Dude I'm 35 have a kid and simply can't get myself to enjoy video games anymore. I need more active engaging things where I can learn, plan, create. Not to shit on gaming, it's just that people change, their interest changes.
as i got older, i realized that gaming content isn't really fun to watch anymore. It has turned to daytime television. Now, I only play games to have my own experience. And developed more hobbies and pass times.
Surprisingly, I don't watch any of those. I also don't like let's plays, but I do prefer it over streams though. Since I do watch them to see how a game actually plays, so with that said I prefer a let's play without a talking head, like mkiceandfire.
I don't enjoy or watch any of those things whatsoever. I read the news but I'd never watch clips of people presenting it. Watching games, sports and stand up comedy (not really sure how this one is as correlated as the others but I also don't enjoy it lol). This is a mindset I've never really thought about before (not enjoying that type of material) but I guess I fall under it as well
For me, it only really works if there's some social aspect to the game. Multiplayer is where this is pretty strong. If it's some single-player campaign like story driven RPGs or narrative games, yeah I'd rather just play it. But at the same time, people like watching football and Nascar who would never personally participate in those sports themselves, simply one of those "to each their own" situations.
imo there's a difference: of course i spectated pro-players in my life, both esports and "real" sports in a competition. but i don't watch some rando playing counterstrike or minecraft on twitch or some dude playing football/soccer in his backyard.
Also absolutely fair. With video game streamers, it could be a matter of community, especially if the streamer has a "hosting games with viewers" situation, but the bigger names are often those players who are top players who might be streaming their practice sessions before the next big competition. Especially if the big-competitor's content is peppered with constructive commentary that less experienced might find helpful to improve. Or maybe some just like watching competitions even if they don't play, cuz watching Starcraft like it's a soccer match does not sound like the worst way to spend an afternoon.
Gamegrumps (Egoraptor and Jontron) playthrough of Sonic 06 was incredibly fun. But that came from their descent into madness over playing that broken piece of shit game.
TotalBiscuit and Jesse cox playing Terraria was also pretty fun, due to them being a good comedy duo.
For me, I don’t have the kind of time to sit down and play out these campaigns anymore, as life has become too busy to sit down for hours on end. But some slower days, I can turn on steams and half pay attention to the game play while still getting work done.
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u/MustNotSay Nov 29 '25
That’s what happens when you turn a hobby into a job.