Something that interests me about participating in the culture around anything is that there are at least two subgroups of people I generally notice: the people who are motivated by staying on top of what's trending, and people who are driven by a personal experience to seek out the thoughts other folks who have had the same experience.
There's definitely something magical to being a part of the first wave, going through something unknown with a ton of other people who are just as clueless as you are, at a time when absolutely no one can know where things are heading. In fact, I know people who get into fandoms primarily for the excitement of their surrounding communities, as opposed to the actual content of the media the communities are centered on. They absolutely love to ride the wave. That atmosphere of unfolding adventure, unending speculation, and shared reaction is deeply meaningful to them.
I tend to be in the latter group. I'll play a game (or read a book, or whatever) and want to talk about it, and I'll know that at least someone on this board, if not a lot of someones, will be able to talk to me about it and share their personal experiences. So I log in and say "Metroid!" and wait for the responses to pop up. In this case we're free of time constraints; I can hypothetically mention Metroid now or ten years from now and still get the kind of connection I want over it. I don't have to hit a particular window of relevancy. Also, personally, I love the dynamic of having a bunch of people nod knowingly and tell me, "Oh man, you have no idea how much fun you are going to have," or say something cryptic like, "Be prepared for this particular stage but that's all I'm gonna say about it, hahahaha." I find that super intriguing and motivating.
And both aspects are brought together in this:
isiolia wrote:I see Let's Plays as more akin to, say, a talk show or something. The streamer(s) are kind a pseudo friend for the viewers.
What's amazing about Let's Plays is that you are forever able to experience the First Wave along with somebody you like, or at the very least witness
their First Wave and enjoy it sympathetically as someone who's Been There Before (as long as their footage exists). And as for the connection, it's just as real a phenomenon as the way people feel "connected" to a friend whose Facebook updates and photos they peruse but whom they don't communicate with directly anymore. The difference is that Let's Plays are just honest about the fact that there is no direct friendship; it's about being comrades in arms, in a temporal-anomaly kind of way. Like reading the autobiography or poetry of someone who resonates with you.
I... don't know how on-topic this was. At all. Apologies.