If you have ever wondered how to create a good let’s play, then Nerdipop has you covered with some tips and advice on this latest trend of videos on YouTube. So launch your games and get your mic ready as we enter the world of let’s play videos.
First a little bit of history on let’s play’s. The term “let’s play” and the format it takes, was found on the “Something Awful” forums from user Michael Sawyer (better known under his alias ‘Slowbeef’). He is also credited for creating the first play through for the game ‘The Immortal’ .
1) Um, ah, uhhhh…
The use of “powerless terms” such as um’s, ahhhs, or uhhh’s, is a sure sign that you don’t know what you are doing with your let’s play and one of the biggest mistakes to make. For those moments when you’re trying to think of something clever to say, there are ways around this. One of them is to edit your video and your audio to remove those awkward uh’s. The other one is to write a script before recording your audio and mixing the audio with the footage you have and editing a compelling piece of information.
2) Edit your videos
This is something you need to learn as well. Sure I could upload my 1-hour recording of say Darkest Dungeon, but it would be boring as there are quite a few areas where I just stand still and nothing happens. We need to edit our footage down to a more manageable and more interesting length, especially cutting out parts where not much is happening and isn’t conductive to the story of the game. For example let’s say you need to go the bathroom or are just running around doing nothing interesting. There are tons of NLE (Non Linear Editors) out there, so look for one that fits your budget and your experience with working with NLE’s.
3) Be original
This is probably the biggest and most difficult thing to do in the world of let’s plays. Be original! Everyone wants to ride of the coat tails of success of Pewdiepie and honestly who can blame them, but with so many scare cam and fake screams in horror let’s play’s – it does get old fast. Fortunately there are some originals entries in the world of let’s play, for example include Ser Winter’s Rust let’s play in which he talks like a cave man in the open world let’s play. Another example is Rycon Roleplays Let’s Roleplay Outlast, in which he comments and role-plays one of the characters in the game, even including video diaries of him as the character in the videos.
4) Invest in decent gear (when you can afford it)
Let’s be honest here, let’s plays are difficult to break into, and it’s getting harder by the day. Also it’s difficult to make any money from it, so if you have to start out small with a second hand microphone, then do so, even if you have to borrow a mic from a friend. Don’t invest thousands of rands or dollars on audio equipment thinking you will be the next big thing on YouTube. Start out small and work your way up.
