I think that ultimately you can be a fan of a game without actually playing it. However I don't think watching a game/reading a summary is entirely a substitute for playing the game yourself. You can be a fan but you'll likely be missing out on creating one to one experiences with the game yourself - ThreadSky

yunanoire.bsky.social • 67 days ago

I think that ultimately you can be a fan of a game without actually playing it. However I don't think watching a game/reading a summary is entirely a substitute for playing the game yourself.

You can be a fan but you'll likely be missing out on creating one to one experiences with the game yourself

Reposted from Crisppyboat

Can you still be a fan of a game, if you've only watched it, and never played it yourself?

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demonpugo.bsky.social•67 days ago

Walking simulators, visual novels, and indie horror tend to lend to the watching is the same as playing to me. Games like mouthwashing or Phoenix wright - watching is the same as playing yo me.

sharkabytes.bsky.social•67 days ago

Yeah, I remember considering myself a fan of Minecraft back in the beta days for months before I actually played it because of the old Yogscast survival and adventure map series.

It did colour my association and expectations for the game, though.

mabledonkey.bsky.social•67 days ago

I think watching a let's play is different from playing in the same way reading Alice's Adventure in Wonderland is different from watching SyFy's Alice.

You'll get the same general idea but you're viewing it through someone else's lens and not your own.

mabledonkey.bsky.social•67 days ago

The same argument can be said for audiobooks. I pretty much only use audiobooks because it works for me. That leaves me up to whoever is reading the books and their inflection on the story as opposed to me sitting in silence and letting my mind fill in the gaps.

sharkabytes.bsky.social•67 days ago

And in the end, the amount of time I've spent actually playing Minecraft likely wouldn't equal a 1/3rd of the time I've spent watching other people play it. It's my main association with the game.

heyheyitssteve.bsky.social•67 days ago

I think that’s a very balanced view, yeah.

Personally I do this with Warhammer 40K. The concept and the lore sounds very cool, and I appreciate it. I wouldn’t actually get too involved due to lack of time, though. So I know I’m only getting a limited bit of the experience, but I’m fine with that.

yunanoire.bsky.social•67 days ago

Like when you watch the game your enjoyment and fandom will largely be attached to the visual, narrative and audio elements of the experience which I think is entirely legitimate.

Plus for some games I don't think gameplay sits at the core of the experience.

yunanoire.bsky.social•67 days ago

I think if you watched a play through of Mouthwashing you would largely get the full experience. I would always recommend playing it over watching it but it's largely a very narrative experience, more cinematic than gameplay focused. It is enhanced BY gameplay and interactivity though.

yunanoire.bsky.social•67 days ago

I just don't think it's right to gatekeep enjoyment. I always prefer the experience of playing a game myself but not everyone is like that. You will inevitably miss out on the full experience but if you derive enjoyment from the experience anyway, that's what matters in the end.

shakewt.bsky.social•67 days ago

some games are cool to watch but seem absolutely horrible to play, tlou and god of war are two that i would never be in the mood for actually playing, but as a minisseries on youtube? peak

hxok.bsky.social•67 days ago

This is a huge argument in many different communities.

The idea of being a fan of a media property without interacting with the primary source material is being a “secondary”.

This is neither good nor bad but it can lead to bad interpretations of the source material e.g. Mouthwashing romance ships

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