If you're a regular here on the world wide web, you might have heard the term: "Let's Play" here and there. I mean, how could you not? It is currently the most popular show format on YouTube currently and millions upon millions of viewers tune in everyday to watch. But what is a Let's Play? To put it simply, a Let's Play is an internet show where one or more people play video games while they provide commentary and tell jokes. It doesn't seem all that exciting when described in that form but trust me, there's a reason why this is the current YouTube craze.
I look at Let's Plays as a form of modern improv comedy. Some probably scoff at the notion seeing as there's a lot mediocre, monotone Let's Players that just tell you what's happening onscreen but there's a lot more to it than that. If you want to be a good Let's Player, you need to have sharp wit, an engaging personality, top notch charisma and a keen improv ability. You are there to be a comedian and make people laugh. Improv comedians will generally tell stories from their life, and try to engage the audience by talking to them, sometimes by poking fun at or mocking them. They will sometimes use observational comedy to their advantage and make fun of what they see. Let's Players are no different in this way. Let's play shows are often unscripted and unplanned, will tell stories from their life and have a heavy use of observational comedy in their formula. The main difference is that instead of talking to just the audience, you're talking about the game you're playing and usually applying observational comedy to what's happening onscreen. It's a really fine art to master but if done right, it can make a lot of people laugh.
And that's the main purpose of this blog. I want to help expand some people's perceptions of what Let's Plays are and hopefully introduce some funny content to those who are new to it. Additionally, since I am a new Let's Player myself, I intend to talk about my personal experiences and use that to help current Let's Players by giving them tips!
I hope I can provide some awesome content in the future, thank you all for reading!
Well, I have never heard the term "let's Play" but then again, I am not one to click on something just because it has a million hits on youtube. I use youtube for art videos and art tutorials mostly. Otherwise I get hooked watching things that take up way too much time, and then frustrate me for wasting my time on that lol. I try to stay away from the computer as much as possible. Unfortunately our assignments require us to use the computer way more than my comfort level, and because of this I will most probably not look up "let's Play". Maybe your future blogs can convince me otherwise. :))
ReplyDeleteWell, maybe try reading my most recent post! I dived more into the comedy aspect rather than the technical aspect and tried to make it more easily accessible to nongamers. Give it a read if you'd like!
DeleteI think that this idea of "lets play" is pretty cool and interesting. I think this allows people who don't play video games such as myself to be more interested and ready to try playing them. I allows us to see the fun side of these games which is really cool. I think that if you are able to apply any type of comedy to a situation it will be a lot more fun and interesting to its readers. This is a really cool idea even though I had no idea about it before reading this blog.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I really appreciate the interest and support!
Delete