I don't get the appeal of watching streamers

[Drake Ravenwolf]

Why watch someone play a game instead of playing it yourself?
Maybe I'm just too old to "get" it

[ɸ It That Dwells ɸ]

I get it for games that aren't really fun to play but have a good story or world setting - something you don't have to spend money on and can instead vicariously experience that game through someone else. I did it for Resident Evil 7, personally, though I very rarely ever watch streamer playthroughs myself.

Otherwise I totally agree, why not just play games yourself.

[SZNEJK®]

Bro you dont need even write this..just wait and enjoy a game in 5.5 hours

[Ouro]

sometimes its fun to watch a personality you like play games
especially if it's a game you're not entirely sure you'd want to get yourself
not everyone watching people play elden ring, want to play elden ring

[protium1]

Why does it have to be either or? I watch and play at the same time.

[Moisesjns]

Game is up in 5 hours. I also do not see the point in watching a streameither , unless its to like see what actual gameplay is like before you buy it, Or if your interested in a game but don't really want to buy it. I use to play tarkov, and after grinding for like 2 years and having to reset, i started to watch it on streams instead of playing, but even then i have not watched a stream in ages, game lost my interest / went another direction.

[⭕TheSodaman]

Originally posted by Drake Ravenwolf:

Why watch someone play a game instead of playing it yourself?
Maybe I'm just too old to "get" it

It's like asking your friend, "Hey, I think you should see this movie or play this game." And then you get to hear their opinion on it, talk to them about it, maybe even re-live some of the wonder, awe, and excitement through them.

Or for others, flaunting their dominance and superiority over the other person as the mentor figure. You know, the one that has some dark secret and/or betrays them for some reason or another.

Other times, the streamer may simply be entertaining and/or have commentary or an entertaining or wholesome community that is may be a welcome break when you cannot actively play the game / do the activity yourself / multi-tasking.

[Ryan Fenton]

Seeing a different story than you told/will tell.

I remember watching Skyrim streamers way back on original release.

Open world games rarely end up with the same story being told by any 2 players - so spoiling isn't as much an issue, at least with the early game.

Same thing with Tsushima - I know I played that vastly different than most players seem to (I found I could jump right behind most common enemies and slash them early game, and used save/load to practice strategies).

Streams are a way of seeing the stories others tell in the same world - makes the world richer.

[FireShark]

There is no appeal. If you are trying to see if the game is good you can just watch or read a review and check out trailers.

[DAWN OF THE DEAD]

And i don’t get why millions people watch ten guys run around in big field and kicking ball

[ɸ It That Dwells ɸ]

To further build on my previous point, I don't find it fun to watch strangers on the internet play games typically, but I do really enjoy watching my friends play games. So they might screenshare in a DM voice call, or I might watch them personally stream on their own channel.

[Dark Sun Gwyndolin]

I particularly like watching LP's of old or terrible games where I wouldn't want to play them myself, but are hilarious to watch someone struggle with, such as Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts or Ride to Hell Retribution. I also like watching creative games like Minecraft, speedruns of games like Mario 64, and modded hijinks like GTAV where a streamer can extract more entertainment than I could. Finally, it's great for learning strategies for complicated games like Dota 2 or Total War.

[khaychi]

Streams are a neat background noise for me. For the most part. Some people listen to podcasts or music. Others watch shows or streams while playing.

[Drake Ravenwolf]

Originally posted by Mosesjns:

I also do not see the point in watching a streameither , unless its to like see what actual gameplay is like before you buy it

This part I'd understand, kind of like a demo - to see if you'd like it before committing to buying.

[Borjalyokox]

I like watching other people reactions to certain events or bosses.

[MaDeuce]

People keep up with the Kardashians, post pictures of food on social media, and buy pixels...
I stopped trying to 'get it' a long time ago.