Games I Don’t Want to Play
Sometimes I find myself watching videos and reading about games I don’t play. In some cases, I will never play these games. How can I be happy about or excited about video games if I don’t play them?! Video games are interactive, right?
In this blog post, I will give reasons why I like some game series and specific games, even though I have not played them at all.
I Like Watching Videos of People Play Games
I like watching other people play games. I often watch recorded videos and live streams on YouTube and Twitch.
I like to watch Let’s Plays videos or series. This is often when a person records the process of completing an entire video game. These series can be very long, depending on the game. I still watch Let’s Plays, but I am more likely to watch a stream or a stream recording of someone playing a game more recently.
Why I Like Watching Videos of Games I Don’t Play
So I have seen some people ask this question online multiple times. Why watch someone else play a video game when you can play it yourself?
I find video games to be very interesting. It is why I ramble on about them on this blog. I love video games so much that I will watch and read content about video games even if I don’t like playing them or want to play them.
I admit it is a bit odd. I don’t watch sports because I don’t like playing them. But with video games, that logic goes out the window. Sometimes. I still won’t watch content of a game if it is boring to play and boring to watch. But I tend to be very lenient.
Watching other people play video games lets me get a bit of my video game fix while doing other things. For example, school work, etc. I also tend to watch video games while playing other video games. Or, in some cases, I play the same game the content creator is playing!
I often watch streams and videos on a second monitor while doing other things. So I am not exactly giving anywhere near 100% focus or attention. I often just listen to whatever the content creator is saying and look occasionally at what they are doing.
I also think I like learning about games I don’t like by watching others play them. This rarely leads to me buying a game if I already decided I wouldn’t. But I will still get somewhat of an experience from watching others play it. I have bought a few rare games from watching enough streamers play them. Lethal Company is an example. I don’t play the game much. But after watching multiple Hololive members play the game, I decided to buy it.
I Like to Watch Theory Videos on Games
I love to hear people talk about video games. I love to hear what people think about games. I specifically love theories about the stories in video games. I watch multiple YouTube channels that talk about video game theory. I like reading Reddit threads about video game lore too!
Often, I am more interested in the story of a video game than in playing it. At least when it comes to games, I would not consider buying or playing them anyway.
Five Nights at Freddy’s is a good example. I have not played a single game in this series. I don’t like this kind of gameplay. I also don’t want to be jump-scared when playing video games.
But I know quite a bit about the story thanks to the countless YouTube videos I watched, and, of course, I watched people play just about every game in the series.
Sorry, video game developers. But after watching some games, watching some gameplay, and some lore videos, now I don’t have a reason to buy the game anymore. I got what I wanted.
The Connection I Have Content Creators Is Strong
I like certain YouTubers and Twitch streamers, no matter what videos they make. I get excited to see what new content a creator has made. I often save videos to watch later as soon as I see them. I watch live streams they make, and often the recordings post streams.
I watch content creators for their personalities and often with Hololive whoever else they are playing or collaborating with. That is enough to get me to watch content of video games I never play myself. I might still not like the games. But I like watching my favorite streamers play them.