LP's and You/Youtube

[jumpfight5]

I have always known about LPers. I learned it very quickly from watching youtube suggestions pile up from vanilla redstone tutorials when I first started, and from vanilla servers I've played on. I used to play Tekkit before I came here, and I've learned about names of LP'ers, such as Yogscast, a recently brought up topic. After starting up here, I quickly learned about Direwolf20 and "The Mindcrackers". These people are credited to making modded Minecraft widely known about.
I've never watched a LP video, I know about Direwolf's "9x9's" and I have always thought that it has been a way to hinder creativity. People watch what one guy's doing, and, next thing you know, everyone's using Nether Lava to power their bases.
I also know about the comedic kiddie way the Yogscast are thought of. With their young and immature userbase, many people on the forums are not inclined to have these members playing our "prestigious" modpack (and have been thought of as elitists for that reason).
Many modders and "celebrities" of Minecraft also have twitter accounts, and people are inclined to follow whatever they do. Names that "everyone should know" when you think of FTB (or Technic) are including but not limited to: CovertJaguar, neptunepink, Eloraam, KingLemming, and that space guy who made BuildCraft.
Now, I'm not big on youtube (which has been recently dubbed as the worst community ever--I sometimes agree), but do you guys (who do watch LP's) really enjoy it? I've never done it, as these LP's take 30 minutes or more and if I have that time I'll just play Minecraft.

Not trying to start a flame war, I don't really know, and I was wondering if it were worth my time watching LP's, streams, and following twitter accounts (the hollywood side of Minecraft), or just play the game and watch the forums (because I can read faster than most people speak, and actually reading it is easier in public than watching a video that will drain my phone's battery and data, compared to looking at a screen of text that won't kill my battery or any bills, and if I really need something, I can save it on a document or print it out.

Did I mention my laptop can't handle Youtube AND Minecraft, while it is fine with a few tabs up.

 

[Guswut]

Not trying to start a flame war, I don't really know, and I was wondering if it were worth my time watching LP's, streams, and following twitter accounts (the hollywood side of Minecraft), or just play the game and watch the forums (because I can read faster than most people speak, and actually reading it is easier in public than watching a video that will drain my phone's battery and data, compared to looking at a screen of text that won't kill my battery or any bills, and if I really need something, I can save it on a document or print it out.

Did I mention my laptop can't handle Youtube AND Minecraft, while it is fine with a few tabs up.

In your specific situation, it would likely make more sense by far to obtain your data through reading the forums, asking questions here, and playing around.

Some things are much easier to get through videos (large amounts of mod-related data/interactions in a short time with pictures to define things, etc), but most everything has a textual version for those of us that'd much rather text.

 

[RetroGamer1224]

Okay, as someone whom is also interested in doing LPs lemme say this. Watch what you want. You can do anything you wish in a LP. Play with any mod, go vanilla, join a group like GTS, Machinima, ect. or just make vidoes about cats dancing the Charleton. Reason why so many do the same thing is....wait for it..because it works. As the old saying goes why fix what isn't broken.

In other words why try something new when there is a chance you will either lose subscribers or just not be viewed. That being said being new can help out. If enough word of mouth spreads you can have your own group of sychophants....i mean fans hanging around you.

 

[jumpfight5]

In your specific situation, it would likely make more sense by far to obtain your data through reading the forums, asking questions here, and playing around.

Some things are much easier to get through videos (large amounts of mod-related data/interactions in a short time with pictures to define things, etc), but most everything has a textual version for those of us that'd much rather text.

I've never seen textual versions of Direwolf20's or Mindcrackers (or any LP's for that matter). I think it'd be a great addition to put on some blog or something, you could add to the people "following" you, and get more people subscribed to your blog and your Youtube account.

Okay, as someone whom is also interested in doing LPs lemme say this. Watch what you want. You can do anything you wish in a LP. Play with any mod, go vanilla, join a group like GTS, Machinima, ect. or just make vidoes about cats dancing the Charleton. Reason why so many do the same thing is....wait for it..because it works. As the old saying goes why fix what isn't broken.

In other words why try something new when there is a chance you will either lose subscribers or just not be viewed. That being said being new can help out. If enough word of mouth spreads you can have your own group of sychophants....i mean fans hanging around you.

I always hear about the 9 year olds doing let's plays, and I've never seen them, but it sounds like Youtube is chock-full of 'em. If people are doing the same things over and over again, why do they get so popular? I can see tutorials, but just watching someone play any game has never been fun for me. It usually involves a bit of uncomfortable situations (in the case where I have to lean over their shoulder awkwardly, and breathing on someone you don't know is never good to do). And even when it's easy to watch, you just want to do it. That's what I'd be like. I'd watch a half tutorial, and be like "I get this!" and go online and try it, and work out the tweaks myself that I could have known by watching the last half of the video. In that case, I could never watch LPs to the fullest because I'd just play.

 

[Guswut]

I've never seen textual versions of Direwolf20's or Mindcrackers (or any LP's for that matter). I think it'd be a great addition to put on some blog or something, you could add to the people "following" you, and get more people subscribed to your blog and your Youtube account.

The vast majority of what DireWolf20, the MindCrackers, and most other Let's Players go through is in the wikis and forums for the various mods. A lot of Let's Play videos have a whole bunch of useless content, so you've often got to sift through it to find the useful data.

Mod spotlights are normally better, but usually only minorly so as you often want to see how something works in action.

 

[RetroGamer1224]

Ahh that is understood but thing is LPs, to me, help me see if I want to buy a game. Take Rythian of the Yogscast doing Dishonored. He does a super job of being in character for it as well as showing a lot of good mechanics for the game. He is in no way uber gamer but it is fun to watch. Also people may play differently then you and a chance you may learn something or experience something new. Look up Super Mario World and see if the kaiser mode mod is being played. That is pretty awesome to watch. Speed runs also are neat to see as it is a challenge.

As for nine year olds doing LPs. Sure there are some but they are featured or even get popular. To be a good youtuber, in my humble opinion, it would be best to study radio shows from the early 1900s. Without seeing the actor it takes a lot of imagination to get into the story they are telling, if it is a story then mean to tell.

I watch people like Sjin and Fyre UK for how to build stuff. Generic B and others on vanilla mechanics. Yogs for humor and variety. Total Biscuit for news as well as BebopVox. Piedudeaus and Direwolf for mod reviews. Mark Crilley and Zooc for art lessions.

Variety is the spice of life.

 

[Chrono]

Perhaps the vast majority of us watch these "celebrities" for entertainment?

 

[Guswut]

Perhaps the vast majority of us watch these "celebrities" for entertainment?

I'm in the minority, then, as I usually only watch Let's Plays when it is useful to what I want to do. The vast majority of the time it is similar to watching someone fairly bad at the game play badly and be generally, well, bad.

 

[Chrono]

I'm in the minority, then, as I usually only watch Let's Plays when it is useful to what I want to do. The vast majority of the time it is similar to watching someone fairly bad at the game play badly and be generally, well, bad.

You sure are, first time in my whole life I see someone whit your mindset.

 

[RetroGamer1224]

I think that despite some people being bad at playing there is some kind of enjoyment in watching. I pointed out people I watch based on what I know they are good at. DW and others that are good at teaching are whom I would go to when learning a new mod. LittleKuriboh or even Epic Rap Battles when I need a good laugh and something fun to listen too. Even Acoustic Brony is awesome to chill to if it your kind of thing.

For me youtube is my tv shows. My current living situation means I don't watch much tv so I know little about current American pop culture. But I watch other "celebrities" and get my enjoyment from them.

 

[Guswut]

You sure are, first time in my whole life I see someone whit your mindset.

Well now, I am mint green and my smile is half of my face, so it surely must be related as such.

Funny, though, as I know more people that think the way I do than the way you do in this regard. Good times!

 

[Chrono]

Well now, I am mint green and my smile is half of my face, so it surely must be related as such.

Funny, though, as I know more people that think the way I do than the way you do in this regard. Good times!

I find that somehow hard to believe, pretty much everyone I know go to youtube for entertainment, lets plays as their own name says are not tutorial/faqs/walkthroughs, they are some guy/girl in the internet playing that game the way he feels like it.
Just saw a minecraft lets play video whit about 500.000 views, kinda hard to believe all these people where there just to learn how to make x thing.

 

[jumpfight5]

The vast majority of what DireWolf20, the MindCrackers, and most other Let's Players go through is in the wikis and forums for the various mods. A lot of Let's Play videos have a whole bunch of useless content, so you've often got to sift through it to find the useful data.

Mod spotlights are normally better, but usually only minorly so as you often want to see how something works in action.

I think I have watched a mod spotlight, and I watched a third of it, and that was all. I can see their use, but with the unfinished state of the FTB wiki(s), I feel like it's hard to find information there.
And yes, they seem like they do! I've watched a video (I don't think it was a lets play) where some guy went through the nether to find a cave. Yep, a vanilla cave. Then he was like look at all these ores omg lololol scoresofores yummy and I ended up skipping the part where he went around mining coal. And the part where he showed off the stuff he had. Then the video was over like that!

Perhaps the vast majority of us watch these "celebrities" for entertainment?

I've seen BTW's mod owner's twitter feed.
Yeah. Wow. ...Wow.

I think that despite some people being bad at playing there is some kind of enjoyment in watching. I pointed out people I watch based on what I know they are good at. DW and others that are good at teaching are whom I would go to when learning a new mod. LittleKuriboh or even Epic Rap Battles when I need a good laugh and something fun to listen too. Even Acoustic Brony is awesome to chill to if it your kind of thing.

For me youtube is my tv shows. My current living situation means I don't watch much tv so I know little about current American pop culture. But I watch other "celebrities" and get my enjoyment from them.

I can see me doing that, maybe I should give them a chance, but it feels like a waste. These guys figured out how to use this stuff, why shouldn't I be able to?

 

[Malkara]

I personally watch etho and direwolf20, I watch etho for the crazy stuff he makes and for inspiration, I watch Dire for actually learning about FTB and inspiration.

I guess I watch LP's for inspiration, and whilst I love reading books and such, reading wiki's can never get me the inspiration I need to get a build going.

 

[jumpfight5]

I personally watch etho and direwolf20, I watch etho for the crazy stuff he makes and for inspiration, I watch Dire for actually learning about FTB and inspiration.

I guess I watch LP's for inspiration, and whilst I love reading books and such, reading wiki's can never get me the inspiration I need to get a build going.

With pictures and good writing, I find wikis are great for looking up anything, they're so much easier to access.
*Disclaimer* The wiki has to be done first.

 

[Malkara]

Whilst this is a valid point, I have yet to find a wiki that not only goes through the building process, pictures and all, and subsequently shows how this building then goes on to effect similar buildings in it's surroundings, possibly in a novel way.

No I'm not hatin' on wiki's(wikis?), I love wiki's, I just find that whilst a wiki might help you build x, a LP series of episodes helps you know how to build x and how it works with y.

 

[Chrono]

I can see me doing that, maybe I should give them a chance, but it feels like a waste. These guys figured out how to use this stuff, why shouldn't I be able to?

Like I said before, most don't watch them to learn stuff, like you said it yourself, everyone can learn on their own, we watch their stuff because it is entertainment for us, just as playing minecraft and figuring stuff out on your own may be for you.
Maybe it is their voice, maybe it is because they suck at videogames, people just like them.

 

[jumpfight5]

Whilst this is a valid point, I have yet to find a wiki that not only goes through the building process, pictures and all, and subsequently shows how this building then goes on to effect similar buildings in it's surroundings, possibly in a novel way.

No I'm not hatin' on wiki's(wikis?), I love wiki's, I just find that whilst a wiki might help you build x, a LP series of episodes helps you know how to build x and how it works with y.

Yeah, I understand what you're saying now.

Like I said before, most don't watch them to learn stuff, like you said it yourself, everyone can learn on their own, we watch their stuff because it is entertainment for us, just as playing minecraft and figuring stuff out on your own may be for you.
Maybe it is their voice, maybe it is because they suck at videogames, people just like them.

Like that guy who downloaded FTB without knowing anything past Vanilla and tried to make a Tin Pickaxe?
Also, has it provided you with enough entertainment to stop playing Minecraft when x comes out with a new LP? I also like videos to be short. Watching 30 or 40 minute videos is not how I feel youtube should be. I'm fine with TV shows and movies being longer, but my thoughts on youtube is 5 minute videos are good. But you can't get much done in 5 minutes, so I understand why they're longer. If I were to make a LP, my videos would try to be 10 minutes and around that area, but I'd end up having 4x the videos as the other LP'ers do, and I don't think people want to keep watching videos.

 

[Chrono]

Yeah, I understand what you're saying now.
Like that guy who downloaded FTB without knowing anything past Vanilla and tried to make a Tin Pickaxe?
Also, has it provided you with enough entertainment to stop playing Minecraft when x comes out with a new LP?
I also like videos to be short. Watching 30 or 40 minute videos is not how I feel youtube should be. I'm fine with TV shows and movies being longer, but my thoughts on youtube is 5 minute videos are good. But you can't get much done in 5 minutes, so I understand why they're longer. If I were to make a LP, my videos would try to be 10 minutes and around that area, but I'd end up having 4x the videos as the other LP'ers do, and I don't think people want to keep watching videos.

Maybe to the first question, depends on what x is let's playing, some let's plays I watched on youtube where worth 100 times the amount I paid to see N crappy movie, not to mention on how they here 10 times longer than said movie and 100% free.
Perhaps you should try to let"s play and see how many you please whit your way.
I am so used whit 10 pages of youtube comments on 30-40 minutes videos asking for hour long episodes, hmm "episodes"... that is the term we use, because for us, these let's play series are just like those weekly tv shows created for our entertainment, bad ones are simply ignored, good ones get new seasons, and we get hours and hours of free entertainment.
If you like playing videogames better than watching someone playing them, good for you, but perhaps it would be wise to at very least give it a shot, I am sure you will find at least one people you truly enjoy seeing.
From the minecraft point I only watch Direwolf and half of the mindcrack guys, I don't follow tweets or streams, nor I watch every single video they post, I don't think I ever went to a video of any of those guys in search of an answer, google is enough for me.

 

[jumpfight5]

Maybe to the first question, depends on what x is let's playing, some let's plays I watched on youtube where worth 100 times the amount I paid to see N crappy movie, not to mention on how they here 10 times longer than said movie and 100% free.
Perhaps you should try to let"s play and see how many you please whit your way.
I am so used whit 10 pages of youtube comments on 30-40 minutes videos asking for hour long episodes, hmm "episodes"... that is the term we use, because for us, these let's play series are just like those weekly tv shows created for our entertainment, bad ones are simply ignored, good ones get new seasons, and we get hours and hours of free entertainment.
If you like playing videogames better than watching someone playing them, good for you, but perhaps it would be wise to at very least give it a shot, I am sure you will find at least one people you truly enjoy seeing.
From the minecraft point I only watch Direwolf and half of the mindcrack guys, I don't follow tweets or streams, nor I watch every single video they post, I don't think I ever went to a video of any of those guys in search of an answer, google is enough for me.

Alright, I'll try one. I play Mindcrack, but should I watch Direwolf? Because everyone seems to like him.