What video games would you rather watch someone else play than play it yourself?

Speed runs to games I know how to play.

That's basically like watching sports. Sure I can play tennis, but watching professionals play is more entertaining.
Do I really want to see how shit I am at a game? Lol
- Speed runners ain't even playing the same game, it's fascinating to watch.
  Don't gotta bring your ego into it, it's a single player video game lmao

Most horror games. My startle threshold is through the floor, even when I know a jumpscare is coming it still gets me a lot of the time. I also hate feeling panicked and chased.

Imo horror games are best enjoyed in a group anyway. Get the ballsy yolo friend to stream for everyone else
- Hot potato couch co-op is the best, because you can jumpscare your friends irl before the game does it and laugh about it, then everyone laughs harder when the game scares the crap out of you...
I'm the same way. I think it has to do with being the one who has to make the decision to keep moving forward as opposed to just passively observing
ManlyBadassHero anyone?
Same. I love watching people play games like Amnesia or the SCP ones, but I could never play them myself.

Anything with a mechanic where every choice matters and will affect the next 50 hours of gameplay, and where it's possible to choose wrong. That's a lot of pressure, and I'd rather someone else deal with that.

Also, anything that's 100 hours of gameplay and 10 hours of story.

None.

I have absolutely no interest in watching someone else play a video game, excluding short clips of gameplay to get a feel for the mechanics.

I was talking to a friend about a parallel topic yesterday, regarding movies/TV shows about video games. I argued that it's like watching porn when you can be having sex - I'd much rather be in control than watching an idiot fuck it all up.
- In porn, don't you WANT them to fuck it all up???
I watched some gameplay of Shattered Pixel Dungeon, just to help me not suck at it. It's a roguelike with a damned steep learning curve. 25 short dungeon levels to get through and it took me like 42 attempts before the first time I beat it.

Starcraft. I still love playing through the campaigns and coop, but I don't have the time or energy to keep up with the 1v1 anymore. Used to play it a ton back before Legacy of the Void, but you basically have to treat that game like a second job in order to be competitive and not get destroyed most of the time. I remember going like 3-4 days without playing back then and it'd take me 3-5 hours to get back up to my usual level of play.

It's still a lot of fun to watch pros or high level players play the game though, at least IMO.

This completely. I miss playing, but I have a job and responsibilities and not enough time to practice or follow the meta. Love watching really skilled players play though.
This is how I feel about Ultima Online. I played 20 years ago as a teen.......I do NOT have the time for it now.
Not a Starcraft player, but in my experience (Age of Empires, Overwatch) the solution is to stop caring about your rank and just focus on improving where you can.
- Oh I agree, I play Overwatch casually and couldn't care less about my rank, in fact I exclusively play quick play even after 150 hours. But Starcraft is inherently competitive to me due to its 1v1 focus and even without caring about my rank I still find it too stressful and hard to play without a ton of time invested. When I do play it, I prefer to play the campaigns or coop. 1v1 is too time consuming even without caring about rank and only playing unranked.

I typically don't watch playthrough videos, but I would say games that require more time or skill than I can offer. If the video creator can take a long, challenging game, and make a video of the highlights and random silly things they encountered while cutting out the monotony that happens in between, I'll enjoy the video.

For example, Elden Ring. I played it for an hour and decided it wasn't for me, but the kids will watch Elden Ring videos, and I'll watch with them and learn about and experience that game without wasting my time playing something I don't enjoy.

Age of Empires 2. It's like watching a live chess match. The more I learn about the game, the more my own gameplay feels clumsy. Thankfully, the aoe community is larger than ever, even though it's been 20 years since release.

The same goes for me and Total War. I love battle strategy but I am just no good at it haha. Some of my favorite streamers will occasionally play them, which is good enough for me
DauT is my spirit animal

Competitive games and broken games (in the se se that there are glitches that can be expolited for fun)

I'll never be on that level, So i prefer to watch them.

imo you don't have to be good at those games to still enjoy them. I loved playing counter strike, and I never made it out of the lowest possible rank.
- Yeah, i agree. I fact i play Rocket League casually with friend. But seeing people playing in another level it's like seeing another dimension of the game that always surprises me and i never expect what may happen.

Jump scare games, definitely. And survival horror, like that Alien game where you walk around and hide. Yeesh. Stuff like that. Also racing sims.

for a bit a few years ago i watched a ton of minecraft experts create very advanced things that i never would've been able to. eventually i had seen enough.

You know what I did in minecraft? I dug a hole. Then I dug it downwards. It was like 60x60. Just a square hole. And next to it was a tall tower. I'd get that cobblestone from diging, and used it to build a tower. Then at the top of the tower I built a sky highway using cobblestone roads, and track.
I want actual trains in minecraft. Old timey steam trains. But a minecart and redstone is all I have.
- You know what I did in minecraft?
  Yes, I actually knew that.
- I read the first two sentences and diggy diggy hole started playing in my head. Thank you for that. I haven't decided if I'm being sarcastic yet.

Hmm.

I think that there are a couple of ways to look at this.

First, there's just casually looking over someone's shoulder.

I haven't done this for many years now, but I don't enjoy playing jumpscare games -- don't enjoy being startled -- but I don't mind watching someone else play one, can enjoy the story.

I was, years back, at least okay at FPSes, but never outstanding. I had a friend who was really solid and didn't mind having people side-seat driving, and I enjoyed that.

Second, there's outright collaborative play, but where one person has the controls. I think that this often comes up a fair bit with adventure games -- I read about a number of guys talk about playing a game with their wife, but where they're doing the clicking. Adventure games aren't much about the control, but figuring things out and experiencing the story. I think that the experience watching and thinking it through here can be pretty comparable to playing. Maybe more fun if there are some tedious bits that you can just skip.

Third, there are professional streamers. That's a whole 'nother ball of wax.

Cataclysm: Dark Days has some streamers like Vormithrax that amount to being the tutorial to the game for many players, because it's so stupendously complicated and ever-changing, and he verbally walks through what he's doing.

There are e-sports players. I don't really like playing Starcraft or DoTA 2 multiplayer, but I can enjoy watching a presented event.

I understand that there are some "gamer girl" streamers; obviously there are people who enjoy that. I've never looked into it, but I imagine that it could be entertaining in a way that the game alone isn't.

I remember once watching a fighter pilot watch an arcade-ish air combat game (IIRC either something in the Ace Combat or Project Wingman series). They were commenting on tactics, realism, and plane capabilities. Again, interesting in a way that the game itself isn't.

Elden Ring and most other soulslikes - I don't have the skill, time or will to "git gud" at them, but they are a beautiful spectacle and a joy to watch, especially when watching someone who plays really well.

Dwarf fortress, I love to see how and what people build and the emergent chaotic stories when a giant or vampire or whatever shows up.

Triple A titles with a story. I don't have the rig or the patience myself, but I stream some video gameplay on another monitor while I work...

Singleplayer vanilla minecraft

I dont like playing alone

Hearthstone. couldn't keep up with new cards and it's more fun to watch other people lose.

Literally none. I enjoy interactive entertainment much more than passive consumption.

Walking sims/narrative games. I'm a sucker for gameplay, so games with non-complex gameplay bore the hell out of me

Any of the 4x/grand strategy type games (e.g., Crusader Kings, Hearts of Iron, Civilization). I don't really enjoy the menu management of some of those games and the density of information and mechanics is anxiety inducing. However the emergent narrative those games provide really interests me so watching someone else play is the best way to access what I enjoy about those games.

Horror games

Rust

It's crazy how polished a lot of those videos are. Blooprint, Wiilljem, Frost, etc are so much fun to watch, but I know I don't have the mentality to deal with losing everything, and I suck a fps.
- Don't forget the time invest needed to simply guard your base.

Counterstrike and Tarkov because I'm too bad at them to have any fun playing myself, but I really enjoy watching competitive matches or streamers raids here and there.

Also, Dark Souls 1-3 and Skyrim. I've played them all so much and still play through here and there, but I like to watch challenge runs and see all the modded or otherwise ridiculous playthroughs that I don't have the patience to commit to myself.

Have you ever got a friend to play Dark Souls? It's a fun game to watch someone new play it. My late best friend did that with me during the first lockdown, and I got the sense that he was vicariously enjoying the game through me.

Dokapon Kingdom.

It's a cutesy looking cross between Mario Party, Rock Paper Scissors, and Dragon Quest. By the time you are done you will look at your now ex-best friend in the same way Guts looks at Femto. Watching someone else play it though, you don't have to personally deal with the consequences and can enjoy all of the drama.

Games that have no agency and are more or less just "interactive" stories. I am actually waiting for tomorrow when Game Grumps are gonna start up Danganronpa V3. I really like these games; but nothing you do really makes a difference aside from seeing a continue from the last checkpoint screen if you fail a challenge mini game. So, even if I played it and talked to all the characters every chance I had, it wouldn't change the overall story; so why not just watch someone else play it? 🤷🏻‍♂️

I didn't really grow up playing video games. Never built the muscle memory for controllers, and I don't really have the time or desire to learn now.

But there are many games with intriguing stories that explore fascinating concepts. Some of them, like Disco Elysium for example, don't require any skill with a controller, and I would rather play those myself.

As technically easy as Detroit Become Human was, some points like the rooftop chase scene pushed the limits of my capability. So anything that demands more controller skill than that is something I would rather watch than waste my time fumbling around with.

I really enjoy a good narrative roleplay, like Neebscraft's Subnautica.

...also this thread needs links!!!

I love that they added Neebs and Apsro voice lives to the actual game

games that I couldn't afford and also the games that requires a lot of grinding.

Dragon's Lair (old school). Too difficult and frustrating for a casual like me, but I want to see the later stages of the game!

There are a couple of occasions where I watch someone else playing: when deciding if the game is worth buying (gameplay vs cutscenes) and when I'm stuck in a part of a game I can't really google.

Backrooms, especially the scary kinds

Tetris

Cities Skylines - because ain't no way am I getting enough memory for the fluid huge city I want to be flying through. Also, it's fun to watch design nerds make some really pretty cities.

Dave the diver was one for me. I watched Francis John play it and it was fun to watch, but I had no interest in playing.

Used to live with 3 other guys in college just watching one of us play. Miss that.

League of Legends

I really like to watch competitive FPS like CS and Valorant but I'd hate to play them since my jam is turn-based games. Heck I'd even watch competitions of games like Lol or Starcraft but the Jargon is too much for me!

I like watching strategy or sim games. I can work through different problems or layouts for things, but I still miss things or don't fully understand how it works. When I watch someone else play there are lots of "ah-hah!" or "why aren't I doing that?!" moments.

I guess this is a case of playing the game and watching it, rather than watching it instead of playing.

Any shooter or other twitch game.

Europa Universalis IV. Have tried several times to play this myself, I quit and watch someone else to get my fix instead.

Starcraft 2. I've accepted that I'll never being good at this game so I'll watch uthermal do challenges instead.

Factory games. Usually watch play throughs when I get stuck and/or get to a point where my designs can't scale without a lot of headache.

Football Manager for sure, although I do enjoy playing it equally.

Stories with branching story lines. I'd rather watch others play Slay the Princess than play it myself, as an example.

That's interesting, I like playing those because the entire pathway is often unique to me, what about them makes you not curious to know your own path?
- Because I want to see all the paths.

Kaizo Mario. The Grand Poo World Series, for example. They’re way beyond my level to play, but great fun to watch. Barb’s compilations are the best. Here is part 1 from GPW II.

Any point & click adventure game, especially old Sierra series like King's Quest. They have so many bullshit mechanics designed to trip the player up and cause an immediate Game Over.

Spiritfarer. It's mostly just dialogue with a bit of exploration, scavenging, platforming etc. I can experience the story just fine while not holding the controller.

Sandbox games, back in the day I would be creative and have fun playing these but now I prefer watching someone else do that.

Pvp/story games I enjoy playing though.

Horror games

THE WITCHER 3

Most RPG/Crafting games.

Any game that starts with you punching trees for wood can fuck right off at this point.

Any metal gear solid game, and I say that because it's the best of both worlds! I play for 2 minutes and then watch a movie!

I had a friend that recorded deathless runs for the first three games on vhs back in the day
- Oh wow. Dang real life difficulty lolol
  That's awesome!

None ... I understand how video games work. You play them.

Lol, being down voted because I liked to play video games.

You're not being downvoted for your view. You're being downvoted for your condescending tone.
My spouse and I are gamers. It’s fun to introduce them to a game and watch them experience it for the first time. Every now and then they don’t like a game I’ve introduced, and other times they end falling in love with the game. Right now my spouse is introducing me to Hades, and they’re watching my experiences with it: it’s a good game so far, but they rave about it so I wanted to know what it’s like. We get to hang out while they watch me play, and it’s quality time together. Who knows, maybe this will be a favorite game of mine too?
I don’t watch strangers online play games, but let’s pretend there’s a content creator who I enjoy watching, is close to my age, and I enjoy their personality. How cool would it be to watch that person play some of my favorite games: nostalgic games, ones that inspired me, introduced me to new concepts, broke me, etc. If I aligned with that content creator, I’d love to hear what they think - what they liked and didn’t like about the game, how they felt with the thought-provoking moments, etc.
With that said, some persons like to watch others play games for these reasons and more.
- Oh, I get why people like watching games, I've watched people play games lots. But mostly I've watched when I can't play a game myself. I had a job with a lot of downtime for a while, and while I couldn't install games on the computer, I could watch twitch or YouTube all I liked. But given the choice, I'd much rather be playing the games.
Oh man we're going to tell the NFL, FIFA, and the others that fans are out of line and must be prevented from watching any games.
P.s. you're being downvoted for a gatekeepy asshole comment.
- I'm not saying anybody is out of line... I'm just saying * I * would rather play games than watch them. And I think games are most fun when played (which I don't think is really a crazy statement).
  But it's true, I'm not really into spectating sports either, I don't get much out of it. I would much rather play a pickup game of basketball than watch the NBA finals.