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Originally posted on Twitter.
I get this question a lot, so here’s the answer, for the record: why do we watch other people play video games?
I watch both YouTube and Twitch, though the YouTube content is usually just Twitch VODs. (It’s a bit odd that most current YouTube content isn’t made for YouTube.) Here’s why I watch:
To make purchase decisions
I watch new games people care about to see if they’re for me. This works best with creators whose preferences I already understand – even if they like different games than I do, I know what those differences are and can account for them.
To experience genres I wouldn’t play myself
Horror games, challenge-based games like Dark Souls, open-world collectathons like the Batman Arkham series, some cinematic story-driven games like Life is Strange. I enjoy watching these but I wouldn’t sit down and play them.
To experience games from consoles I don’t own
I only have a PC. I don’t own a PS4 or Switch. There are great games on those platforms worth experiencing, and watching is the only realistic way I’m getting to them.
To see how other people play games I play myself
I’ve watched as many hours of RimWorld and Cities: Skylines as I’ve spent playing them. You pick up new strategies, see how people approach things differently, and learn how they organise their environment. It changes how you play.
To study game design
Watching someone play a prominent game gives you a different angle on its design than playing it yourself. You notice things you’d miss when you’re the one making decisions.
In terms of when: watching games fills my “television” slot. Either in the morning before work, or in the evening instead of a series or film. It doesn’t replace actually playing.