Visual Novel Let's Plays

[Camille]

So it was recently brought to my attention that someone from this little corner of the internet started a LP of RisAmo. I curiously checked it out and was really amused at the commentary. When I looked through the rest of the subforum, I saw a number of familiar titles:

- The Knife of the Traitor
- Magical Diary
- RE:Alistair
- Katawa Shoujo
- Fantasia: ROA

And that's just on the first page. From looking through a few threads, it seems that doing LPs of otome games is sort of the "in" thing right now. So... Discuss!

1) How do you feel about people (potentially) doing an LP of a game you've made?
2) Would you feel differently if your game was commercial?
3) Do you think people doing LPs of commercial games helps or hurts sales?

Or whatever else springs to mind when you think about this topic would be fine. So far as I've seen, the LPs that cover commercial games are pretty respectful. They have no intention of showing everything the game has to offer, meaning people interested in other routes and possibilities would have to actually get the game themselves. Doing a LP seems really time-consuming, so I'm personally very flattered that someone thought RisAmo was worth their time and efforts. I'd be very happy to see BCM and our other future games LPed as well. XD

Your thoughts?

[Razz]

1. I'd totally read it. xD Hopefully it's full of funny comments and mini-roleplays. I always wonder how others react to my stories and comics so I'd be thrilled.

3. I don't know actually. I've watched some video game liveplays myself and rushed out to buy the game (catherine, alpha protocol) but i've also watched them and realized it wouldn't be worth buying.

[Hijiri]

Trust me, I like LP's since it's usually a nice way to see the game the way others see it. And if one of my projects got an LP, I would be overjoyed. This is an impossible wish of course, since my games usually have little choices,and when they do, it's usually after 1-2 playthroughs *le sobbing*

And, for me, LP's should help commercial sales since it shows people what is actually in the game, since trailers usually use FMVs. This is how I decided I wnated to get Portal 2 and Deadly Premonition

[Applegate]

Something I wrote once got streamed with live commentary, and it was quite flattering... and thoroughly embarrassing, since it's the worst project ever.

I use Let's Plays to decide if I want to buy game x or see what gameplay is like. It's really just like reviews, as far as I care.

[Mink]

This makes me want to make an otome game on the off-chance someone would LP it, and provide hilarious commentary!

...On second thought, knowing me, it's probably best if I never attempt one.

[J. Datie]

I'll only be happy if someone attempts a speedrun.

[lepapillonrouge]

Dude I'm going to be reading this up...I'm wondering how RoA's gonna fare.
I read the Knife of the Traitor one though. I'm already excited.

1) I say, if I do ever finish one - go for it. I'll get a laugh out of it, probably.
2) Uh...well, people do LPs of commercial games all the time I guess. But for VNs it's trickier...Maybe I'd mind a bit, but if I wrote a long story with lots of combinations then sure! No one's going to watch all of it.
3) Free advertising I think. |D Not that you'd have to do some of your own, but if there's a very good commentator that's popular = really good advertising. I was thinking about how I was watching a LP of ib recently and I'd like to play it (but it's probably Windows only).

[SilverxBlue]

Ohhhhh. I've actually been lurking in that forum for the past few months now. I like reading all those hilarious comments. XD

1.) I'd actually be pretty thrilled... (I'm even hoping that someone would LP MDLS or my secret project once it's done.) It'd be fun to see their comments on my characters and all that. And I'd probably get a good laugh out of it.
2-3.) I still wouldn't mind if they LP a commercial game. It's even good cause developers get free adverts. I've seen some people posting something about checking the game out and buying it purely because of the LP thread.

[teacup]

1) How do you feel about people (potentially) doing an LP of a game you've made?
Someone did, but it was on youtube, not a forum. Also they didn't cover the entire game, and there was no commentary or anything.
When I saw it on youtube I was kind of amused, but that's all really ^^ I didn't think much of it.
2) Would you feel differently if your game was commercial?
I don't think so. As far as I know, LP's are really good for raising interest in games. More people would probably buy it the more exposure it gets! Just look at the comments of some visual novel LPs on youtube - most people are asking where they can get the game! When I watch them, I just watch to see how the game looks in action. If it looks good, I'd want it for myself.
This isn't a VN, but I said a LP of LoZ Skyward Sword and immediately went and bought it.
3) Do you think people doing LPs of commercial games helps or hurts sales?
Helps, for the above reason!

[Argeus_the_Paladin]

I think there is something about the genre that makes it somewhat difficult to LP well.

See, I tend to think of an LP as an AAR (After-Action Report) of sort, where the player, aside from playing, tells his own character's experience with the game world in a roleplaying sense. Such a notion does not translate well into this medium. As a result, I'd imagine a LP to be a narration of an existing storyline with the occasional quip thrown in. I, for one, wouldn't find that sufficient.

Then again, it could just be me and my Paradox obsession.

[kaleidofish]

1) How do you feel about people (potentially) doing an LP of a game you've made?

I'd love it. I always like receiving feedback, whether it's good or bad, and an LP would be like icing on the cake. It means that people thought my work was worth enough of their time to write about. It's even better if their commentary's funny. I don't know if any of my future projects will be LP'd, but I guess we'll have to see.

2) Would you feel differently if your game was commercial?

Nope. Like others have already said, it's good advertising, especially when the LP is made in a spoiler-avoidant way.

3) Do you think people doing LPs of commercial games helps or hurts sales?

In most cases, I think it's more helpful than harmful. If the game wasn't good in the first place, that might be another story. I've looked at LP videos to decide on buying a game before, and I've read a few for laughs.

[clua]

Oh my god. I find myself playing my own game because of that lol
I recently discovered this LPs and I find them super fun to read(The comments mostly)

1) How do you feel about people (potentially) doing an LP of a game you've made?
2) Would you feel differently if your game was commercial?
3) Do you think people doing LPs of commercial games helps or hurts sales?

1>I would be very happy XD
2>I think I wouldn't, I mean if people actually likes it, they would buy it(...I hope!)
3>Hmmm this LPs at some point breaks on the curiosity of the reader, and he or she will want to try to play game
So I guess they would be helpful

[LateWhiteRabbit]

Normally I think LPs are a good or at least benign thing. However, I think VNs as a genre are more susceptible to harm from an LP than other more traditional games. After all, a VN is essentially a story you click through while making some choices. An LP is substantially close to a full game experience in the case of VNs, especially those of a more linear or kinetic nature.

Take a game like "My Girlfriend is the President". It has only 4 choices in the entire game, and 2 don't diverge the storyline. A single LP could show 85%+ of the entire game.

I think the more gameplay elements a VN has, the less an LP would hurt sales of it as a commercial product. But the fewer the gameplay elements, and the less choices and divergent paths available in a VN, the more likely an LP is to deliver the core of the experience, making purchase unnecessary. I'd also say that the length of a lot of VNs makes them more susceptible to harm from LPs. The shorter nature of a lot of them mean it is more likely an LP can cover everything, unlike say an LP of Mass Effect or the like.

What if 1 LP covers one route in the VN, and another LP covers the second route, and another LP a third? They may not even be the same LP makers, but the end result is a person could see the entire VN story and game without every purchasing it.

I'm not against LPs of commercial games, but I think they should add some intrinsic value for existing. For instance, I would expect commentary, a sort of review-styled observations, and not an exhaustive coverage of the game. I'm not a big fan of LPs actually BEATING the game, especially if it is a newer release. I don't think LPs can do much damage to gameplay based games, but I think they can do a lot of damage to story-based games. In those cases, it is a bit like a friend showing you a video of the latest movie and commenting on top of it. It kind of destroys any reason to go to the theater and shell out for a ticket.

[Gambit74]

1) How do you feel about people (potentially) doing an LP of a game you've made?

Personally I'd be flattered. Considering it's a one man project, I don't expect it to attract a lot of attention in the first place. I mean, it's just something I'm doing because I wanted to tell a story. If someone bothered to make a LP for it, then I''ll be glad to know that at least one person really enjoyed my work.

2) Would you feel differently if your game was commercial?

Not really, as long as they didn't cover every aspect of it such as alternate routes and endings. But in all honesty though, I'm not even sure if I will ever go commercial with my games as long as I don't have a team of people to work with. It's more of a hobby than a profession.

3) Do you think people doing LPs of commercial games helps or hurts sales?

It depends. As LateWhiteRabbit pointed out, if the game is of a linear or kinetic nature then it might cause potential loss in sales, because people who view the entire vids will most likely not bother shelling out money for a copy since they would already know the story. Then again, I guess there might even be people out there who will still get a copy despite knowing everything if it has gameplay elements and whatnot. I mean, watching and playing aren't the same thing after all.

[FatUnicornGames]

I am working on a commercial game and I plan on giving a free copy to Angie Gallant from that forum to do an LP for. I am going to kindly ask her to do just one path. I think it would help personally. Free advertisements. Generally the LPers will only do one path for a commercial game because they don't want to ruin its chances of being bought. It is only polite.