do you really think the older people who are watching this know what Twitch is? Probably not. They do, however, know YouTube, and YouTube Gaming is their new big thing. They basically have to make a sketch about it at this point. Just take a seat, and chill out. Way too much salt from gamers over something that clearly isn't meant for them.

But no, it wasn't funny at all to me ¯_(ツ)_/¯
 
I guess I think of people who watch, love, and live game streaming in the same way I think of bronies, pro wrestling fans or PSP Vita people. Like what you like, of course, but you have to expect to elicit many raised eyebrows from people.
 
I feel as though most people on Gaf actually play their games and not just mindlessly watch other people play it without a very good reason.

There is no problem/offense to Kimmel's skit, he is just pointing out that it's more fun actually playing games instead of watching people play games.

I don't think Kimmel is out of touch, but more so the other way around. If your sense of entertainment is watching other people being entertaining by being entertained that's... Well, you tell me.
 
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I don't mind watching gameplay but I don't want to hear some manchild commentate over their gameplay. In that respect, I do kind of agree with Jimmy. You can't watch any gaming videos nowadays without having to hear some YouTube personality talk over it. I hate it so much. As far as gameplay videos in general, I really don't think they're much different than watching a movie trailer or scene from a TV show, unless you're watching a Let's Play.
 
I've read the youtube comments and wow...

People really get upset over some harmless standup jokes? I don't understand 'gaming community' these days. How can you be so insecure to interpret every little joke as some personal attack?
 
His joke about watching people watch, which was meant to sound ridiculous, is literally what the whole "reaction video" genre is on youtube. Something something stranger than fiction.
 
It's a joke, take it easy folks.

Still, I kinda agreed with him. I don't think Ive ever watched a stream though, must been at least 5 years or so since I watched a game stream for more than 5 min.
 
He's not saying anything controversial but it felt a bit hacky. That sort of joke's been made like a million times already.

I mean, I kinda agree in principal, I only really watch videos like that to get an idea of a game and how it plays, but the jokes just kinda fell flat.
 
I feel as though most people on Gaf actually play their games and not just mindlessly watch other people play it without a very good reason.

There is no problem/offense to Kimmel's skit, he is just pointing out that it's more fun actually playing games instead of watching people play games.

I don't think Kimmel is out of touch, but more so the other way around. If your sense of entertainment is watching other people being entertaining by being entertained that's... Well, you tell me.
I enjoyed watching people play games at first due to being poor. It was a way to experience games I couldn't play. Now it's mostly due to the personality of the people playing, "how are they going to reaction when that happens". I personally have no interest in playing Until Dawn but i love watch other play it.
 
After watching the video, I agree with him. I've always thought that it was an utter waste of time watching some stranger on the internet play a game when I could be using that time to play something myself. I'm honestly a little dumbfounded that his little stand-up bit here has caused such a heated backlash, if the comments are anything to go by.

Agree wholeheartedly on all accounts. The whole "Let's watch someone else play the game I could be playing and listen to his/her sarcastic comments" thing makes zero sense to me.
 
I don't really care if he sees no point in live streaming. It's fine to hate it. It's just that Kimmel is never funny. Ever. That's my only problem with this.
 
I enjoyed watching people play games at first due to being poor. It was a way to experience games I couldn't play. Now it's mostly due to the personality of the people playing, "how are they going to reaction when that happens". I personally have no interest in playing Until Dawn but i love watch other play it.
Choice-based games or visual novels are perfect for LPs, everything else is meh.
 
Agree wholeheartedly on all accounts. The whole "Let's watch someone else play the game I could be playing and listen to his/her sarcastic comments" thing makes zero sense to me.

Someone once explained to me that these vapid personalities are what Twitch viewers tune in for. Which is even more horrifying to me than the idea of people watching other people play video games.
 
I feel as though most people on Gaf actually play their games and not just mindlessly watch other people play it without a very good reason.

There is no problem/offense to Kimmel's skit, he is just pointing out that it's more fun actually playing games instead of watching people play games.

I don't think Kimmel is out of touch, but more so the other way around. If your sense of entertainment is watching other people being entertaining by being entertained that's... Well, you tell me.

There's such things as speedrunning and competitive gaming, though. Those two ways of viewing and playing games is completely different from just watching some guy play through a single player campaign.

More people are focusing on the 'let's play' aspect of this video and it's true that's what Kimmel brings up with Pewdiepie but let's not ignore competitive gaming which is on the same level of entertainment as sports if you actually care about and understand the games that are being played. There's value in that, it's on the rise/growing, and you can bet your bottom dollar that is one of the main reasons Youtube entered into the streaming video games business in the first place -- the numbers games like LoL and Dota 2 pull out on Twitch are impossible to ignore.
 
Yup. I'll never understand the concept of watching people playing Video games when you can play them yourself.

I understand it for walk through purposes but not for casual entertainment purposes.
You must loooove instructional videos then lol.

"I only watch video that show me how to assemble furniture and electronics, not ones that are supposed to entertain. I'll never understand why someone would want to watch humans on TV when they already are a human."

South Park did this joke already, but man those dislikes are really something. What's wrong with this?
I was confused too until I realized it was supposed to be a comedy video.
 
I actually thought the watching others watch others play games part was kinda funny, considering that's basically reality on Youtube.

If I only saw some of the channels like SeriousGaming on Twitch, I'd be as fucking baffled as Jimmy too.
 
I find it weird people are giving Conan credit here since 90% of his video game skits involve him dismissing and generally shitting on nerds and nerd stuff. Playfully, obviously, but the whole premise is that he doesn't understand, care about, or like games.

He's funny, of course, unlike Jimmy Kimmel, but good odds a Twitch-themed Conan joke would be based on the same premises.

Because Conan knows how to make the joke on him, at least to some extent. If Kimmel put the slightest bit of the joke on himself by doing something like referencing how he's turned into the old person confused by what kids are into these day, or how he's become part of the rabbit hole of abstraction by talking about the person watching a person playing a simulation of something people could just go out and do themselves.

It's still not anything worth getting upset about, but that's why I think Kimmel is getting a bigger backlash.
 
No, but not even slightly understanding something as huge as livestreaming/let's plays (and acting like Youtube Gaming is the first platform for it) is pretty hilariously out of touch.

But, I mean, this thread shows that even gamers don't understand those things.
 
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