The popularity of Let’s Plays, where a person watches another person play a game, can sometimes be confusing to non initiated people. Why would someone watch someone else play a game when they themselves could play it? The personality of the person playing and the level of interest in the game has a lot to do with this choice. Also, with so many new game releases, it would be very difficult to play every single game. Here is three Let’s Players that I personally watch and enjoy on a regular basis.
JackSepticEye
JackSepticEye (Sean) is a very popular Let’s Player that hails from Ireland. His boisterous personality and loud demeanor really catch a crowd. Mainly, he focuses on indie games that catch his interest but he also does some mainstream titles as well. He makes it very clear that the games he plays are ones that are funny and have depth. One of Jack’s biggest strengths is the ability to do different voices for characters that are portrayed without voice lines, so much so that hearing the name of a character immediately sends my brain straight to the voice he has randomly chosen for them. Even with his popularity, Jack is very down to earth and personable. He often mentions that he is indeed not an expert player at some of the games. This allows you to cheer along with him when he completes challenges throughout his trials. Probably the biggest impact that Jack has had is using his celebrity and community to actually raise awareness and money for various charities.
Super Best Friends
Mat, Pat and Woolie, are the three friends that make up Super Best Friends (The Switcher) gaming channel. Diving in to more retro games, these three specialize in complete playthroughs of both new and older games. One of the best things about the channel is less of you watching someone play a game, and more that you are sitting with your friends playing a game. The conversation goes from the game to general banter about everyday life. Friday nights, they present a fighting game which can either be really good or really bad. In October specifically, Mat and Pat play a new horror game every day in an annual tradition that has just wrapped up its sixth installment. As someone that doesn’t particularly like playing horror titles, their yearly horror fest makes me giddy to watch, and I can’t get enough. Canada’s greatest import is so entertaining that their weekly three hour podcast can even give you more Super Best Friends action.
Markiplier
Markiplier (Mark) being the biggest name on this list, is a fairly skilled player at games and has a list of other qualities he brings to the table as well when it comes to Let’s Plays. He has a knack for completing the games he starts and prides himself on doing so. When he’s not bouncing between indie and mainstream titles, Mark is also doing skits and improv with his friends. Compared to other gamers, Mark is very open and honest with his followers as well. We often know about his family updates or his history which make followers feel just that much closer to his work. Given that Mark already has a lot on his plate as an up and coming entertainer too, he makes it a point to do charity live streams for various organizations so that he can give back. Often times, Mark raises thousands of dollars with his fun random gameplay and fans to feel like they have donated to a good cause.
This is just a very small sampling of the very different Let’s Players on both YouTube and Twitch. Below is a recommended playlist for each of the three discussed that really captures who they are and their style of Let’s Play. Who are some of your favorites and why do you watch?
Jacksepticeye https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNV2TOF2PC0&list=PLMBYlcH3smRzDtisspG0VIwJ0oZRakaIF
Super Best Friends https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpCcMf70kx8 list=PL57hJfweW_2tOjVtlXm4qOZWtcCIh3wcL
Markiplier https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOztnsBPrAA&list=PL3tRBEVW0hiDL09lO0xjKEix84OY27xet
