What's with people watching videos to spoil parts of a game?

[cmdrdredd]

So I was talking to my buddy yesterday and he asked me about Batman: Arkham Knight and his son overheard us and came out to say "I can tell you everything about the game's story cause I watched the videos. You wanna know what happens?" I was like "why even play games at all if you're just gonna know what happens and it's no fun then?" He was like "I do it all the time, my friends at school do it too. We don't care about the story."

Is this a thing? Like is it somehow a new fad for kids today to see what's going to happen before you experience it? I can understand being stuck and looking for a guide to help you out, but really who wants to just watch the story unfold without even playing the games? I'm lost at that last line he said...they don't care about the story? I know not every game has a good story but what's the point of most games if you aren't following along with the story? I guess maybe it's the same as those "lets play" videos that I don't understand the point of either.

 

[Subyman]

I remember not caring about story as a kid mainly because I didn't have the attention span to remember all the characters, motives, and plot points over a 10-20 hour game. I'd think it would be easier to digest for them if they watch the videos back to back. Then it would get them hyped to play the game. Beating up dudes as batman is completely awesome as a young boy, so I can see why they'd want to play.

I've found that I don't care about spoilers as much these days either, especially plot spoilers. Even in TV and movies. Its the character interactions that I care most about. Sometimes a spoiler makes me want to see how that event happens and unfolds. There is an entire filming concept called "in media res" that leverages that feeling.

 

[Lil Frier]

I don't do it. A big reason I trade in games is that I don't replay campaigns. IT's just not as fun when there's no intrigue within the story. Given that so few games have actually challenging campaigns, I don't know what the point of playing it is when it's not hard and you know the story already.

 

[Nashemon]

I guess it comes down to people play games for different reasons. Occasionally some games have a story that I don't care about. Most MMOs are like this, and maybe that's where it started. I know what happens overall, but I don't think I've ever once read the quest dialog for anything. I click Accept and check my tracker. A game I play just added a questing system out of no where, and you know what? I couldn't care less about it. I'm having fun playing the game as I have been for years. Sometimes you just want to beat things up (the Call of Duty generation).

In movies, knowing the story helps some people follow along easier. Some people just don't care about spoilers, and knowing they are coming allows them to analyze things before it differently, without having the think back on how something they just learned affects something that happened previously.

Also, I remember wanting to find out what happens in Resident Evil when I was kid because I was too scared to play it normally.

 

[ImpulsE69]

I'm guessing it just comes down to differences in tastes and playstyles.

If you think about the beginning of video gaming, there really was no story beyond what was laid out in the booklet in 99% of the games. Even the early RPG's were very thin on story.

Sure there were your text based games (which were all story), but it really was a different medium (for the time).

I think the first time I realized I needed to pay attention was an old NES game called Magic of Scheherazade. I was breezing through it pretty much like any other game, until I got to the ending. Part of the ending was that your genie or whatever she was asked you what her name was. I recall finding this odd and honestly couldn't remember on the spot - let alone spell it on the spot and I believe it changed the outcome of the game (bad ending). She even makes the comment like you've been with me all this time and you don't know my name.

After that, I think Final Fantasy II (iv) was the next time I really cared about a storyline in a game, and turned me into a huge RPG fan.

Some people just go through the motions and don't care about story. When I play open world games such as Skyrim where there are lots of lore books etc, I tend to skip over them because they don't directly impact the game or the story line.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I can see what you mean about being younger and just caring about the action on screen. Perhaps it's similar to the way I get annoyed when he is playing a game and mashes the X or A button to skip dialog and cutscenes only to ask me to help him because he doesn't know where to go or what he is supposed to do. I keep telling him to pay attention to the story and what people in the game are saying because it is important. Probably the same thing.

I've always found it odd to do that but then I have an eye for plot details sometimes so I may be on the other end of the spectrum, I care too much.

 

[calyco]

I remember not caring about story as a kid mainly because I didn't have the attention span to remember all the characters, motives, and plot points over a 10-20 hour game. I'd think it would be easier to digest for them if they watch the videos back to back. Then it would get them hyped to play the game. Beating up dudes as batman is completely awesome as a young boy, so I can see why they'd want to play.

I've found that I don't care about spoilers as much these days either, especially plot spoilers. Even in TV and movies. Its the character interactions that I care most about. Sometimes a spoiler makes me want to see how that event happens and unfolds. There is an entire filming concept called "in media res" that leverages that feeling.

This, I care about the dialog and interactions more. I can understand why a young kid would do that, I didn't have the attention span at that age as well. Even in my 30s now when I see the cutscenes I say cool.. now let me get back into it. I love cinematic games like TLoU, Uncharted but seeing spoilers wouldn't really ruin it for me. I do like a good story as much as the next person but guess I just care more about the gameplay, control mechanics and replayability. My first thought after a awesome firefight or action sequence is - this a nice part of the map, I gonna replay this with better weapons! Story and cutscenes are fun to watch, nice break in between. What I really hate though are quick time events, think cheap deaths. I get into story mode, relaxed watching the scene and the next second I'm on the edge of my seat mashing away like my life depended on it

 

[IGemini]

Most of the gaming I do I process in the same way as one would reading a book, and with replay I'll usually find details I missed. Betrayal in Antara was probably one of the first games to get me started on this, which is RPG meets audio novel...and that came out when I was a teenager. I must be a rare type since pretty much everyone else I knew bemoaned the transition to full cutscenes in games. The lack of delayed gratification hasn't been surprising for a long time.

Ultimately people can do what they want with games, though I doubt they're appreciating it on the same level as the game devs intended. I'll only watch gameplay movies in detail if I never intend to play the game.

 

[logicweb]

I hate watching videos on games specially those which you can't skip but watch like once God OF WAR you have to wait 5 minutes just to start the game same with blank it takes even more time so whenever i use to play these kinda game i use to start and go away to have a coffee break.

 

[Anubis]

knowing what happens does nothing to lessen my enjoyment of it

same with movies

same with books

 

[Drako]

Instant gratification.

 

[gorcorps]

I remember not caring about story as a kid mainly because I didn't have the attention span to remember all the characters, motives, and plot points over a 10-20 hour game. I'd think it would be easier to digest for them if they watch the videos back to back. Then it would get them hyped to play the game. Beating up dudes as batman is completely awesome as a young boy, so I can see why they'd want to play.

I've found that I don't care about spoilers as much these days either, especially plot spoilers. Even in TV and movies. Its the character interactions that I care most about. Sometimes a spoiler makes me want to see how that event happens and unfolds. There is an entire filming concept called "in media res" that leverages that feeling.

Same with me as a kid. I didn't have patience and was a cutscene skipper in my youth. Doesn't surprise me that the younger ones do stuff like that.

As I got older I appreciated well made stories and cutscenes more though. The pacing still has to be good enough to keep my attention though, or I'll ditch the game for something more entertaining. Life is too short to be bored for hours waiting for the good part.

 

[cmdrdredd]

knowing what happens does nothing to lessen my enjoyment of it

same with movies

same with books

It always ruins it for me. That plot twist is no longer as cool as it would have been. Like in the most recent batman, knowing about a certain character appearing out of nowhere would have ruined the jump scare factor a bit.

 

[xantub]

knowing what happens does nothing to lessen my enjoyment of it

same with movies

same with books

Wow, you're the reverse of me. I go out of my way of not knowing anything about something I'm going to watch. I ignore trailers, and when someone seems like they're about to say anything about a movie I haven't watched, I change the channel or if I can't I start singing in my head. Hell, even reading or hearing about a movie 'twist' makes me enjoy it less, as I'll be the whole movie trying to guess what the twist is, and when it comes, it's usually underwhelming (I either guessed it, or my imagined twists were better!).

 

[pathos]

You've never played a game through a 2nd time? Or watched a movie a 2nd time? Or read a book again? I mean, you already know what happened, right? So, what would be the point?

Well, I don't go out of my way looking for spoilers on stuff. But, if I do get spoilers, it really doesn't bother me that much, with very few exceptions.

 

[xantub]

You've never played a game through a 2nd time? Or watched a movie a 2nd time? Or read a book again? I mean, you already know what happened, right? So, what would be the point?

Well, I don't go out of my way looking for spoilers on stuff. But, if I do get spoilers, it really doesn't bother me that much, with very few exceptions.

No to the first question, almost never to the second question, no for the third question (except Lord of the Rings I read it once again like 12 years after I read it the first time).

 

[pathos]

No to the first question, almost never to the second question, no for the third question (except Lord of the Rings I read it once again like 12 years after I read it the first time).

I wont say your alone, cause I'm sure there are plenty of other people like that. But, some how, I doubt you're in the majority.