There is a new computer game on the market! But is it worth buying? Is it fun? What exactly does it look like and what tricks are there for the game? Your child might ask himself these questions when he hears about a new game. In search of answers, it first looks at a “Let’sPlay” on YouTube or Twitch at. But what is it anyway?
Translated, Let’s Play means “Let’s play!”. In these videos, players show how they play on or even completely through a video game. They film themselves and their screen at the same time. Spectators get an insight into the game and hear the comments of the players. Let’s Plays are either pre-recorded and uploaded to a video platform or broadcast as a livestream.
On the one hand, children and young people find it exciting to look at a game from a different perspective and want to learn more about it.
As with other YouTube stars, it’s also about being close to the Let’s Players. Spectators can join in the excitement and experience the personal reactions of the players. The comment function on YouTube allows fans to join in the discussion and feel even more involved. Many active Let’sPlayers regularly publish their videos, which resembles a daily soap that particularly captivates young viewers. Many of the so-called streamers respond to their audience’s comments and often tell more about themselves than just about the game. Successful YouTubers who stream Let’sPlays are usually very individual. A humorous moderation and comedy-like content make her videos particularly entertaining.
Not only on the world’s largest Let’s Play platform YouTube can these gaming videos be viewed. Twitch is also used for this purpose. Here, fans can even write directly in a chat and thus communicate even more personally.
These videos are especially popular with teens 13 and older, but kids as young as about 10 are starting to get excited about such videos. In Let’sPlays games from every genre and with every age rating (USK) are played. In this way, even younger people can be tempted to watch game content that is actually only approved for young people aged 16 or even 18. Many Let’s Players also show in their videos the moments they themselves find particularly exciting, which can sometimes be very violent, cruel or sexist.
Professional Let’s Players invest a lot of time in the games. They sometimes work directly with game publishers and there may be targeted product placement – even if there is no separate indication of a sponsored link. Subscriptions on Twitch or fundraising on YouTube get viewers to spend money on their favorite stars. For example, some streamers comment live when a person has donated something.
The first and safest tip here is to watch the Let’sPlays together with your child. Talk about what fascinates your son or daughter about it, but also what to look for in Let’s Plays and what can be problematic. Make your child aware of communication risks online, educate them about the business models of influencers, and find out about the age ratings of your child’s favorite games. Let’s Plays can encourage young people to become YouTubers themselves and show their own gaming hobby in Let’s Plays videos. What you can do if your child wants to act professionally on YouTube, we explain in this article.
Let’sPlays are very popular and there is a reason for that! It can be incredibly fun to watch your idols try on a new game and master tasks humorously – or not! Because the players are just young people, possibly even the same age as the spectators themselves, and that’s what makes it so fascinating.
