On The Importance of "Let's Plays"

I am a Let's Play addict.
There. I said it. Maybe now I can stop reading them.

Nope. Guess not.
So why do I love Lets Plays so damn much? I think I can break it down into 3 reasons, after reading and watching enough Lets Plays to make and omnibus and adapt it into a cinematic trilogy, and they are as follows.

1. Faster and Cheaper to Appreciate
One great benefit of reading or watching a lets play of a game is that you can take in all of the narrative struggles of game characters, as well as get an idea of the mechanics and difficulty of a game without having to play it yourself. The Lets Player in question will often truncate their gameplay experience, so you can make your way through the entire run of a 200 hour rpg in a day or so worth of reading. This allows for a lot more game appreciation for your time. Additionally, you don't have to pay for the game yourself, which is nice.

2. Fun Commentary
Some Lets Plays offer more than just letting us play vicariously through the Lets Player. Sometimes the Lets Play is worth it for some comedic value, or some informative purpose. For instance, a lets play of a classic RPG where the player breaks it mechanically for all to see like Ivan Drago, or a group of friends commenting on just how terrible a bad game gets. These Lets Plays let us imagine that we are playing with them in some respect, watching over their shoulder and commenting as they play. These sorts of Lets Plays often involve multiple people, or the player will stream the process live, letting the viewers of the stream also commentate.
The thing about this point is that we are still substituting a normal gaming experience for an inferior, but cheaper product. But there is one more reason, and the real reason I love Lets Plays so damn much.

3. The Narrative of the Player OR The Constructed Narrative
Here are a few links to Lets Plays that fit this criteria which I wholeheartedly recommend. Some are just incredibly hilarious, others are dramatic, and some are both. These Lets Plays are the reason I have the Lets Play Archive in my bookmarks bar ahead of Facebook. Not all of these have constructed narratives, and may amount to little more than commentary, but they do tap into one of the important reasons I love games so much, and make them such a unique medium: The capability of radically different experiences while playing the same game. I have already gushed about Fire Emblem in this blog last post (which you should read for context, it's not that long), but this is why I also like to read and play along with Fire Emblem Lets Plays. Its a lot of fun to see how the other person is doing in the game, like how their roster differs from yours, things they found that you missed, and how they approached situations differently. Its a fascinating exercise. But what is much more compelling is when a Lets Player creates an entirely different narrative by adapting the events that happen in the game to a narrative that they construct, sometimes entirely on the fly, or by creating artificial challenges for themselves. These Lets Plays become more like written stories about the game, rather than a direct transcription. It's really compelling, and I love to marvel at their progress, or their audacity.
So that's why I read these things. I have considered starting my own, but I can't think of a good game to do it in. If you have any suggestions, comment or send me an email.

Image from lparchive.org