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Reader Discussion: Is Watching Full Playthroughs Of New Games Fun?
YouTube personalities make their livings playing games and adding their colorful commentary. The Game Informer crew also joins in the fun by playing through older games, from good to bad, in their entirety on Super Replay. Unlike our Super Replays of generations-old titles, we see more and more YouTube and Twitch users publishing their complete, personal playthroughs of the latest games. In the case of South Park: The Stick of Truth, some YouTubers are playing through the game completely a week before its release. Is experiencing the game this way for the first time fun?
Continuing with South Park: The Stick of Truth as an example, it's a turn-based RPG with a new original story crafted by series creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Obviously, we here and Game Informer are huge believers in providing potential fans with previews of games leading up to release, but is it an anyone's best interest to post full playthroughs of a story-driven game online before release? Lifting all embargoes on multiplayer-focused games like the Titanfall beta is one thing, but a huge part of South Park's appeal is in the jokes and shocking moments. Won't these be spoiled?
That brings us to our question: Is watching a full playthrough of a story-driven game fun? Why do so may people do it? The reasons could range from saving money by simply watching it, impatience, or loyalty to a specific streamer or YouTuber. We want to know what you think.
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