gaming Have you ever wanted to do an LP or have done one? (LetsPlay discussions)

[Gourgeist 262]

The title says it all. I've always wanted to do an LP so yesterday I started a series completely new to me Fire Emblem. Have any of you done a lets play or even been in a famous one? 

 

Here's my first attempts at it: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCdMR7P1oK8

 

What do you guys think?

I'm also looking for advice on how I should go about this and other tips.

 

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Favorite LPers or Gamers in general? 

 

I love Chugaaconroy and Darkspinesonic. Chugaa usually does Nintendo games and Darkspinesonic does.......well yeah sonic. 

[Guest]

Hello! I do a lot of video and have worked with video a lot in my time, one of the biggest tips I can offer to you is to get better equipment. I know it sounds "obvious", but a nicer microphone and recording software go a long way.

[jackleapp81 456]

I did a Let's Play once, but it turned out really cringe-worthy. I deleted the video shortly after I posted it. 

 

It's a shame, because I was really excited to do one, and I even had the whole "professional" LP set-up and with the facecam, the annotations, funny thumbnails, and everything. My commentary was seriously lacking though. I need to work on sounding a lot more natural and relaxed when I'm making videos. I get super nervous when I know the camera is rolling, and my dialogue suffers because of it.

 

I agree with Mist though, if you want more traffic on your channel, you should get some kickass audio equipment. The video set-up you have looks alright, but a nice microphone would go a long way in improving the experience. If you have some money to spare, go for the Blue Yeti mics. The audio is crystal clear.

Edited January 18, 2014 by jackleapp81

[Scootalove 10,692]

I wanted to do a Let's Play, but I never got the courage to actually go with it. I'd have to say that it is better to keep a script for commentaries, a microphone, and recording software to start off of course.

[Celtore 2,770]

I wanted to try doing a paper mario lets play back in high school. I bought this microphone from a liquidation store for $8.95 and planned to use free open source software for emulation, editing and screen recording. if I may quote Jurassic Park, "We spared no expense." The project never got off the ground, but perhaps that was for the best.

Edited January 18, 2014 by Celtore

[Moonlight 7,291]

My friend and I did a co-op let's play of different games ranging from Portal 2 to The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess. We were vulgar, rude, annoying, yet we also had subscribers. I deleted the channel though since I thought it was a waste of time. 

[Katana 298]

I thought about it ever since I saw that NVidia Shadowplay supported Twitch TV broadcasting. But I realized looking back on a long video I uploaded of Amnesia - it takes special personality to make it worthwhile to watch. You either have to be very good at the game, and make it worth watching on your own merits (Nanosuit Ninja, for instance) or you have to be especially bad, and funny in your failures. (OR, you can plan out your failures in a semi-scripted, amusing way)

 

[Forlong 1,726]

I'd love to do an LP of the Zelda games or Persona 4.

[LunarWave 106]

As above, get a better mic. Doesnt have to be some uber-pro stuff, just something decent. 

Cant say anything else, it was too painful to listen to it. 

 

I did some LP's and.. well it didnt turned out so good mostly because.. I'm too unfocused to do it longer than a few eps 

[Midnight Dragon 264]

I've wanted to do Let's Plays...never gotten to it though.

[Gourgeist 262]

Getting a mic will be a problem but it'll have to do for now

[Jackleberry 1,926]

Yeah I do Lets Plays, but at the moment I'm sort of unable to make/upload videos, since my laptop isn't exactly working right now.

 

Anyways, I started off with MInecraft (totally original, I know) a few months ago, then Mount & Blade: Warband, and now I'm focusing more on smaller indie games. You know, games that probably won't require me to make an entire 10+ episode playthrough of, since I usually tend to get bored kinda easily.

[Fox801 45]

HI ponies out here this is the Fox.

 

Yes I want to do a LP but my software do a stupid echo sound I still working why it does that only on my PC Games. But with my console games it work just fine. On till then I planning to do a LP on Little Big Planet 2 on till I fine out why it only echo on my PC Games.

 

That all fore know Fox Out!!

[Smarts 1,626]

I have always wanted to try doing a Let's Play, but unfortunately for me, recording equipment is a huge hassle. That's the only setback for me. I think I can provide okay commentary and I know I can play games well. I have always wanted to do one by myself though. I can't stand the thought of talking to someone else. 

[Golurk 468]

As someone whose been doing LPs on-and-off for a few years and just now got back into it, I can tell you that it's very fun once you get into it.

 

Having a good quality mic and capture card is very important. I myself use a Logitech headset and a Dazzle DVC 500 recorder. There are better things, but they're all ridiculously expensive. All told, my setup's valued at around $120. Having a good editing program is also important. Movie Maker will do the job, but you can do much cooler things with Pinnacle Studio or Sony Vegas.

 

I see you already have a capture card, but your mic quality could be better. Also, try waiting until no one is around or use a closed-off room for recording; background noises are terrible in something like this, and having other people talk in the background can be heavily distracting.

 

Overall, nice start, but you've still got a lot of room for improvement. 

[Smashboi7 12]

I would love to do a lets play I have even practiced editing videos but when I turn on fraps my computer just goes down I cant even run minecraft with fraps on

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,331]

When I first got a Youtube account in the summer of 2011, I did some lets plays because those were the main videos I watched at the time. They were terrible, some had a capture device, some were on an emulator and others were just done on a camcorder. I was new at this so I always had tech problems. I hadn't quite hit puberty yet so I sounded like a kid. Also it was unscripted so there would be moments where I wouldn't know what to say. I stopped due to my lack of interest in making them and just deleted all the videos since I found them embarrassing. 

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

I've actually been trying to gather some money so I can start a gaming channel. I used to do Let's Plays, but I didn't have the right equipment. I ended up taking the channel down. But now that I'm on my way to getting some new stuff and now that I know the tricks to the trade, I'm gonna start again.

[Apologies.MC 50]

I always wanted to do an LP on racing games cause I suck at them. My gig's lyrics, not driving on the opposite side of an interstate at 100 miles an hour while other cars assume I have the common sense to swerve.

[AquaFlash 29]

As everyone else has said in this thread, your top priority should be getting a better mic. Don't worry too much about your commentary as it will become better as you get more used to making videos.

 

I'm currently doing my first LP, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, and it amazes me at how much my commentary has improved since the first few videos. I still have a long way to go, but it is nice to see progress.

 

Here is the link to the playlist if anyone wants to check it out. I'd pick a more recent video in order to get a feel for my current quality. http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjjFhQN-kL4_gomWiXcPQIDAsaEkbkIUC

[TheMarkz0ne 962]

I did them back in 2008/2009 with a basic RCA capture card and a 20 dollar stand up logitech mike with windows movie maker HD patches...I don;t have time to do those anymore. 

[Mutemutt 773]

I thought about it. But that was a long, long time ago. I just kind of changed my mind at the time; some LP's were fun to watch but, the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like LPs weren't something that I would enjoy doing. Nope, it was then that I decided to just upload gameplay; it's low maintenance and still has some worth even if the average user doesn't watch it.

[SacredHooves 39]

I've wanted to do my own set of LP's based off games I've beaten and games I've never played.  *kicks PC* Sadly this thing here...doesn't live up to the power I need.  That and I would need a list of things required for a basic set up/sound control *shrugs* otherwise my gaming speaks for itself

[Leavinh 313]

I started a Persona 4 playthrough a couple weeks ago, but I haven't had time to update it due to schoolwork piling up and the fact that I currently have a cold. I'm going to try to record a couple parts tomorrow though.

 

It's my first LP, so it's a little rough, but I think it's pretty good for a first attempt so far.

 

http://youtu.be/Ldr8o6k8LTo

 

As for LP'ers I watch, my current favorites are Superjeenius, NintendoCapriSun (as well as The Runaway Guys), Josh Jepson, and StephenPlays.

[BreakingJesse 111]

I would do an LP, but I don't have the proper equipment. :c