“Let's Play”: another way to experience video games

In recent years, player channels have become popular through YouTube that are dedicated to recording how they play a video game while they are commenting on it.

One of them is the German Daniel Reutter. The 157,000 subscribers of his channel “Simfans.de” watch Daniel recreate the destinies of the characters from the computer game “The Sims”. Over the course of the game, Reutter engages his audience in decisions that will influence the course of the story. This new format is called “Let's Play”.

The concept of “Let's Play” can be quite lucrative. Among others, Reutter makes money through advertising superimposed on his videos. According to him, the views of the video and the target group influence the amount of money earned.

Daniel is not the only one who has discovered this model: the German youtuber “simfinity” has some 257,000 subscribers. Outside the German market, the US video gamer “lilsimsie” dominates with 1.54 million subscriptions.

According to Michael Baur, professor of Video Game Design at the University of Applied Sciences Macromedia in the German city of Leipzig, interactivity plays a key role in “Let's Play”.

“As a player, I can watch in a relaxed way without having to make micro-decisions and deal with the needs of Sims, but I can have a say in important decisions, which may appeal to many viewers,” says Baur.

Almost daily, Reutter publishes a new video in which he explains how to build houses, recommend games, introduces new extensions or even determines the fate of his Sims along with his community.

In the current situation, dominated by the war in Ukraine and the pandemic, this format creates distraction for many users. “Play is also a way to escape from everyday life,” says Reutter. This is also reflected in the stories he creates around Sims together with his community.

They have a penchant for the extreme, with extravagant personalities interacting with each other. According to Daniel, “the desire for drama” is a decisive factor in the “Let's Play”. “There are ups and downs, just like in any movie or series,” he adds.

Simulation games are not only popular to watch, but also to play. A study by the German technology industry association Bitkom shows that this genre experienced a boom during the pandemic: in Germany, almost four out of ten players spent their time on simulation games at least occasionally in 2021. In 2020, the report adds, there were fewer than three out of ten.

Professor Baur also observes a trend towards the dramatic: “In games you can recreate your own life or try what you wouldn't do in real life,” he says.

“By involving the community in the course of the game, the player creates closer proximity to the audience. It creates a strong sense of community,” explains Sebastian Kloess, Bitkom's Head of Consumer Technology.

And according to experts, the game “The Sims” is particularly suitable for enjoyment in this format. Dominik Mieth, professor of Video Game Design at the Mediadesign University in Munich, explains that the contents are vast, but, on the other hand, they also have many moments when nothing happens and, therefore, mindfulness is not required all the time.

According to Reutter, being a “youtuber” and earning money playing in front of the camera is quite unpleasant for him, since he often has to justify himself and, from time to time, listen to comments such as “you spend the day playing and live on it”.

However, he goes on, he knows what kind of work is behind it: editing, research, graphic editing and community management make the alleged game a full-fledged profession.

His YouTube channel has continued to grow, especially at the beginning of the pandemic, and currently he even runs a small team of collaborators. Reutter explains that, with his work as a “youtuber” and media designer he can earn a living.

Even though gambling has become a profession, Daniel doesn't lose his taste for his hobby: “For me there is no private game or public game. It's all the same”, points out the gamer.

dpa