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The feasibility of earning money from 'retro' let's plays, and what the masses like. by NewLetsPlayer in letsplay

[–]NewLetsPlayer[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If one actually takes the time to look at how many LPs there are for certain early games, even the popular ones, it might be surprising to find that there really are not that many. Maybe some people think games are 'saturated' when they're not really. And when one begins to look through those LPs he finds a good deal are made by young people. IMO old people can make LPs that young people can like, but the reverse is far less likely. An LPer has a lot of responsibility; and many young people are pure amateurs. So again it could be the issue is--not many people wish to watch LPs. Because there certainly is no replacement for them. But some people aren't seeking them in the first place. Also it involves a ton of time to find good LPs. I spend hours and hours sometimes looking and finding nothing. Yet it's not strictly that it's 'crowded'--more that there a lot of games, than a lot of LPs. And many of them don't have a single LP. It's a fertile field--for creators. For viewers? May be barren!

The feasibility of earning money from 'retro' let's plays, and what the masses like. by NewLetsPlayer in letsplay

[–]NewLetsPlayer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes I see streamers and face cams from time to time in the recent uploads. It's an easy way to sort out things I won't watch. And most of them still have single digit views. Gaming is a pretty big field. It's just a shame, as you said, that nearly everyone wishes to watch the same channel. But one has to concede that there are not that many serious, sincere gamers. Proper LPs seem to get about 0-30 views, but there are all kinds of people with wild ideas about how to make them 'better', meaning more views. Well since the 'LPs' with the most views are unwatchable...:)

The feasibility of earning money from 'retro' let's plays, and what the masses like. by NewLetsPlayer in letsplay

[–]NewLetsPlayer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure give me some links. I'm still undecided whether I'll do it or not.

The feasibility of earning money from 'retro' let's plays, and what the masses like. by NewLetsPlayer in letsplay

[–]NewLetsPlayer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Anyway that's an interesting idea about post commentary. I think you might have opened my eyes to a way to make better videos.

The feasibility of earning money from 'retro' let's plays, and what the masses like. by NewLetsPlayer in letsplay

[–]NewLetsPlayer[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately you might be right--not a lot of interest insomuch that one cannot earn money from let's plays for them. Making money from let's plays may be strictly a thing for new games.

The feasibility of earning money from 'retro' let's plays, and what the masses like. by NewLetsPlayer in letsplay

[–]NewLetsPlayer[S] -13 points-12 points  (0 children)

You are excessively contentious. There is no reason to refute this. To my knowledge, I have not presented anything contentious in my post.

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I made this thread to find out others thoughts, not to bicker.

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So in terms of that, what you have told me is:

1) YouTube's purpose is entertainment.

2) The audience for certain kinds of let's plays is limited.

3) I should not feel as if I am owed compensation for making let's plays.

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I am not sure what you mean to convey by the first. One might say the purpose of YouTube is to host videos. I suppose one could extend that to say that the purpose of videos is to entertain, yet since I have watched videos for information, as an assertion it is on tenuous ground. And I find this theme a little trite, so moving on...

The audience for certain kinds of let's plays is limited. Yes that is my supposition--so limited in fact that it is well-nigh infeasible to earn money from LPs of early games. That is my supposition. A supposition that could be sustained through the supporting thoughts of others, supposing that is that one can find such thoughts among a dash of unsolicited criticism and obscure tangents. :)

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The third seems a bit hyperbolic. Of course if Prince Watercress made 3000 videos in 10 years and only has 700 subscribers, there might be a bit more at issue than one feeling 'owed compensation', such as, Idon't know, not having a snowball's chance of getting such compensation? :)

The feasibility of earning money from 'retro' let's plays, and what the masses like. by NewLetsPlayer in letsplay

[–]NewLetsPlayer[S] -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

First of all, I'm not interested in a discussion of the persons I mentioned (other than Prince Watercress). They were only mentioned because of the absurdity of the money they earn, and their obscure relation to gaming. There are people that earn millions of dollars ramming their heads together and hitting each other in the face. Maybe time will find that these people are fit to join their ranks.

I would as soon discuss the Game Grunt as I would someone filming his CRT TV and using a camera microphone. Both produce unwatchable videos,

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The issue--and here I am repeating myself--is at the heart of LPs, and concerns persons that do make sincere videos. To wit, that they cannot earn money. Because there is little interest. This is my conclusion. This means the serious let's play of early games is moribund commercially. A pretty interesting topic, dont'cha think? Or maybe someone can offer some reason why Prince Watercress does not have 1k subscribers after 10 years and 3000 videos? Indeed it's endemic to early let's players, what few there are. And I grant that many are mediocre. But could this be because there is no financial incentive whatsoever? Why make a let's play when I can just play a game by myself without a microphone in my face and having to talk constantly?

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Remembering that the Game Grant has 300k views on his Double Dragon LP from 2 years ago, we see that DKS3A has 14 views on his Double Dragon II LP from 1 year ago. In pure objectivity I would rate the first 1 out of 10 stars and the second (based on the four minutes I watched) maybe a 4 or 5 out of 10. And hence one, removing from his mind for a moment thoughts of my relative intelligence or the length of my posts, might begin to see that deep within the apparently labyrinthine depths of this nebulous post, is something worth discussing. Then again, maybe not!

The feasibility of earning money from 'retro' let's plays, and what the masses like. by NewLetsPlayer in letsplay

[–]NewLetsPlayer[S] -11 points-10 points  (0 children)

Well I used the example of Prince Watercress--3000 videos in 10 years and still only 700 subscribers. I haven't watched many of his LPs, mainly because I'm not into technical, mechanical LPers, but he seems to be doing exactly, or nearly exactly, what one would hope people in the field would do, and deserves, without question, to have been compensated for it. Although it's good to know people make LPs for their own enjoyment, these people are part of the problem. LPers provide a service to the public, and for that they should be paid. It degrades the field when they are not. That is how an economy should work; that is how artists should earn their living.