If you’re reading this page then you’ve probably heard of Let’s Play videos. If you haven’t then you’re not alone. Let’s Play videos are rising in popularity at breakneck speed and their creators have become some of Youtube’s most recognizable faces.
Let’s Play YouTube creators have become the internet’s newly rich and the YouTube community’s newly famous stars. Content creators such as PewDiePie and VanossGaming have collected massive audiences that rival those of even your typical network television shows. When you look at the audiences that they have garnered and the collectives that they have created for themselves it’s no surprise why they are. Let’s Play creators have founded small communities and followings stemming from their subscribers and have gotten these communities involved in a way that few other YouTube channels have.
The sense of belonging and community that can exist within these tightly knit circles is astounding and viewers are often giving titles by the channels creators to help unify them in their love for the content that is put forward. In stark contrast to this, it’s also possible to find some videos that have such negative comments that the creator has had to ban comments from their videos because of the negativity and ill-intended criticism. Thankfully situations such as this are few and far between and occur far less often and are far less influential than the generally positive and constructive discourse that takes place between the commenters regularly.
Initially the thought of watching someone else play a video game that you enjoy may seem… well, less joyful than actually playing the game yourself. What you should think back on is when you and your friends would spend late nights and early mornings taking turns while playing games and experiencing some of the most unforgettable moments in those games together. That’s the kind of environment that can be had in these communities. LP’ers usually feature over the top antics and comedy during their let’s plays and this usually leads to a load of fun for both the LP’ers and the audience. To watch someone you enjoy, playing games that you enjoy, and having fun while doing it is nearly as good as playing those games that you enjoy yourself and becomes even more fun when you do all of those things with friends at your side.
Along with the success of the LP content creators YouTube has seen the massive reach and potential of these individuals. YouTube’s response to their success and to the rising competition that is Twitch, has manifested itself with the recent launch of YouTube Gaming. YouTube Gaming provides a platform from which LP’ers and other YouTube gaming enthusiasts can showcase their content and launch their careers. It is YouTube’s first attempt at creating a space within its YouTube site that caters to gamers and their needs while maintaining the possibility of attracting, at least apart of, the mammoth audience that already exists there. With the arrival of this new service you can expect to see many new faces in the Let’s Play community rise to prominence and the further expansion of those that have already established themselves firmly.
