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[Peru]

I think the player should speak, as I view them the same way I view something like Quick Looks - a substitute for sitting on the couch with friends chatting along for games I don't intend to play. Of course I rarely watch let's plays for hours, let alone to completion, but they should speak and that means they have to be

reasonably intelligent,
decent speakers,
not trying hard to be funny,
not making jokes all the time.

 

[spirity]

TotalBiscuit is a pompous douchebag who doesn't admit when he's wrong.

Every time I listen to one of his videos I wanna smack him in the face.

Its a shame because his "WTF is..." series of youtube videos I used to enjoy, but the guy is obnoxious and arrogant to the point where I can't stand the guy now. Personality is such a key factor here, and TotalBiscuit has an awful one.

 

[EscoBlades]

So I was thinking of just quoting certain trivia/facts about a game over it whilst it's being played. The thing about that is that I can just record all that audio later/research it and focus on the game whilst I'm actually playing it, hopefully meaning that the let's play itself isn't shit, and that way people get information on both the playthrough and the trivia. Still not sure though, I guess it comes from the fact that I want to archive footage of the games that I play.

It doesn't even have to be a playthrough of a whole game, unless that is specifically what you want to do.

(shameless plug) I did a whole series on the Weapons of Assassin's Creed. Take weapon. Describe in game use and properties. Give information and history on real life counterpart. All over screens and gameplay footage of the weapon in action. Feel free to check it out if interested.

 

[Rawket Lawnchair]

That the player doesn't speak

Yep, first post wins.

I freaking hate commentaries.

 

[Bravocado]

The 2BF guys play interesting games with funny, relatable commentary, and when they run out of that, they just riff on stuff from my childhood.

EDIT: I think that the fact that they're naturally like a classic comedy duo (ill-tempered know-it-all and likeable fool who pushes his friend's buttons) helps too.

 

[Halcyon]

The people that I enjoy the most when I'm watching Lets Plays make me feel like I'm watching one of my friends play. Also they upload alot of content so I have something new to watch every day.

Not trying to perform or scream all the time. A good speaking voice with the occasional joke here and there as well as being decent at video games.

I cannot stand watching people fumble around during a playthrough.

My favorite right now is probably Yogscast Sips. I just really enjoy his voice and how he plays stuff.

 

[icy_eagle]

Typically I prefer group or duo let's plays, pokecapn & crew are some of my favorite lp'ers. I also usually prefer blind ones, it just feels like I'm watching someone going through the motions, and there's never a sense of surprise or anything when the lp'er has already played through the game several times and knows pretty much all there is to know. If I'm watching a lp, it's either because I'm not planning on playing that game myself, it's a game I've already finished and feel like experiencing again in some way but playing it again would be tedious, or it's a open-ended rpg and such where there are flexible playstyles and the lp'er ends up with a completely different playthrough from mine.

Oh and yeah, cut out 'filler' segments and don't blame the game for player mistakes.

 

[icy_eagle]

Yep, first post wins.

I freaking hate commentaries.

Then you're looking for playthroughs, not let play's

 

[Baleoce]

It doesn't even have to be a playthrough of a whole game, unless that is specifically what you want to do.

(shameless plug) I did a whole series on the Weapons of Assassin's Creed. Take weapon. Describe in game use and properties. Give information and history on real life counterpart. All over screens and gameplay footage of the weapon in action. Feel free to check it out if interested.

Yeah it would primarily be to archive the playthrough footage. The trivia would just be an added something to keep people listening/watching (I could probably leave timestamps in the description to each bit of trivia, along with the topic, and its source url). Nice series btw, I watched the first vid. Really good level of detail.

 

[Klyka]

A face-cam, screaming like a child, half the screen being taken up by annotations, "remember to like and subscribe if you like this video" and if it's a girl then a nice view of her cleavage.

 

[Oidisco]

My favourite LP's are the ones that are more focused on the person/people playing rather than the game itself. If I wanted to see the game, I'd watch a walkthrough, not an LP.

So yea, Video Games Awesome is by far my favourite LP channel, since it's a little more relaxed and not trying really hard to be good at the game. Plus everyone on the show is pretty damn funny.
Oh and they have really high production values for an LP.

Pooyoos
Phoenix Wright

 

[Orayn]

That the player doesn't speak

Not being commented?

First post nails it.

First post has delivered. Thanks.

BAM.

The greatest "first post" in the history of GAF.

Yeah.

I recall a great Gimmick LP that only used annotations. I remember a nice annotated Batman and Robin one too.

Yep, first post wins.

I freaking hate commentaries.

It's pretty clear what the OP was asking for, and all these posts essentially say "that's dumb lol" without giving much reasoning. Couldn't you at least go into a little more detail?

 

[EscoBlades]

Yeah it would primarily be to archive the playthrough footage. The trivia would just be an added something to keep people listening/watching (I could probably leave timestamps in the description to each bit of trivia, along with the topic, and its source url). Nice series btw, I watched the first vid. Really good level of detail.

Thanks

I think your idea is good, and often overlooked on Youtube in favour of the personality driven Let's Play style vids that have become super popular. Feel free to hit me up if you need advice, or if you decide to go ahead with it, drop me a link to your video.

 

[Ledsen]

My favourite LP's are the ones that are more focused on the person/people playing rather than the game itself. If I wanted to see the game, I'd watch a walkthrough, not an LP.

So yea, Video Games Awesome is by far my favourite LP channel, since it's a little more relaxed and not trying really hard to be good at the game. Plus everyone on the show is pretty damn funny.
Oh and they have really high production values for an LP.

Pooyoos
Phoenix Wright

That channel is definitely not to my tastes. There are few things that annoy me more than random people acting out game dialogue, and on top of that, more than half the screen is taken up by their faces and a stream of the completely superflous chat. Show the game full screen and nothing else, the personality comes through in the commentary.

 

[Klyka]

I got into making Let's Plays some years ago through two friends of mine who still do them (Helloween4545 and Kikoskia). At first I had a lot of fun with it and did it regularly. But the more I did it, the more I noticed that I didn't like my own videos very much. I was gaining subscribers though,so I thought "Well, others like it,so might as well continue!".

But I started drifting in and out of it and often when I watched my videos I cringed because I couldn't stop thinking how bad they were. Then i took a break for a bit and decided "I can do this better,let's try it again, let's make it actually good" and the same stuff happened again. I got up to about 4000 subscribers or so,which honestly felt pretty good, but I just couldn't go on with it.
I love making videos and I sometimes I have some ideas on what I could do,but I just decided to stop because I'll never actually be one of the "good" LPers.

 

[Dalibor_San]

As others have said I want the person to have information and know what he/she is doing, bad players put me off as I'm average myself.

For example my favourite is EPICNAMEBRO playing Dark Souls: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI6keWArpxmfeiuAATv7jZw

The guys knows what he is doing and plays the game a hundred different ways that I just never get bored.

 

[Garteal]

My favourite LP's are the ones that are more focused on the person/people playing rather than the game itself. If I wanted to see the game, I'd watch a walkthrough, not an LP.

So yea, Video Games Awesome is by far my favourite LP channel, since it's a little more relaxed and not trying really hard to be good at the game. Plus everyone on the show is pretty damn funny.
Oh and they have really high production values for an LP.

Pooyoos
Phoenix Wright

Never heard of them before, but the Phoenix Wright video (quickly scrubbed, saving for later) looks like it'll be pretty fun to watch.

When I was watching Let's Plays, I only stuck to Gix and Veriax with whatever games they played. Haven't been watching for a few years now so I don't know how they LP nowadays.
gixG17: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6WynqLDAhHXsFM8vuxEY6g
Veriax: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqFG2syR1Z3U9M8TCZyYF6Q

 

[Brerlappin]

Not having some gobshite desperately trying to be funny talking over it.

 

[ihearthawthats]

unless they're really good at the game (they're often not), they gotta be informative or funny.

i can't do silent playthroughs, unless it's a world record attempt.

 

[SlasherJPC]

Well I recently did a Amnesia Machine for Pigs walkthrough, and the biggest compliments I got where the fact that I didn't speak much, just a little, I do show the jump scares, and I just absorb the atmosphere of the game with the viewers. I just can't say how many appreciated that I didn't talk all the time, over react, and just say random stupid shit. So I'd go that route personally.

 

[Kinyou]

I've yet to find a lets play I really enjoyed. Even the GB quicklooks tend to bore me after 10 minutes or so

 

[Akuun]

- Decent to good voice
- Player has to seem like he or she is enjoying the game
- Genuine personality. Don't just fake it and think screaming a lot/recycling jokes and memes is a replacement for having a personality.
- Don't come across as an elitist ass.
- Skill is a plus, but not a must. Some people can suck at games but the video itself can still be entertaining if the person is still enjoying it or laughing along or something. It's also amusing to see a player be amazing at one genre and then hilariously suck at another.

 

[Into]

Genuine personality


Make no mistake, you are not Robert De Niro, you wont be able to fake anything here, you are not some actor who can deliver truly convincing lines here.

If you are phony people will instantly catch on, and the entire lets play will fall apart.

 

[FYC]

Check out the SomethingAwful Let's Play forums, there's tons of advice and good LPs there, both text and video.

Couple of my favorites:

ResearchIndicates - Jurassic Park Tresspasser
Chip and Ironicus - 50 Cent: Blood On The Sand

 

[Sealion88]

As others have said I want the person to have information and know what he/she is doing, bad players put me off as I'm average myself.

For example my favourite is EPICNAMEBRO playing Dark Souls: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI6keWArpxmfeiuAATv7jZw

The guys knows what he is doing and plays the game a hundred different ways that I just never get bored.

Yea he's great, really loved his stuff. Wish he played more japanese games.

 

[wyvern_bloodfist]

I have a Channel that i do LP's on; but i only play Niche' titles and no commentary you can check it out if you like. http://www.youtube.com/wyvernshido

 

[dezzy8]

Don't speak too much. Don't have an annoying ass voice, and don't scream all the time. I hate watching people play when they are always screaming into the mic.

Most important DON'T BE BAD AT THE GAME. It's so hard watching someone who can't play a game. It's like watching those journalists at a games convention who can't play a game for shit.

 

[mistuhcahlos]

Some semblance of a personality, no kids, no groups, no outside music, no excessive cursing, familiar with the game, enjoy the game, and for the love of crap don't read the text.

 

[thoseAREmySHOES]

I've been thinking of trying my hand at an LP, but I feel like many games are too long for me to talk over the whole time. Would it be acceptable to skip parts of games, as long as I would give a brief summary of what I skipped? I just don't want to have videos of slower parts of games carried solely by my commentary... at least not early on.

 

[Timeaisis]

That the player doesn't speak

First post wins again.

 

[Canis lupus]

People who shut the fuck up and don't attempt to be funny because 9/10 they're not.

 

[Messofanego]

Don't talk over cutscenes or game dialogue.

MANvsGAME is fun and is good at games, but he's not on youtube. He's big on Twitch TV.

 

[Woo-Fu]

I think you either have it or you don't. I've seen good streamers/youtubers get better, but bad streamers/youtubers are bad forever.

 

[Goldenroad]

That the player doesn't speak

I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels this way.

 

[SparkleMotion]

Check out Chris Smoove on YouTube - dude is just straight up entertaining, without the angry shouting and cursing. I don't even like NBA or FIFA games, but he makes them entertaining to watch. He posts up walkthroughs and such for other games too (Tomb Raider, GTA V, Saints Row IV, Last of Us, Splinter Cell: Blacklist), while also doing Call of Duty videos.

What I don't like about Chris Smoove is that he edits down all of his videos and only posts the runs where he doesn't die. You never get to see him fail.

 

[Mesoian]

With all the talk of how many lets play youtubers there is out there what makes a good video to you? Most videos I've seen are just a either just a guy badly commentating whilst he plays a game badly or the whole angry game act.

Any channels worth checking out?

Humor, a general understanding of the background of the game, unexpected situations, keep things interesting.

Doing let's plays alone is hard because you will eventually run out of interesting things to talk about, and it's really easy to devolve into a series of um's and ah's at that point. 2 or 3 people is a good dynamic.

That the player doesn't speak

That's a long play, not a let's play.

 

[Ziek]

Epicnamebro is the only LP I'll ever watch. His videos are informative and interesting. He rarely makes jokes, but when he does it's about a game mechanic or story element. After I finished my playthrough of Dark Souls, I watched his entire video series on Lore and his playthroughs. I couldn't believe how much I missed.

 

[BowieZ]

"No talking" doesn't really work in certain genres, like strategy. I've been watching Let's Plays of SimCity (2013) in the last week or two, and I thought I might do a shout-out to three of them who tick all the boxes:

• narration-skills (e.g. complete sentences, not to many "thinking sounds", a solid structure without getting sidetracked too much)
• production quality (good mic, good audio-mix, solid post-processing in cuts, chroma keys and the like)
• Knowledge and skill in the actual game. I hate to watch people struggle with the controls or blatantly ignore key game mechanics. That Giantbomb-Quicklook of Dynasty Warriors 8 was terrible for that reason. There is a certain need for research before being able to play a game the way, I would want to watch.
• Episodes of the right length with regular updates. I like videos from 30 to 60 minutes. YT is replacing TV for me, so I want TV-like episode-sizes. And episodes should be published regularly, so I am motivated to invest the time to "get into" the series.

DinosGG
quill18
xisumavoid

(the latter of whom has a very sexy British accent to boot!)

 

[Carl]

That the player doesn't speak

First post nails it. Shut your mouth and let me play the game. Especially don't fucking scream your head off.

 

[WillyFive]

An entertaining and knowledgeable host and timely uploads.

 

[Haunted]

As indicated by the responses in this thread, a variety of people value different things.


The very first thing you need to ask yourself if you're looking into producing a videogame-themed Let's Play Youtube channel (you're a couple years late to the party, btw) is which demographic you want to appeal to.

Someone like Pewdiepie attracts a very different crowd compared to a Northernlion or an Amiga Longplay channel.

 

[NewGame]

Talking over the top of the video like a large fat man at a cinema. Lots of swearing, crude jokes and occasional burps or heavy breathing.

I would suggest just playing games yourself, don't encourage the 'letsplay' industry any more than it already is.

 

[Chojin]

Swedes. If the LPer is swedish I know they're going to be funny. Noweigan as well.

 

[fart town usa]

1: Relevant information
2: Trivia
3: The occasional funny joke
4: Commentary only when absolutely necessary
5: All of the above

I generally steer clear of Let's Plays on Youtube (i always found them boring to do myself when i was uploading regularly)

This.

 

[Dragon]

That the player doesn't speak

First post nails it.

So you mean it's not a let's play then? Then it's just a walkthrough.

 

[SentryDown]

A good let's play is one that I want to watch even if I can play/I played the game. Watching people playing is boring, I need more than the game.

 

[DukeTogo1300]

• Good personality.
• Make sure I can hear the game ok.
• Can't be terrible/clueless with the game.
• Not too much potty-mouth.
• Not constantly negative/whiny about small things.
• Be mindful of how loud your outbursts can be for us.
• If you're funny, you're funny, but not really a deal-breaker tbh.

 

[Starwolf_UK]

Not Pokemon or Kaizo Mario. Certainly not self-insert Pokemon (I suppose it has its fans and a lot of effort is put in but looking in from the outside it is easy to have the same view as the RP...).

If it is a quick look or first 10 minutes sort of thing I like no commentary just gameplay. I dislike blind runs (sloppy gameplay is a waste of my time).

If it is a let's play then be knowledgeable at the game and possibly index it well (but be wary of spoilers) because a few people actually use let's plays as walkthroughs (so will jump in at a section they are stuck at). Also if you are doing a game that has been done to death then find a unique way to do it (say a swordless Link run of Zelda 1...but only if you're skilled enough to do it) or don't do an LP before but go for a trivia type of video.

First of all, video LPs are the only ones I bother with - screenshot LPs are boooring.

For RPGs I far prefer these as they tend to be fairly long games with very repetitive to watch battles or slow paced.

The problem with some screenshot LPs (not ones on LParchive but other places) is when there is too much text commentary or trying to show up all the dialogue and comment on every line of text. My page down key can only take so much wear...

 

[Red Chocobo]

Not putting footage of your face in the corner of the screen. There is no point in that at all.

I know they want to be come internet famous, but I don't want to look at their spotty faces. I want to watch the game.

 

[Not Spaceghost]

I think this post nails it.

1: Relevant information
2: Trivia
3: The occasional funny joke
4: Commentary only when absolutely necessary
5: All of the above

I love it when LPers know so much about the game when they take you through it almost feels like a developer diary, like they'll tell you about random glitches, maybe how the area was going to look originally and random secrets that aren't well known. I wish there was a way to search for LPers that exclusively did this...and did it well.