Playing vs. Watching/Reading

[Exhuminator]

But just checking out info on games you likely won't get a chance to play? Nothing wrong with that.

I routinely vicariously play games through copious review consumption.

[Ziggy]

Anyone ever watch a play through of a game instead of actually playing it?

In addition to watching/reading, I also spend a lot of time tinkering with games and consoles instead of actually playing games. For example, I've spent a lot of time modifying consoles to output better audio and/or video, or some other such thing. I hunt for backup consoles too, so a lot of times I'll get some consoles that are not so well off and fix them up. I'll pick up carts that are in poor condition and fix them up as well. Then there's a lot of time spent just setting things up. Cabling, adapters, XRGB, setting up FMCB with a HDD loader for the PS2, slowly ripping my GCN and Wii collection to a HDD for the same purpose, etc.

I have the same problem with guitars. For a short while, I was working as a repair tech in a guitar shop. Pretty much every one that worked there could shred so much better than me. I use to joke that I'd be so much better at guitar if I spent the same amount of time playing one that I did taking them apart. I can really apply the same joke to video games, my back log wouldn't be nearly as large if I only played games instead of watching/reading about them, loitering on the forums here, and tinkering with them.

[Anapan]

I read and talk about good games more than I play them.
I cannot watch a really good game being played without stopping the video, acquiring the game and playing it unless it really prohibitively hard to play because of it's rarity price.
I cannot watch a bad game being slowly played and commented on without leaving the room.
I really enjoy speedruns of any type, but especially the "fun" type where exploits are played with.
I also have some difficulty watching a good game being played *really* badly without saying something or leaving the room unless I'm there in co-op to help. I was really glad I got the SMW 2 player patch working at least a little last time I needed it...

Mostly I dislike lets plays because they drown out the music and I cannot enjoy the game.



Due to my niece and nephew being obsessed with it, I *strongly* dislike Minecraft with british people chattering behind it. Also, having played less than 1/2 an hour of it, I believe I could build a fully functional walking robot in Minecraft for the very same reason...

Seriously, some houses always have sports playing and listen in for goals or whatever, my brother's house at any time will usually have 1 - 3 displays either silently or audibly playing minecraft lets-plays. If I turn them all off, my nephew comes in and turns one on while eating pudding, another while driving a lego car through the house, and so-on... One time I counted 7 minecraft videos playing at once including all the family smartphones and tablets and computer displays.

My Brother and sister-in-law tolerate it just fine as long as some music is slightly louder, but that can't be considered normal, right? The cacophony of 7 british casual minecraft players surrounding me and telling me how many cakes their fans left on their doorstep while they slept?
It was really weird to step outside into the smoking room full of second-hand smoke having quit smoking only 3 months ago, being offered a smoke, and saying "no thanks, just here for some fresh air."

[Ziggy]

but that can't be considered normal, right?

I wouldn't consider that normal.

having quit smoking only 3 months ago

Congrats!

[samsonlonghair]

It was really weird to step outside into the smoking room full of second-hand smoke having quit smoking only 3 months ago, being offered a smoke, and saying "no thanks, just here for some fresh air."

Good decision, Anapan. I solute your life choice.

[Snatch1414]

But just checking out info on games you likely won't get a chance to play? Nothing wrong with that.

I routinely vicariously play games through copious review consumption.

Does it seem like there are hardly any reviews anymore? Might be my imagination, but there are so many games coming out these days and I feel like the only ones that get reviewed are the fairly hyped ones. I noticed Destructoid seems determined to review every Atlus-style Vita game that comes out, but other than that.....

[Ack]

But just checking out info on games you likely won't get a chance to play? Nothing wrong with that.

I routinely vicariously play games through copious review consumption.

Does it seem like there are hardly any reviews anymore? Might be my imagination, but there are so many games coming out these days and I feel like the only ones that get reviewed are the fairly hyped ones. I noticed Destructoid seems determined to review every Atlus-style Vita game that comes out, but other than that.....

Actually I think the best reviews are the ones I read on here about games in the Games Beaten thread. Most games I don't buy on release at this point. While I still play some newer games, rarely do I need something on the day of launch. I already have a ton to play, and I'm comfortable waiting.

This isn't always 100% of the time(I want Doom, but it's partially out of product loyalty and partially because the ads make me go, "Rip and tear and rip and tear"), but it's often enough that I just don't need to go to other websites to see what reviewers think. If I'm waffling, I might also go look at product reviews on places like GOG. Sometimes you get some good info that way. Some of it's pure propaganda, but you'll find solid incites mixed in.

[Gunstar Green]

There are more amateur reviews than you can count. It's possible the big outlets have been shrinking but I think it's more likely there's just too many games coming out so many niche titles get swept under the rug.

I think video game reviews are on the cusp of becoming more like film reviews where we look towards the opinions of individuals instead of the companies they work for. Just like movies I tend to gravitate towards people who share my tastes because I know their opinion will probably come close to my own.

[Exhuminator]

Does it seem like there are hardly any reviews anymore?

If you're just checking the normal review mill sites, a lot of stuff won't be reviewed, that's true. I've found a few sites that bother to review more obscure stuff:

http://www.hardcoregamer.com/category/reviews/

http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews.html

http://www.gamecritics.com/video-game-reviews

http://www.honestgamers.com/reviews/arc ... ate/1.html

I agree with Ack that my favorite place to read reviews is right here in the Games Beaten thread. That thread is the best thing on the entire forum. I don't respond much in it, but I read the whole thing, and try to make my reviews worth reading in appreciation of other people's work.

[Tanooki]

Same here -- I don't buy them new but few and far between anymore, see no point in it other than throwing money away. I get no enjoyment of playing FPS games or whatever online at all, so why run out and pay $60 for a 3-4hour story mode? Wait a year or two, get it used/new for at least 50% off and same for much of anything else. There are exceptions, like I'll get Uncharted 4 as the other 3 never let me down.


Now here's something playing vs watching/reading. I've been picking away at Baldur's Gate EE for a bit, wanted to see how the sequel went and while the opening jail sequence was interesting, now I'm bored, confused, and if not for an online FAQ I'd be lost which I don't much appreciate. Once you're free it's just walls and walls of spoken and read text, going around this general town area. You're only free to the slums, which is more reading and not playing. Now I know I needed to got to this pub and I did, and recruited a healer, but now I have no damn idea what to do. Even the faq itself is sketchy saying well you can meet all these people and they have quests, but since you're still locked into those spots it's still stuck. It wants you to raise 20K to help bust your buddy out of wizard jail, but I can't find any monster areas to go kill crap for coinage. All I do is read and read and it's fluff(would be substance) you can't start yet and yet more clicking, slow walking and reading and not playing. I don't have time for that crap, at least the prequel does something even if it's slow to raise levels.

I'm on the brink of calling it slow, overly wordy and not worth it and going back to a mix of BG1 and mostly Diablo 2 now that new patch is out so it works again.