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[Bojji]

Probably 80/20 for gaming.

 

[DonF]

I dont "watch" per sé, but I do have almost all day a gaming podcast or gaming videos playing and just hearing.
So I could easily be "watching" 2 hours of videogame content a day, vs playing non.

 

[DanielG165]

Half and half for me these days. I enjoy watching play throughs and gaming videos from some of my favorite channels, and I’ll play games when I have time/feel like it.

 

[TintoConCasera]

Talking about the PCMR, I presume?

 

[Peroroncino]

I don't watch streamers at all, like never, so not me lol.

I sometimes listen to podcasts while playing less engaging games, but that's about it.

I still can't wrap my head around people watching some wanker playing games they could be playing themselves, but clearly it's a vast market so I guess there must be something to it.

 

[lh032]

i personally think sometimes is due to burn out.When im burned out i rather watch people playing games on twitch than playing gmae myself

 

[Fake]

I play far more.

 

[RagnarokIV]

Yes especially culture war videos on gaming. I LOVE that shit

 

[Morrie’s wig shop]

I play quite a bit still. I think it as something to do with age though.

I was gaming 20 years before anyone began streaming and when streaming started to become a thing, I still didn’t watch people streaming games.

Now my oldest who is 24, he watch’s a shit ton of gamers streaming, he’ll have it on in the background while doing other things. Something I still scratch my head at and it’s the only time I really watch any of it.

 

[Minsc]

I just enjoy it as a background activity to chores/work. Good music, and get to relive some of the story beats. I generally only do it for games I've played through before.

I think it's pretty common when you're older and free time < not free time and you still want to enjoy / revisit some gaming experiences by seeing others go through them for the first time.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Review the games yourselves by watching someone play.

 

[Sojiro]

The only time I am watching Twitch is at work, and it's usually background noise while I am doing shit. I will always choose to play a game myself, rather than watch someone else play one, so at home I never have Twitch or YouTube on since I am playing something usually. I can't imagine someone choosing to watch instead of play given the opportunity to do either option, that is odd to me lol.

 

[Minsc]

The only time I am watching Twitch is at work, and it's usually background noise while I am doing shit. I will always choose to play a game myself, rather than watch someone else play one, so at home I never have Twitch or YouTube on since I am playing something usually. I can't imagine someone choosing to watch instead of play given the opportunity to do either option, that is odd to me lol.

You could make a case for games that give you rage I think - back when I did Hearthstone and I got legends, it was incredibly frustrating, however watching others get reamed by cheap tactics and react was not as frustrating. Still, I'd rather be actively playing a different game, but there's a case where I could see someone enjoying watching more than playing.

Same for top tier multiplayer eSports - like watching Max or whoever plays RTS games at 20000 clicks/minute do their thing instead of losing battle after battle at a genre you're not amazing at.

 

[Little Chicken]

Kids with no money or PS5 owners with no games?

 

[saintjules]

Watching games and actually playing them are two different things.

I have a cousin who thinks he's getting the same experience by watching the game on YouTube.

There's more to his story, but the short of it: he's a cheapskate. I don't like cheapskates.

Yeah anyone watching full length games online...I don't know, just feels weird.

Like who's video are you watching for a definitive experience of a game anyway? I only watch to find things about solving puzzles if I'm really stuck in a section of a game.

 

[TGO]

I ain't no Gen Z

 

[Kacho]

I definitely spend more time shitposting about games than I do playing them.

Watching people play games is fucking wack though. I’ll never understand it.

 

[Sojiro]

You could make a case for games that give you rage I think - back when I did Hearthstone and I got legends, it was incredibly frustrating, however watching others get reamed by cheap tactics and react was not as frustrating. Still, I'd rather be actively playing a different game, but there's a case where I could see someone enjoying watching more than playing.

Same for top tier multiplayer eSports - like watching Max or whoever plays RTS games at 20000 clicks/minute do their thing instead of losing battle after battle at a genre you're not amazing at.

Good point on an eSports titles, or any other big tournament level event. I didn't think about that, and have watched things like the DotA TI even though I rarely ever play DotA 2. Even still, if I am at home and am actively playing a game, I wouldn't stop to watch someone else play, or even turn off what I am doing to watch a big level tournament. Given the choice it's always play over watching.

 

[rm082e]

I go through periods of time where my work load is very slow and I can play a lot of games (I'm fully remote, so gaming setup is right next to my work setup). But most of the time my workload is 45+ hours a week, which makes it hard to find time to game consistently. Right now, I have kids who are young enough that they still want to spend time with me, so gaming takes a lower priority.

I don't watch much gaming related video content, but I do listen to a couple of podcasts, post here, and talk to close friends on Discord. I guess if I counted up the number of hours I spend listening to people talk about gaming, or interacting with people on the topic and compare that to the number of hours I spend playing games in a year, it would probably be 60/40. In a few years, my kids will be late teens and won't have time to hang out with me in the evenings. I'm expecting my gaming time will increase and that balance will flip the other way.

 

[Crystal Winters]

I have been known to do both. If it is game on a platform that I do not have and the game looks good I will watch it

 

[Verchod]

Why?
I think some people have missed the point of a game of that's what they're doing?

 

[ssringo]

Eh, for me video game streams are background noise for other stuff I might be doing in the same way that people would turn on the TV to have something on that they barely pay attention to. My Dad does this a lot. Like on Thanksgiving he'll have a football game on that nobody is really watching because we're cooking, eating and talking but it's still on. So...

 

[Hookshot]

Not me, I used to watch the odd podcast but they've all been around for too long now so I don't need their opinions on stuff. Streaming annoys the fuck out of me, most are utter shit at games to the point that I believe they deliberately do it badly to drive chat engagement.

 

[poppabk]

I dont watch any streaming at all, just the odd trailer or review here or there. I am constantly telling my kids
"You know you are watching someone else play a game that you could be playing, right?" so I am pretty sure that there age group is skewing it somewhat.

 

[cinnamonandgravy]

instead of reading books, i watch videos of people reading books
same goes for music--videos of people listening to songs is so much more convenient than listening to music

i am a smart man and the way i spend my time is good

 

[Holammer]

Define watch videos about gaming?

You watch streamers on Twitch, I watch Game Sack. We are not the same.

 

[Mister Wolf]

In between playing Stalker 2 I've been watching some streamers play it.

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

If you count podcasts than yea. If podcasts don’t count than no.

 

[Sybrix]

I watch trailers and some JackFrags type videos, DayZ videos also.

Probably half and half.

Sort of like watching football and playing football.

 

[LectureMaster]

also claims that 24% of console/PC players and 48% of "in-game buyers" watch game-related content at least monthly, with the latter considered "high-spending gamers."

 

[El Muerto]

I'll never watch someone play games when i can just play them myself. And some of these streamers can't play for shit too.

 

[Humdinger]

Lately, I've been spending more time on GAF than playing games. I find the conversations about gaming interesting, and there's a lot going on. I watch some game-related video content, too, but even then, I'm often reading the comments as much (or more) than I'm watching the videos.

 

[ReyBrujo]

Doesn't surprise me, I see more Asmongold threads posted here than Xbox ones. Personally I prefer watching Shogi or Go while watching YouTube, not sure if that counts.

 

[Pelao]

I leave streams playing on my TV while I work. I never watch them in my free time, but I guess at the end of the day they must add up to more time than I spend playing games.

 

[PendekarRajawali]

Edited

 

[RoboFu]

I leave streams playing on my TV while I work. I never watch them in my free time, but I guess at the end of the day they must add up to more time than I spend playing games.

I work from home and do the same except it's mostly about retro gaming.

 

[onQ123]

They are not gamers

 

[Shane89]

they are not gamers.

It's like claiming porn watchers are porn actors

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

Oh God, what fresh hell will videogame execs unleash on us with this data

 

[{insert code here}]

I'll watch videos commuting to/from work. During quick breaks. In between sets at the gym. It all adds up to probably more than or close to the amount of time I spend playing games. You gotta understand that it's a lot easier (and more practical) to jump on YouTube when you've only got a handful of minutes to kill than it is to pick up a controller. I imagine there are many others in the same boat.

 

[rofif]

I always watch a steam or yt. Always.
I don’t play nearly enough games anymore. Not because of time but because of forums, streams, yt vids and yt shorts.
Damn hell I feel like shit falling asleep at my desk while scrolling shorts. These shorts adds addicting af and it feels terrible. You know you are wasting your brain… but you keep scrolling.

When I took a 6 months break here, I got into new hobby of old digicams photography and collecting Sony mavicas. Just an example.

And for games, yes I will drop everything and play new game but it’s few and far between because single player games I like are rare. But I have a backlog and love replaying games… but shorts.

 

[TrebleShot]

Yes true

 

[DownLikeBCPowder]

I don't really count the hours or anything, but do listen to a lot when going to bed, or out of the house, or at work. Basically, places I can't play games. I don't listen to such content while playing games or instead of typically, though. But I understand the young folk often prefer watching to playing for whatever reason that could be.

 

[Sooner]

Define "gamers". Children watching YouTube Minecraft and Roblox videos probably make up 95% of this statistic.

 

[Wunray]

Since I'm in Uni now, yeah it's kinda like that for me.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

I couldn't give a rats ass about watching streamers. Some zoomer ass shit right there.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Watching neogaf on cellphone throughout the day and gaming news or videos probably account for more time than gaming in a day. Its easy to glimpse at phone a few tidbits at a time. I'm not gaming in front of my children but when they're watching something on TV on Disney or something for sure I'll eventually have neogaf loaded.

0 interest for streamers

 

[MagnesD3]

One of my favorite ways to relax is watching someone entertaining play a game Ive already beaten. Id say the hours are normally comparable but while I'm back in school working full time there are 0 hours of games getting played

 

[Lambogenie]

Always found this weird but I'm also a bit lazy to play so I'm starting to understand.

But still, most my time is on forums or reddit than playing..

 

[MagiusNecros]

Watching games before playing them lets you know if they are worth playing and worth spending the money, waiting for sale or skipping altogether.