D&D 5E What is up with the popularity of watching other D&D groups play the game?

[twofalls]

I get to observe how other people are doing it - and I find that broadens my own approaches to gaming. Playing with the same people week after week may not actually be stifling, but it is limited in the sense that it doesn't reflect how other people are doing things in the wide world around us. Watching other people can do that if you find it useful.

Okay, that is a response I can understand, thank you.

 

[monsmord]

Grognard-in-denial here (53). I'm lukewarm on them. When they're "scripty" or "acted" (like Critical Role, an obviously well-produced show I just don't enjoy), it feels more like theater than play (and sometimes bad theater, and I won't name names here). When they're turn-the-camera-on-while-we-play, it feels more like I stumbled into someone's basement, and I'm "the new guy," not in on their jokes or interpersonal history. There's a sweet spot in the middle, and then it becomes more a question of whether I like the game they're running, and how it's run. Let's say it comes down to, "Would I want to be at that table?" I'm fussy, but I do enjoy a subset here and there. And sometimes I learn something; and I have a LOT of room for improvement as both a DM and player.

 

[Wolfram stout]

I watched, and enjoyed, about 6 episodes of Critical Role (Which is about 24 hours). They make a solid attempt to be entertaining. I have yet to find anything else that I can watch past 15-20 minutes.

It started with the younger generation watching E-Sports and play-through, I think. I know my son watched hours of both Minecraft and Fortnite plays.

At the end of the day, I don't think it is too different from watching sports. And while many might disagree, I think about my Mom who can't understand how/why my dad can watch 12-14 hours of college football every Saturday.

But to answer the OP's question, how most of these live plays get such a regular audience....No Clue. But to each his own, and if it grows the hobby, Awesome.

 

[twofalls]

And sometimes I learn something; and I have a LOT of room for improvement as both a DM and player.

Running games for decades, and that is ALWAYS true. In fact the older and the weaker my recall becomes, the poorer I become at running them.

 

[Charlaquin]

There are many reasons people might enjoy watching actual plays. For some people, it’s the closest they can get to actually playing D&D due to various circumstances preventing them from getting a group together. For others, it’s a way to experience D&D without the social pressure of playing with other people. For some, it’s just a way to get a sense of what this whole D&D thing is all about. Regardless of why someone starts watching it though, they usually stay for some combination of the story and characters, the players’ personalities, and the camaraderie of being part of the fandom. Same reason people get invested in any media, really. Either you like the story, you like creators/performers, you like the community, or some combination of those factors.

 

[twofalls]

But to each his own, and if it grows the hobby, Awesome.

That is a very good point.

 

[Charlaquin]

Personally, I’m not that into Critical Role - I’ve watched a fair bit of it, and I enjoy parts of it, but it just doesn’t hold my attention for the 3-4 hours an episode goes on for. But I absolutely love The Adventure Zone. It helps that it’s edited, unlike Critical Role, so there’s much less sitting through the meta-discussion. I enjoy it because the story is interesting, the characters are relatable, and the players are really funny guys, which makes the meta-game banter that does make it into the episodes very entertaining to listen to. It’s like a radio drama and a comedy podcast rolled into one.

 

[Oofta]

Grognard-in-denial here (53). I'm lukewarm on them. When they're "scripty" or "acted" (like Critical Role, an obviously well-produced show I just don't enjoy), it feels more like theater than play (and sometimes bad theater, and I won't name names here). When they're turn-the-camera-on-while-we-play, it feels more like I stumbled into someone's basement, and I'm "the new guy," not in on their jokes or interpersonal history. There's a sweet spot in the middle, and then it becomes more a question of whether I like the game they're running, and how it's run. Let's say it comes down to, "Would I want to be at that table?" I'm fussy, but I do enjoy a subset here and there. And sometimes I learn something; and I have a LOT of room for improvement as both a DM and player.

Whether you take them at their word or not, according to the people involved CR is not scripted in any way. On the other hand they are all voice actors and in a creative industry. Matt obviously has a lot prep time and support for the battle boards. The only time they feel like they're performing (to me) is when they're at cons. YMMV.

On the other hand, I don't watch a lot of things other people enjoy. Watching sports of any kind bores me to tears. On the other hand I enjoy live theater. To each their own.

 

[twofalls]

But I absolutely love The Adventure Zone. It helps that it’s edited, unlike Critical Role, so there’s much less sitting through the meta-discussion. I enjoy it because the story is interesting, the characters are relatable, and the players are really funny guys, which makes the meta-game banter that does make it into the episodes very entertaining to listen to. It’s like a radio drama and a comedy podcast rolled into one.

That's what crinkles my shorts on the whole thing, sitting there listening to inside jokes, the metagame, the banter that is meaningless to me as an observer, long dialogue that don't advance the story. It's one thing being the DM and actively listening to the players discuss stuff in the group's game, entirely a different thing to slog through the same mud in a game I'm not invested in. So I will look up and watch TAZ and see if that helps me get into watching other gamers.

 

[BRayne]

I mean it's basically mixing the narrative aspect of any show, movie, or novel with the sort of unpredictability of sports. Also in a way it's a two level narrative, one being the characters in the game, and the other being the players around the table, for example I've seen people describing watching Critical Role as feeling like you're Matt Mercer's younger sibling watching him and his friends play from the basement stairs.