History Main / BetterAsALetsPlay

* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' has nearly infinite creative potential, but even on Peaceful difficulty or Creative Mode, building anything more complex than a basic house can be a daunting task, not to mention that the game likes to throw survival horror elements that can easily ruin one's day, such as surrounding the player with zombies and spiders in the middle of cave mining operations and [[ActionBomb Creepers]] abruptly not only killing the player but also destroying half of their beautiful house. As a result, many people instead prefer to watch their favorite streamers and [=LPers=] play the game and make and show off their projects. The [[VirtualCelebrity Virtual YouTuber]] agency ''WebAnimation/{{hololive}}'' in particular is well-known for its ''Minecraft'' streams, having one multiplayer server for the Japanese and Indonesian branches, as well as a dedicated one for the English-language branch.

* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' has nearly infinite creative potential, but even on Peaceful difficulty or Creative Mode, building anything more complex than a basic house can be a daunting task, not to mention that the game likes to throw survival horror elements that can easily ruin one's day, such as surrounding the player with zombies and spiders in the middle of cave mining operations and [[ActionBomb Creepers]] abruptly not only killing the player but also destroying half of their beautiful house. As a result, many people instead prefer to watch their favorite streamers and [=LPers=] play the game and make and show off their projects.

* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' has nearly infinite creative potential, but even on Peaceful difficulty or Creative Mode, building anything more complex than a basic house can be a daunting task, not to mention that the game likes to throw survivor horror elements that can easily ruin one's day, such as a [[ActionBomb Creeper]] abruptly not only killing the player but also destroying half of their beautiful house. As a result, many people instead prefer to watch their favorite streamers and [=LPers=] play the game and make and show off their projects.

* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' has nearly infinite creative potential, but even on Peaceful difficulty or Creative Mode, building anything more complex than a basic house can be a daunting task, not to mention that the game likes to throw survivor horror elements that can easily ruin one's day. As a result, many people instead prefer to watch their favorite streamers and [=LPers=] play the game and make and show off their projects.

** To a lesser extent, the various spin-offs that have surfaced since ''Persona'' became a CashCowFranchise for Creator/{{Atlus}} also count. This can be chalked up to most these titles being canonical continuations of the installment they spun off from (thus retaining a focus on narrative and characterization) while also [[GenreShift switching to completely different genres of gameplay]]--ones that someone who primarily plays [=JRPGs=] might not be willing to invest their time in learning the mechanics of. (For example, ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'' and [[VideoGame/Persona4ArenaUltimax its sequel]] are {{Fighting Game}}s, ''VideoGame/Persona4DancingAllNight'' is a RhythmGame, and ''VideoGame/Persona5ScrambleThePhantomStrikers'' is a {{Hack and Slash}}er with ActionRPG elements. The ''VideoGame/{{Persona Q|ShadowOfTheLabyrinth}}'' [[VideoGame/PersonaQ2NewCinemaLabyrinth games]] go halfway, as they're [[DungeonCrawling Dungeon Crawlers]] styled after the ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'' series.)

* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioMaker'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioMaker2'' have a very large community of fans that don't even play the games themselves but love to watch dedicated streamers play the SturgeonsLaw-prone levels that random people have created. For this reason, many content creators attempt Super Expert No-Skip runs so that their viewers can watch them play through the horrors that await. Other sub-communities include Troll Levels (levels designed to make players look like idiots), Puzzle Levels (levels designed to test players' knowledge or problem-solving skills), and {{Kaizo|Trap}} Levels (NintendoHard levels designed for players to show off their reflexes and platforming skills).

* ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' is one of the most (if not THE most) complex video games in existence and thus has an extremely steep learning curve. But at the same time, its simulation depth and unmatched VideoGameCrueltyPotential often generate the most badass and/or ridiculous video game stories you've ever heard. Because of this, watching letsplays and reading forum posts about this game is way more entertaining than actually going through the trouble of learning how to play it yourself.

* The ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'' games are extremely popular Let's Plays, in fact the series gained a western fanbase (and eventual English release) ''because'' of a Let's Play on the Something Awful forums. This owes to the series' unique blend of DatingSim and murder mystery, so it's fun to watch players solve the cases... and even more fun to watch players' inevitable [[ArcWords despair]] when a character they get attached to dies or is a case's culprit. (Resulting in a CruelAndUnusualDeath "execution")
* ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub'' is most popular for its SurpriseCreepy plot twist, but [[ItWasHisSled most people who know anything about the game know about the twist,]] taking some of the impact away (though the psychological horror element still remains and there are many horrifying scenes that have not been as spoiled). Most fun comes from asking Let's Players or friends unfamiliar with the game to play it under the assumption it's just a silly dating sim, and then waiting for them to reach the infamous WhamShot and freak out.

* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioMaker'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioMaker2'' have a very large community of fans that don't even play the games themselves but love to watch dedicated streamers play the SturgeonsLaw-prone levels that random people have created. For this reason, many content creators attempt Super Expert No-Skip runs so that their viewers can watch them play through the horrors that await. Other sub-communities include Troll Levels (levels designed to make players look like idiots), Puzzle Levels (levels designed to test players' knowledge or problem-solving skills), and Kaizo Levels (NintendoHard levels designed for players to show off their reflexes and platforming skills).

* ''Creator/TelltaleGames'' works are more story-driven Adventure Game affairs with different outcomes depending on the choices. So naturally they make for great Let's Play videos, especially if they're based on a popular IP such as ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDead'', ''[[VideoGame/BatmanTheTelltaleSeries Batman]]'', [[VideoGame/TheWolfAmongUs Fables]] or ''[[VideoGame/TelltalesGameOfThrones Game of Thrones]]'' to name a few, just to see the choices of what certain [=LPers=] would make.
* ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUsPartII'': After the controversy regarding [[ContentLeak story leaks]], many a potential player decided to wait it out and see the game from Let's Players videos instead of spending their money on the game. Both those who didn't follow the leaks and those that do watched others play it, mainly wanting to see how others would react to it, [[spoiler:especially the infamous scene where Joel gets murdered.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' is a game where the choices you make have tangible consequences, and is generally considered a case of EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame, so many watch [=LPs=] both to consume the story and to see the choices the player will choose to make and how they react to them.

** To a lesser extent, the various spin-offs that have surfaced since ''Persona'' became a CashCowFranchise for Creator/{{Atlus}} also count. This can be chalked up to these titles being canonical continuations of the installment they spun off from (thus retaining a focus on narrative and characterization) while also [[GenreShift switching to completely different genres of gameplay]]--ones that someone who primarily plays [=JRPGs=] might not be willing to invest their time in learning the mechanics of. (For example, ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'' and [[VideoGame/Persona4ArenaUltimax its sequel]] are {{Fighting Game}}s, ''VideoGame/Persona4DancingAllNight'' is a RhythmGame, and ''VideoGame/Persona5ScrambleThePhantomStrikers'' is a {{Hack and Slash}}er with ActionRPG elements. The ''VideoGame/{{Persona Q|ShadowOfTheLabyrinth}}'' [[VideoGame/PersonaQ2NewCinemaLabyrinth games]] go halfway, as they're [[DungeonCrawling Dungeon Crawlers]] styled after the ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'' series.)

* ''Creator/TelltaleGames'' works are more story driven Adventure Game affairs with different outcomes depending on the choices. So naturally they make for great Let's Play videos, especially if they're based on a popular IP such as ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDead'', ''[[VideoGame/BatmanTheTelltaleSeries Batman]]'', [[VideoGame/TheWolfAmongUs Fables]] or ''[[VideoGame/TelltalesGameOfThrones Game of Thrones]]'' to name a few, just to see the choices of what certain [=LPers=] would make.

* Common in {{souls like RPG}}s, specially those from Creator/FromSoftware, being the TropeCodifier and TropeNamer. Since these games are notoriously NintendoHard and also tend not to have a self-evident story, some people might not be particularly interested in playing them either for gameplay or for story. However, they can be interested in ''watching'' three different groups of streamers play them:

** Those who are really good at the game or speed runners, meaning you get to see the game beaten in cool or elegant ways that most regular players couldn't hope to emulate in these games.

** Those who are really good at the game or speed runners, meaning you get to see the game beaten in cool or elegant ways.

* ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' is one of the most (if not THE most) complex video games in existence and thus has an extremely steep learning curve. But at the same time it's simulation depth and unmatched VideoGameCrueltyPotential often generate the most badass and/or ridiculous video game stories you've ever heard. Because of this, watching letsplays and reading forum posts about this game is way more entertaining than actually going through the trouble of learning how to play it yourself.

->"The horror game sensation, that no one enjoys playing, but everyone loves watching other people play."

* ''VideoGame/AmongUs'' is usually best enjoyed with a full lobby of 10, all on the same voice chat, to make for entertaining dialogues and arguments. This is why it's fun to see a group of [=YouTubers=], especially ones with established dynamics, play it out, especially if you can spectate a game from different player's perspectives. [[HilarityEnsues Hilarity and drama ensues]] when [[EtTuBrutus betrayal becomes inevitable]].

* ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTenseiPersona'':

* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' is known for being terrifying, creating a great sense of paranoia and the punishment for failures is a good ol' JumpScare. For people who don't like being scared, this is rather off-putting, but the terrified responses of let's players make them watch videos of the series anyway. ''WebVideo/HonestTrailers'' put it best:

* ''VideoGame/GettingOverItWithBennettFoddy'' is a game designed to frustrate the player, [[CheckpointStarvation featuring no checkpoints]] and even a minor slip-up can send the player back to the start of the game. All sorts of highlight videos of let's players and streamers exist on ''Website/YouTube'' showcasing the rage players go through for our entertainment.

* PlatformHell games, such as ''VideoGame/IWannaBeTheGuy'', frequently fall into this category. The average player has close to zero chance of successfully completing the game, and it quickly becomes tedious trying and making next to no progress. Watching an expert's Let's Play thus offers two benefits: you actually get to see past the first few screens, and you get amusing {{Angrish}} over the soundtrack.
* ''VideoGame/{{PT}}'': Considered one of the scariest games ever made, but now also almost impossible to get your hands on, since it was removed from all stores by its developer shortly after release. It's now only available on [=PS4=]s that had installed the game previously, making this a game that people mostly experience through Let's Plays.
* ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTenseiPersona'' games:
** The ''Persona'' games, [[SequelDisplacement especially]] ''[[VideoGame/Persona3 3]]'', ''[[VideoGame/Persona4 4]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/Persona5 5]]'', are very popular Let's Play games in the JRPG genre, due to all of them being very long and very story-driven. It would be very easy to say that many fans of the games never actually played the games themselves and simply watched a Let's Play of it. The main reason people prefer to watch ''Persona'' games rather than play them is because of the "[[SliceOfLife Life]] [[DatingSim Sim]]" portion of them, whereas the player has to choose what daily activity the main character will do. People watch other people play it because they either don't have time to do it themselves, or they want to see how the choices/time management of the content creator play out.
** To a lesser extent, the various spin-offs that have surfaced since ''Persona'' became a CashCowFranchise for Creator/{{Atlus}} also count. This can be chalked up to these titles being canonical continuations of the installment they branched off from (thus retaining a focus on narrative and characterization) while also [[GenreShift switching to completely different genres of gameplay]]--ones that someone who primarily plays [=JRPGs=] might not be willing to invest their time in learning the mechanics of. (For example, ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'' and [[VideoGame/Persona4ArenaUltimax its sequel]] are {{Fighting Game}}s, ''VideoGame/Persona4DancingAllNight'' is a RhythmGame, and ''VideoGame/Persona5ScrambleThePhantomStrikers'' is a {{Hack and Slash}}er with ActionRPG elements. The ''VideoGame/{{Persona Q|ShadowOfTheLabyrinth}}'' [[VideoGame/PersonaQ2NewCinemaLabyrinth games]] go halfway, as they're [[DungeonCrawling Dungeon Crawlers]] styled after the ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'' series.)

* ''Creator/TelltaleGames'' works are more story driven Adventure Game affairs with different outcomes depending on the choices. So naturally they make for great Let's Play videos, especially if they're based on a popular IP such as ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDead'', ''[[VideoGame/BatmanTheTelltaleSeries Batman]]'', [[VideoGame/TheWolfAmongUs Fables]] or ''[[VideoGame/TelltalesGameOfThrones Game of Thrones]]'' to name a few, just to see the choices of what certain Let's Players would make.

* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' is a game where the choices you make have tangible consequences, and is generally considered a case of EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame, so many watch Let's Plays both to consume the story and to see the choices the player will choose to make and how they react to them.

** To a lesser extent, the various spin-offs that have surfaced since ''Persona'' became a CashCowFranchise for Creator/{{Atlus}} also count. This can be chalked up to these titles being canonical continuations of the installment they branched off from (thus retaining a focus on narrative and characterization) while also [[GenreShift switching to a completely different genre of gameplay]]--ones that a gamer who primarily plays [=JRPGs=] might not be willing to invest their time in learning the mechanics of. (For example, ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'' and [[VideoGame/Persona4ArenaUltimax its sequel]] are {{Fighting Game}}s, ''VideoGame/Persona4DancingAllNight'' is a RhythmGame, and ''VideoGame/Persona5ScrambleThePhantomStrikers'' is a {{Hack and Slash}}er with ActionRPG elements. The ''VideoGame/{{Persona Q|ShadowOfTheLabyrinth}}'' [[VideoGame/PersonaQ2NewCinemaLabyrinth games]] go halfway, as they're [[DungeonCrawling Dungeon Crawlers]] styled after the ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'' series.)

* ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUsPartII'': After the controversy regarding story leaks, many a potential player decided to wait it out and see the game from Let's Players videos instead of spending their money on the game. Both those who didn't follow the leaks and those that do watched others play it, mainly wanting to see how others would react to it, [[spoiler:especially the infamous scene where Joel gets murdered.]]

* [[Creator/QuanticDream David Cage]] games (''Videogame/HeavyRain'', ''Videogame/BeyondTwoSouls'', ''Videogame/DetroitBecomeHuman'') are popular for Let's Play and streaming audiences for several reasons. The games usually offer branching story paths based on player choices, which can be attractive to people who want to see what choices another player will make on a blind run. In addition, the games' [[PressXToNotDIe Quick-Time Events]] set pieces and cinematic storytelling make them visually appealing to watch. And last but not least, the games are often considered to have [[SoBadItsGood very noticeable flaws in gameplay]], storytelling, character animation, voice-acting, and other issues. This makes them [[NarmCharm fun to mock]], especially for people who would never play said games themselves.

* The ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTenseiPersona'' games, especially 3, 4 and 5 are very popular Let's Play games in the JRPG genre, due to all of them being very long and very story-driven. It would be very easy to say that many fans of the games never actually played the games themselves and simply watched a Let's Play of it. The main reason people prefer to watch ''Persona'' games rather than play them is because of the "Life Sim" portion of them, whereas the player has to choose what daily activity the main character will do. People watch other people play it because they either don't have time to do it themselves, or they want to see how the choices/time management of the content creator play out.
* ''Videogame/SuperMarioMaker'' and ''Videogame/SuperMarioMaker2'' have a very large community of fans that don't even play the games themselves but love to watch dedicated streamers play the SturgeonsLaw-prone levels that random people have created. For this reason, many content creators attempt Super Expert No-Skip runs so that their viewers can watch them play through the horrors that await. Other sub-communities include Troll Levels (levels designed to make players look like idiots), Puzzle Levels (levels designed to test players' knowledge or problem-solving skills), and Kaizo Levels (NintendoHard levels designed for players to show off their reflexes and platforming skills).
* ''Creator/TellTaleGames'' works are more story driven Adventure Game affairs with different outcomes depending on the choices. So naturally they make for great Let's Play videos, especially if they're based on a popular IP such as ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDead'', ''[[VideoGame/BatmanTheTelltaleSeries Batman]]'', [[VideoGame/TheWolfAmongUs Fables]] or ''[[VideoGame/TelltalesGameOfThrones Game of Thrones]]'' to name a few, just to see the choices of what certain Let's Players would make.

* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' is a game where the choices you make have tangible consequences, and is generally considered a case of EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame, so many watch let's plays both to consume the story and to see the choices the player will choose to make and how they react to them.

Related to JustHereForGodzilla and WatchItForTheMeme.

* ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub'' is most popular for its SurpriseCreepy plot twist, but [[ItWasHisSled most people who know anything about the game know about the twist,]] taking some of the impact away (though the psychological horror element still remains and there are many horrifying scenes that have not been as spoiled). Most fun comes from asking Let's Players or friends unfamiliar with the game to play it under the assumption it's just a silly dating sim, and then wait for them to reach the infamous WhamShot and freak out.
* The FightingGame genre has a deep history of this. The genre is considered very hard to get into due to the steep learning curve each game has, understanding whatever meta exists, and having to learn each game's own unique mechanics, with very little being able to be transferred over to a new game or even the next title in a series. Watching though is one of the most popular parts of the genre ''period'', since you don't need to know how the game works to enjoy watching the fight, and tournaments are often among the most watched events in the gaming sphere due to being able to watch players (who did go through the trouble of learning the aforementioned stuff) go head to head.

* ''VideoGame/{{PT}}'': Considered one of the scariest games ever made, but now also almost impossible to get your hands on, since it was removed from all stores by its developer shortly after release. It's now only available on PS3s that had installed the game previously, making this a game that people mostly experience through Let's Plays.

* The FightingGame genre has a deep history of this. The genre is considered very hard to get into due to the steep learning curve each game has, understanding whatever meta exists, and having to learn each games own unique mechanics. Watching though is one of the most popular parts of the genre period, and tournaments are often among the most watched events in the gaming sphere due to being able to watch players go head to head.

* ''VideoGame/{{PT}}'': Considered one of the scariest games ever made, but also almost impossible to get your hands on, since it was removed from all stores and only available on PS3s that had installed the game previously, this is a game that people mostly experience through Let's Plays.
* The ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTenseiPersona'' games, especially 3, 4 and 5 are very popular Let's Play games in the JRPG genre, due to being very long and very story driven. It would be very easy to say that a lot fans of the games never actually played the games themselves and simply watched a Let's Play of it. The main reason people prefer to watch Persona games rather than play them is because of the "Life Sim" portion of them, whereas the player has to choose what daily activity the main character will do. People watch other people play it because they either don't have time to do it themselves, or they want to see how the choices/time management of the content creator play out.

* ''Creator/TellTaleGames'' are more story driven Adventure Game affairs with different outcomes depending on the choices. So naturally they make for great Let's Play videos, especially if they're based on a popular IP such as [[VideoGame/TheWalkingDead The Walking Dead]], [[VideoGame/BatmanTheTelltaleSeries Batman]], [[VideoGame/TheWolfAmongUs Fables]] or [[VideoGame/TelltalesGameOfThrones Game of Thrones]] to name a few, just to see the choices of what certain Let's Players would make.
* ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUsPartII'': After the controversy regarding story leaks, many a potential player decided to wait it out and see the game from Let's Players videos. Wanting to see how others would react to it, [[spoiler:especially the infamous scene where Joel gets murdered.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' is a game where the choices you make have consequences, and is generally considered a case of EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame, so many watch let's plays both to consume the story and to see the choices the player will choose to make and how they react to them.