Do people like commentary in gameplay videos? Poll

I only watch gameplay video if i am about to buy / curious with the games, so no commentary needed

I often do, but I hate when they talk just because they are afraid of dead air. Can't stand empty blather.

Commentary for me.

For a game I might buy I won't watch too much so I don't ruin my own experience. It's good to hear the uploader's first impressions, even better if they've given the game a try before making a video so they can tell me a bit more about than I otherwise would have known.

If it's a game I already own then I might be watching for hints, tips, tactics etc. and if the uploader can tell me these then good! Of course, I can learn from just watching someone play something expertly but if they're telling me why they did or tried something it can help me get a better understanding of everything.

If it's a story driven game that I have already played myself or have no intention of playing it's sometimes fun to go along and share the experience of the player. Re-visiting epic moments or discovering them for the first time together and seeing their reaction. It kind of feels cosy and intimate (in a non sexual way :p)

I only look up instructional videos, such as someone demonstrating how to do something. My favorite such videos are ones where the person records gameplay and then later goes back in and adds commentary - explaining what they're doing, why they're doing something (or doing something a certain way), explaining their thought process at the time, and pointing out things that they could have done differently / better. The important part is that every bit of commentary should serve an instructional / illustrative purpose, rather than just talking for the sake of talking.

So I would vote for thoughtful commentary recorded over the gameplay video (after reviewing the gameplay video), rather than just a video in the corner of someone chatting while they play.

I just watch gameplay with commentary, but it's because I like the people and want to see their reactions and opinions about certain games. For me, gameplay without commentary is only useful when I'm stuck at a level or something, but even then the missing commentary would also help me knowing what exactly I have to do.

But for entertainment purposes I definitely need commentary. Be it from someone invested in the game who helps you immerse or someone who can have fun with a game and just talk about random stuff maybe relating to the game that's super interesting and fun to listen to.

I like commentary, but only a very, very selected few - No forced comedy, faked emotions (exaggerated scares, etc), or distracting/exaggerated commentary. Example of good commentary is John Wolfe (formerly known as Harshly Critical).

I guess it depends on the game

Depends why I'm there. Sometimes I want something funny.

Sometimes I just want to watch a game that I can't get hold of or don't enjoy playing, but want to see for the story -- like a lot of older games. Or those PS Vita ones I can't buy easily. Or I want a brief look at the gameplay to consider buying, so no commentary usually.

It's hard to find someone doing good commentary, but I prefer that for most games I watch. The reason is that I only look for games I won't play myself. I really like watching people play good horror games, for instance, because I'm too much of a wuss to ever play them myself. I also take a perverse pleasure in watching people do blind playthroughs of awful games, so if they're entertaining commentators, those are great. I hate it when people are really loud/obnoxious for the sake of it, and have a "recorder" personality, if that makes sense.

It's been years since I recorded any LPs, and I sadly didn't finish the one I wanted to (though I'd love to go back and do so.) It was for a game called Magi Nation, and what I did there was add annotations instead of a voice recording. The reason was that there weren't many (if any at all) playthroughs for it, and I wanted people to be able to enjoy it either way. Thus, they could leave the annotations on if they wanted commentary (some of which may have been amusing if my style of humor matched up, but also included a lot of facts/tips for the game), and they could turn them off if they just wanted a basic video to watch. The catch there is that some people might have trouble reading the annotations if other things are going on at the same time, so it's not a perfect solution, but it's what I did then.

I've actually been considering doing some blind recordings of really bad VNs to showcase why they don't work/storytelling flaws. My hesitation is that I don't know if people would enjoy my readings of the text. I also tend to get kind of loud when I get incredulous over stupid things that show up (which happens a LOT in these types of games) and I'm not sure how that'd go over; they're genuine reactions, but could be annoying. Can't please everyone, though, which is an important thing to keep in mind.

I hate commentary that covers to audio of the game. I hate even more when people place a small video feed of themselves in the gameplay video. I came to the video to see the game not the player. That is why all my playthrough videos have no commentary.

Well it depends on what I'm looking for. If I want to see what the game looks and plays like, no commentary. If I want a more in-depth analysis, commentary is good.