I Spend More Time Watching Games Than Playing Them (and I’m Not Alone)

One of the realities of adulthood is that I don’t have the time to spend on games like I used to. Yet, some games have epic storylines that I’d like to experience. The solution is watching gaming videos while I do other stuff. I used to think I was weird for this, but it turns out I’m not.

Survey Shows Most Gamers Watch More Games Than They Play

A recent study suggests that gamers spend, on average, around 7.5 hours playing compared to 8.5 hours watching games. With so many great games around, why do these gamers spend more time watching than playing? As someone who finds himself watching games more than playing them, I can say there are several reasons.

Why I Like Watching Games

Have you ever sat on the couch and watched your friends play a game? Even if I’m not the one holding the controller, I still have something to look forward to. It’s that sense of camaraderie and fun you feel being with someone you know well. That same sort of vibe is what you get from watching the best video game creators. Aside from that sense of familiarity, there are some fringe benefits I get from watching games instead of playing them.

It’s Funnier

The very first thing that draws me to watching a game (or a channel that does gaming content) is how engaging the creator is. While some people might enjoy watching a game in silence, I find that regular commentary from the player is necessary, especially if the commentary is hilarious. Even “serious” games like Elden Ring are more fun when the streamer makes you laugh a lot.

It’s Quicker

Speaking of Elden Ring, have you ever played a game for several hours and found yourself stuck going over the same battle or sequence? For some gamers, this is a part of the game. The patterns and changes in the sequences are things to learn to get better. For some of us, though, it’s a headache to have to do the same missions again and again. It’s a lot less stressful when someone else is doing them. It’s also a lot less time-consuming, since you could just skip through the video to where the streamer completes that battle or sequence.

It’s Easier

Frustration is one of the biggest reasons I leave a game unfinished. I like to think I have a lot of patience for a video game, so little annoyances don’t bother me. But even so, some games are too difficult or frustrating for even me to get through. However, watching someone else struggle and improve can be entertaining. When I die in a game, it makes me sour, but when I see someone else fail at a game, it can be hilarious, depending on how the fail happened.

These Genres Are Better to Watch

I used to be able to take on long, grindy games because they would give me a lot of content to put my time into. However, while my interest in those games remains high, the time I can dedicate to them has now become quite limited. Streaming playthroughs of huge RPGs like Divinity: Original Sin or Pathfinder: Kingmaker is how I enjoy those games now.

Games that have multiple branching choices that take time to discover are great for streaming. I find myself watching a lot of Slay the Spire gameplay because each playthrough is unique. Additionally, watching streamers can give me ideas about new strategies to try when I get the time to actually play the game myself. The same goes for other roguelikes and roguelites. I have spent way too much time streaming Caves of Qud content.

While I love indie games, there’s just not enough time in the day to stream all the indie games I want to experience. As a result, I look at small gaming channels that play through these titles to gauge find the ones that catch my interest. I actually found a few (like Fields of Mistria and Europa) thanks to the content from those streamers.

That said, there is some gaming content that I just won’t watch, even though lots of other people do. MMORPGs like World of Warcraft have a huge audience, but I never really got into watching those types of games. It could just be because I find them much more fun to experience firsthand.

Speedrunners and eSports Are Also Fun

I got into watching speedruns from streamers a few years ago, and I have learned a lot about playing those games from the speedrunners. Even seeing a speedrunner complete a personal best for themself gives a rush of adrenaline for me. Speedrunning has a surprising number of leaderboards and categories across different games. I even watched someone speedrun The Curse of Monkey Island once, and that’s an adventure game!

I first got into watching eSports when I was an avid DotA player. I would tune into games during The International, and even follow some of the players on those teams. The International 2024 garnered 1.44 million peak viewers, showing that watching these games is still a huge part of the player base’s interest.

Between these two categories, I recommend speedrunners more. When they flub a run, they can just restart without worrying too much about it. However, if you’re invested in an eSport team and they end up on the back foot, you could be stuck watching them for a while, even though the game’s already decided.

Watching Games Can Be as Fun as Playing Them

Life is busy, and some of us just don’t have the time to do the gaming we want to. Instead of losing track of your favorite games, I suggest you just find a great streamer who you enjoy watching play those games. Some playthroughs last dozens of hours—like watching a Netflix series. If you want to keep up with your game franchises while not getting sucked into a game for hours, this might be the best tradeoff you have.