i honestly don't really understand why "some people prefer watching gameplay online rather than playing games themselves" is treated as such a taboo when being a spectator is considered a pretty mundane way to engage with most sports, game shows, reality tv or even just like. chess.
like the usual arguments are "not everyone can afford video games or have the software to pirate" or "you can be a fan of a game's story, but not it's gameplay" but also some people just have more fun watching other people be really good at starcraft or speedrun super mario 64, i don't think that's a particularly out of the box way to engage with the medium.
i know this argument is generally about story driven games rather than competitive multiplayer games, but alot of discourse is around how "gameplay is a fundamental part of video games as an artform" and i absolutely agree but i also don't think you need to hold a controller in order to appreciate a video game on a mechanical level in the same i don't think you need a driver's license in order to be a vehicle enthusiast, like it certainly helps but some people are just kind of autistic like that.
especially with how long many games are today, a lot of people just don't have time for a full playthrough. streams and longplays enable people to experience most of a game without having to invest the time and energy required to sit down, power the console, have everything plugged in correctly, and learn how to play the game. not that i endorse people to not learn skills and take the time to actually experience things, because you can easily slide to the opposite end of the spectrum of forgetting how to engage in hobbies if you just watch videos all day. but it's really good to have video game streams and longplays as an accessibility option. and the hope is that someday the people who watch those might be inspired to complete a game (any game, not necessarily the one they watched) on their own when they find the time and ability to. or at least have more knowledge of the kind of experiences that are available to them in the world.
this is the philosophy my longplay channel is built on so check it out if you like watching games đ unfortunately i've been really busy this month so i haven't had a lot of time to update it, but hoping to finish my tears of the kingdom playthrough soon and record more games in 4k in the future; https://www.youtube.com/@triforceprincess1
































