Let's Play
A Let's Play (often shortened to LP) is a recorded video of video game play, and could include a commentary by the gamer.[1] This original process is known as a "Screenshot LP", differentiating it from the "Video LP" form which later emerged, that involves recording "playthroughs" of games with a video capture device or screen recording software while offering an audio commentary and uploading the result to a video-sharing website, the most popular being YouTube.[2] Some of the more popular gamers that create these videos have become Internet celebrities and seen as a type of "professional fan", according to Maker Studios' Dar Nothaft; other gamers turn in to these videos as to get a different perspective on games than professional review sources.[3] PewDiePie has monetized his "Let's Play" videos which reach over 16 million subscribers, one of the highest for this type of channel on YouTube.[4] Some other people or groups include Rooster Teeth, The Yogscast, Smosh Games, and Machinima.com.
The copyright nature of such videos remains in question; while the developer and/or publisher of games typically possess the copyright and granted exclusive distribution rights on the media assets of the game, others cite fair use claims for these works as their nature is to provide commentary on the video game.[5] In one case, Nintendo claimed that they retain the copyright and have registered the content through YouTube's Content ID system such that they can generate ad revenue from user videos.[6] Smaller developers have been more open to allowing Let's Play videos. Ubisoft has stated that it allows its games to be used in Let's Play videos and allows for those making them to monetize from any ad revenue as long they stay within certain content-appropriateness guidelines.[7] In one case for Thomas Was Alone, Mike Bithell, its developer, attributed the success of the game to a Let's Play video.[8] Similarly, Davey Wreden, the developer of The Stanley Parable developed a relationship with various Let's Play channels prior to the release to assure they could play and record his game; his team further created specialized demos for two popular channels that jokingly teased the specific players. Wreden believes this helped lead to the over 100,000 sales of the full game within the first three days of release.[9]
See also
References
- ^ White, Patrick (18 April 2013). "Fan fiction more creative than most people think". Kansas State Collegian. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
- ^ Nam, Sumin (28 March 2013). "„Let's Play": Guck mal, wer da spielt: Die neue Youtube-Masche - Netzwirtschaft - FAZ". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 21 April 2013.
- ^ Wadeson, Danny (2013-09-06). "GAMERTUBE: PEWDIEPIE AND THE YOUTUBE COMMENTARY REVOLUTION". Polygon. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
- ^ Johnson, Daniel (2013-12-02). "Six ways to make money playing video games". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
- ^ Lastowka, Greg (2013-05-17). "All Your Nintendo Let's Plays Are Belong To Nintendo?". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2013-05-17.
- ^ Gera, Emily (2013-05-16). "Nintendo claims ad revenue on user-generated YouTube videos". Polygon. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
- ^ Futter, Mike (2013-06-25). "Ubisoft Leaves Door Open For YouTube 'Let's Play' Monetization". Game Informer. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
- ^ Groen, Andrew (2013-05-16). "Nintendo grabs money, control from fans promoting its games on Youtube". Penny Arcade Reports. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
- ^ Rigney, Ryan (2013-10-21). "Want to Sell Your Game? Don't Tick Off YouTubers". Wired. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
External links
- The Let's Play Archive
- Something Awful Let's Play subforum
- Let's Play Forum
- Let's play database and community
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