To Facecam or Not to Facecam?

In my last post, I mentioned the advent of Facecam and how controversial it was and how it still heavily polarizes many fans of Let's Plays. But why though? Why would the inclusion of such a minute feature cause such a heated debate? After all, it is is just showing your physical reactions to your gameplay, why would that be considered bad? Well, there are two sides to every argument and I'm going to try and portray them equally as best I can, both from an outside perspective as well as giving my own two cents.

It's a thing of beauty quite honestly.

To reiterate, Facecam is when the Let's Player uses a webcam to show their face as they play. When this new feature started to spread, it kind of broke new grounds. it was essentially a doorway into the "Modern era" of Let's Plays. A lot of people really enjoyed this new feature because seeing the person, immediately felt more personal ad audience friendly. It was like you were in the same room, hanging out with them as buddies, watching them play your favorite game. It gave a feeling that Facecam-less Let's Plays couldn't. It felt like the audience was involved in the whole process rather than just being along for the ride. Facecam also brought a more immediate humor because seeing the physical reactions of the people was a much quicker way of getting laughs rather than waiting to hear the audio cues in their voice. It's not that long of a difference but it is noticeable when you compare the two. Another strength Facecam has is that it benefits from the type of genre of game being played. Horror games for instance is one of the most popular genres to use facecam for because seeing peoples panicked reactions is a lot funnier than hearing it. Let's Plays of horror games without facecam just seem empty in comparison. Sometimes their facial expressions does a lot more justice to the situation such as in the picture above of Markiplier playing the critically acclaimed indie horror game Five Nights at Freddy's. Imagine if Markiplier didn't use facecam at all. You would never even see his reaction to Freddy screaming in his ear. It's humor you just can't get from audio alone.

Don't knock off strict audio that easily though, because the logic works both ways. Having strictly audio can certainly give benefits that facecam can actually ruin. With facecam, some audio jokes and tricks can just seem silly or make a situation look over the top because seeing it isn't as funny as hearing it. Take one of the most iconic moments from the show Game Grumps for example. In the clip, Arin gets up, leaves the room and slams the door behind him. He then proceeds to rant and scream, his reaction is way over the top and it is absolute gold. If we actually saw it happen, it might have come off differently as seeing anger is a lot more scary and uncomfortable than hearing it. One of the most famous moments from Game Grumps might have been ruined if the Game Grumps utilized facecam. Another common argument is that facecam takes away from the game itself. The original principle that Let's Plays were founded on was showing off the game as an experience. To show it off as more than a game, as something that emotionally connected with you as a player and to share that experience with others so that they can feel it too. And to be honest, I can really agree with this statement. Facecam DOES take away from the game because it becomes a distraction. For instance, I've noticed that whenever I watch Markipliers videos, there's a sense of disconnection that I feel from the game because it's not about the game, it's about him and his reactions to it. That's not necessarily a bad thing per say because his reactions are hilarious and he's really fun to watch but the immersion from the game is completely broken because of a weird, awkward square that is meant to show the game is being blocked by his face.

Now, it might sound like I'm favoring the naysayers but quite honestly, I don't stand by either sentiment. I personally believe that there's a right way and a wrong way to do facecam and that all depends on the style of your show. What are you, the content creator going for? Do you want to hae the viewers feel like they're hanging out with you? Are you better with visual humor? Then use facecam. Or do you want an informative, immersive tone or utilize the advantage of blind audio to make jokes? Then don't use Facecam. It's that simple. The usage of facecam should not be dependent on what's "cool" and "hip" but what suits you the best. Some people just aren't comfortable in front of the camera. They can come off as awkward and shy because a recording camera puts a pressure on you. A pressure to perform and to "not look stupid" in front of your audience. Take Chuggaaconroy here for example. He has a stone faced expression, little emotion in his voice and he rarely blinks. As a person who is about strictly showing off games, you can clearly see he's not in his element recording himself like this. Yet, he's one of the most well known and beloved Let's Players on YouTube. It all depends on what you want to do with you show, what purpose you're making videos for. So is facecam this huge, narcissistic aspect that ruins Let's Plays? Well no, but it's also certainly not a hindrance if you choose to forgo it either. It all comes down to what you want.

Old VS. New

When it comes to comedy, there are different styles of the art similar to genres in music, which all pan to specific audiences. There's gross out humor, knock-knock jokes, shock humor, dark humor, improv- it's practically endless. The same goes for Let's Plays.Though not as diverse, it's certainly worth mentioning that there are several different ways you can do a Let's Play. To go into detail about every single style there is would be monotonous and lecture worthy so today, I'm only going to focus on two general styles which I dub Classic and Modern.

Let's Play channels have existed even before the advent of YouTube on mediums such as VHS Tapes, Beta Max and other home devices. So with over a decade worth of life, the style of Let's Plays have definitely evolved over time. Back when they first started out, they were generally nothing more than video walkthroughs of games. They just went from point A to point B, no jokes, no observational humor, just a simple guide of how to get through the game. These types of Let's Plays were essentially a pre-classic era and essentially set the stage that Let's Plays would eventually evolve from.

The Classic style started around 2007 and took the walkthrough formula of pre-classic Let's Plays and made it more personal. Instead of simply telling you where everything is, they talked more about how the games affected them personally. Some jokes and humor can be inputted by aren't quite common in this style. These Let's Players would more often discuss how the emotional moments of a game left a impression on them or how a certain level came to be there favorite. Take this episode of Chuggaconroy's Let's Play of Super Mario 64 DS for example where he shares his memories of the game and how it not only helped him in a time of need, but also shaped him as the person he is today. He even attributed it to the success of his entire career stating he would not be where he is now without this game. This was a heavily emotional aspect that came to the forefront in the Classic style that defined what Let's Plays are. These people saw themselves as not gamers playing games for the internet but instead, sharing an experience with an audience and passing on that same passion that they felt to all of them. It's worth noting that despite me being called  this style the classic style, this format is still very present and used widely today.

The Modern style started around 2010 when YouTuber Pewdipie arrived on the scene. This era shifted from the more emotional themes found in the classic style and instead went for a more casual feel. Aspects like facecam, (showing your face via webcam as you play), observational humor and improvisation came into the spotlight. Instead of focusing on the game they were playing, these types of shows rather revolved around the person that was playing it. Take Markiplier here for example, who utilizes all of these new aspects. Notice that his choice of games are not sentimental but are rather random and are recommendation based. People watch his videos because they like seeing him and not necessarily the game at hand. A noticeable feature you might see in his videos is his use of facecam. Facecam is a unique and controversial innovation that helped define the modern style as it gave the viewer a feeling of connection. It was like they are hanging out with the person in the same room, rather than just listening to them talk. Those against it are usually classic let's players like Chuggaconroy who view it as narcissistic and feel like it takes away from the game itself while those who are for it say that it immerses them more into the world of the player.

There's been a lot of debate as to which style is better and to be fair, both styles have their pros and cons in my opinion. The classic style while very informative and sometimes emotionally moving can suffer from a stigma of elitism. While most well known Let's Players abstain from giving their own opinions on other peoples work and are generally respectful, there are some that trash talk the modern style and will go as far as to claim that it ruined what Let's Plays are supposed to be. This arrogance can kind of detract from the charm of what the classic style is supposed to give and instead ironically inadvertently make the let's play about the people rather than the game itself. On the other hand, the modern style, while funny and laid back, suffers from and over saturated market. Like I've stated in past posts, Pewdipie is THE most popular YouTuber of all time with over 31 million people subscribed to his channel. This in turn, leads to a lot of carbon copying and while some people such as Markiplier have been able to branch out and forge their own identity. most usually start out as stagnant and never grow or improve. Those who attempt this style nowadays often find themselves lost in a sea of endless unoriginality and find a tough time trying to fid their voice. Even if they are clearly skilled in improv and present a well organized video, they can be instantly show down by others for being a "Pewdipie copycat." It's a tough and sad obstacle that often bars young creative spirits from achieving success.

Though when it comes to their pros, it certainly outweighs the cons. The classic style can get in touch with your inner gamer and bring back or even start memories of your own, while the modern style can help you have a laugh after a rough day. Both are very different but are fantastic in their own right. they each give a unique experience in an ever expanding genre. To argue which one is better is actually rather pointless because, as with comedy, there are different strokes for different folks. What one can find funny or entertaining is not always going to carry over from person to person. It's all objective which is why, instead of bickering about which style is better, those who aspire to entertain should go for what they personally like, and find their own audience. After all, you're only a true entertainer if you aspire to make others lives better.

How to be Funny

           Well this is certainly a big question isn't it? How DOES one come off as funny to others? Another question you might be asking is "How does this guy know what's funny? What makes him so special huh?" because obviously, after talking your ear off in my last post with what equipment you need and all this technical babble, clearly I'm the one who knows best about humor. I have people busting guts so hard, they've been hospitalized for appendicitis. They talk to the Doctor saying "Doc, I'm scared, I don't want to die!" to which the Doc says "Pft Come on man, show some guts!"

Guess they should've taken lessons from Guts Man....

*ahem* Anywaaaay.....

Humor is a very difficult topic to talk about and give advice for because it's completely relative. What somebody can find funny, another can find annoying and pointless. You might've laughed your ass off at my attempt at humor, or you might've remained so quiet you could hear crickets. Probably the latter but, whatever the case, needless to say, being funny is a hard concept for most Let's Players and even some aspiring stand up comedians to grasp. Even the most well known comedians tend to hit the wrong chord with their audience every now and then *cough*Adam Sandler, *cough* I will never forgive you for "That's My Boy" *cough*. So instead of making a guide on how to exactly be funny (as that would be impossible), I'm going to tell you some general things you should avoid when attempting to get a laugh.

1. Avoid tiring repetition

When it comes to stand up comedy, generally repetition is used as a means of working in an earlier joke and reinforcing it to a new situation to add to the joke. Take Jim Carrey's stand up for example. In one of his bits, he mocks how Sergeant Stacy Quince talks only to bring it back at the very end to reinforce it and make his last joke funnier. This is a form of repetition done right. What's NOT repetition right is repeating the same joke over and over and over and over again, especially if the joke wasn't all that funny in the first place to bear repeating. You won't get many laughs by repeating the word "pancakes" randomly 7 times, it will only come off as annoying. If you do tell a joke that get's a reaction, repeat it wisely and have good timing. It's a hard trick to master but if done correctly, it can make for some solid jokes.

2. If your humor is offensive, let them know

Some let's players and comedians like to use offensive humor to appear edgy or induce shock reactions. It goes without saying, this is VERY risky and very tough to pull off. The best example I can think of is in this episode of the let's play show, Game Grumps. (At about 6:30) The trigger warning wasn't always there. When this episode first aired, it caused a massive controversy and many people got offended and hurt. I personally found it hilarious because I appreciate intentional dark humor and believe that sometimes the best way to combat horrible situations like this, is to try to laugh at it. Why let it get you down when you're so much bigger and better than that darkness? Though not everyone shares my same sentiment so when it comes to dark and offensive humor, warn the audience beforehand with a disclaimer so that they know what they're getting into

3. Use "Random humor" lightly

Random humor is a tough obstacle for many young comedians. Back in 2005 when YouTube first launched (almost a decade ago. Whooooah) it gave many young aspiring entertainers a platform to share their content on. It was like the Wild West, a gold rush of filmmaker making endless amounts of videos.....that were extremely random and generally unfunny. It doesn't matter what planet you're on, saying crap like "I'm a space pancake that controls the burrito bunnies and turn them into my dolphin minions!" is nonsensical and not funny. This infamous trend is known as "Lol teh random" humor and we are all trying to forget it ever happened. If you want to do random humor correctly, it has to have a not random element to it. It has to connect to something. Take my opening paragraph for example with the doctor guts joke (and Mega Man reference if you caught it). It's random because it's unexpected but it connects as a pun which is then followed by another, more subtle pun. Now, I'm not trying to come off as arrogant and act like it was actually funny or anything, but it DOES have the elements in it that make random humor work. So if you are to used to random humor, do it in a fashion that connects it to your joke.

4. Don't go overboard

This pretty much goes for anything and everything. Gauge your audiences reaction and make jokes accordingly and know when to stop.

5. Do NOT be afraid of yourself

Out of all the what not to do tips I gave you in this post, this is the most important. Despite there being some required tactics to learn and stuff to avoid, you must not let that intimidate you. While you should aim to not make as many mistakes as possible, it is inevitable that you will. But that's okay because mistakes are necessary to grow as a comedian. You must learn what works and what doesn't and the only way to do that is to just go for it. Pay attention to the reception your audience gives you, both negative and positive and adjust accordingly. Your first video or stand up show isn't going to be perfect so don't try and make it be. Make it to how you, the comedian want it to be because your work isn't going to succeed unless you believe in it.

So yeah, take the Doc's advice and "Show some guts!" 

How to Let's Play!: Essential Equipment!

             The most complicated part to starting a Let's Play Channel is unquestionably getting your equipment. It is not only very technical, but can be quite expensive as well, especially if you're seeking top notch equipment. Since the majority of aspiring Let's Players out there are teens and college kids who are most likely on a limited budget, I will only cover the cheaper options and will give advice as to how to cut corners for yourself! There are three main pieces of physical equipment you're going to need in order to get off the ground, a capture card, a microphone and a laptop. These are the only three physical pieces of equipment you are required to get.

            Starting on the simple side with microphones, You may use any standard USB microphone you have at your disposal, but if you want clearer quality, I would suggest dipping further into your pocket. Commonly used microphones for Let's Players are the Blue Snowball, the Blue Yeti or the AT2020. All of these microphones range from $100-$150, so they're pretty cheap for good quality. All of these microphones are suitable for your needs so it just comes down to what you want in terms of sound. I personally use the AT2020 on my own project (which is coming soon!) and it works great both up close and from a distance. I chose it over other mics because I preferred its type of sound as it was built for voice actors.



I also recommend buying a standard pop filter as well in order to get rid of that hissing "dead air" sound.

            Capture cards unfortunately are a bit more complicated and technical. Essentially what they are is a pass through that captures the video of your console and streams it to your computer for you to save and edit. They tend to often cause confusion amongst new Let's Players and since Let's Playing is such a new art, nobody outside the hardcore community completely understands how they work. It basically requires some trial and error but to save you money, I recommend you either go with the Elgato capture card or the Hauppauge HD PVR 2. These are the two most commonly used capture cards to record consoles and are generally cheap, running from $150-$200 on Amazon. Both work very well but I however, sided with the Hauppauge PVR 2 since it has the ability to capture both high definition and standard definition game consoles and comes with the necessary cables to do so. I will warn you however that when recording standard definition consoles, the Hauppauge can become glitchy so it's best to keep an eye on the capture as you record. Here's my Hauppauge in action:






Some people like to cut corners and save money by simply using a camera to record right off the TV, but your video quality will be mediocre at best and it will likely turn a lot of viewers off from watching your content.

               The final and often most overlooked piece of equipment you'll need is a laptop. Both the microphone and capture card will be running while you record so you're going to need a laptop with a high grade processor. Do not use a laptop with anything less than an Intel Core i5. If you do, you're footage will be very prone freezing and having a lot of visual glitches in the final product. I unfortunately had to learn this the hard way as my friend and I recorded an entire play through of a game, only to have half our footage become corrupted because my laptops processor was severely under powered. I cannot stress this enough, it is crucial that your laptop specs meet the requirements for the capture card.

             In order to work with your hardware though, you're going to need software to put everything together. This is the easiest, as well as the cheapest aspect for your equipment needs since a lot of it is practically free! To record audio, I strongly advise using Audacity. Audacity is completely free and has a lot of options for sound editing. It does have limits and compared to expensive programs such as Adobe Audition, it practically has nothing but for simple commentary, it works perfectly and you'll never need to use anything else. The capture software for your capture card will be bundled with it so there's no money spent there either. The potentially most expensive thing is editing software to put your videos together with. I recommend Sony Vegas Movie Studio. It'll cost about $50 but it has everything essential you need to make your videos look professional. If you want to save as much money as possible, you can use Windows Movie Maker which is free, but it's unfortunately very limited and frustrating to work with. I only recommend it if you can't afford editing software whatsoever.

Whew! And that about covers it! These are all the essentials you need to start a Let's Play channel! Admittingly. it can be costly, so I would only recommend trying this if you are absolutely passionate about making Let's Plays. Otherwise, I would suggest to just sticking to watching them. I hope this guide helped a few aspiring Let's Players out there or at the very least, gave viewers a new appreciation of the dedication it requires to do! If anybody has any questions or comments, I implore you to share them!

Links to Equipment listed:

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT2020USB-Cardioid-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B001AS6OYC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410567941&sr=8-1&keywords=AT2020

http://www.amazon.com/Hauppauge-Gaming-Edition-Definition-Capture/dp/B008ZT8QKO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410567916&sr=8-1&keywords=hauppauge+hd+pvr2
         
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/moviestudio     

         

Press Start!

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!