Quote Originally Posted by Bubba View Post
I'm currently enjoying watching Skyblade play through Pokemon Sun. He may have some pointers too

My Mass Effect Let's Play isn't really a Let's Play... it's basically just a diary with my insane ramblings

Looking forward to seeing yours!
I'm not sure I have the best advice. I mean, yeah, I have one going on, but it's still a huge learning experience for me. I'm trying to work on making it more engaging, but it's not easy. I'm glad people are still watching, though. Viewership has dropped off a lot.

A few things I can say:

Keep talking. People go to your content to see you. That's what makes it special (and, technically, it can be argued that it's what makes it transformative work and keeps it Fair Use). To this end, I recommend making a handful of talking points tangentially related to the game or your content. If you find your natural commentary slowly dying out, this gives you a fallback to keep the talking going.

Stay constant. Yes, you have other obligations, but as much as possible, try to keep the content coming out regularly. I failed abysmally at this (partially due to the fact I'm moving in two weeks, which I couldn't avoid, but also didn't account for well), and I think that drove my viewer count down quite a bit. An LP (especially a long LP) can be tricky enough to follow regularly as it is. Once someone stops watching, they might not pick it back up, so keep up enough content to keep them engaged.

Consider the pacing of your game. Persona 3, for example, is split between dungeon exploration and Social Link conversations. When playing by myself, I tend to do huge chunks of dungeon during a single night, in order to maximize my time talking and increase as many Social Links as a can. However, in an LP, this leads to very stilted episodes, with several in a row in the dungeon, and then several more with nothing but dialogue. So, consider how your game flows. If it's slower paced, take the time to explore topics and explain things, look for hidden details to point out to keep engagement up or (if you have editing skill) fast forward through truly dull or repetitive parts. If you have a game with multiple gameplay styles, either focus on balancing them all well, or skip ones which your viewers do not engage with as much. Similarly, if your game is incredibly action-heavy, don't hesitate to slow down a bit to talk to your audience, give a break, especially at the opening and closing, or when you have particular points to make (unless they're specifically about something you're demonstrating, obviously).

Pick something you love. If you are not enthused about the work, it is going to be very difficult to get anyone else enthused about it. People don't usually enjoy the content if the person making it isn't enjoying it. Don't try a challenge if you prefer to take things easier. Don't pick a game because it's popular if it's not to your taste.

Watch your time. I shoot for half hour segments myself. Going over or under your preferred estimate isn't too bad, but don't let yourself get carried away in a gaming session. Set a timer on your computer if you have to, or get used to checking the clock. Aiming for milestones can be good too, but sometimes you don't make progress at the rate you think you do. Or, you may be making them too short, and fail to make them long enough to be engaging or satisfying to your viewers. Pick a time scale, and make sure it works for you and your audience, and then stick to it as best you can.

Keep your audience engaged. Ask for feedback, ask questions about the game or particular sections you passed that they can answer in comments, etcetera. While I don't know how it affects the quality of the work, I will say that, in my experience, nothing makes this more fun for YOU than audience engagement. An LP isn't just you playing a game. It's slower, more staggered. If I was playing Pokémon Sun for myself, I'd have finished it long ago, and maybe played it differently. You're sacrificing a part of your gaming experience for this, and the social aspect is a big part of the reward for that sacrifice. The more you can keep them talking to you, the more you'll get out of it, and the less discouraged that you'll get because you'll know your viewership is there, and you're making people happy.

Plug Skyblade's Let's Plays in all your videos. Having connections to incredibly attractive and highly thought-of Let's Players is by no means required, but it certainly helps. And what better way to share that connection than by sharing the other LPer's works? Just include a quick "if you like my content, you may also enjoy Skyblade's works" and maybe a link in the description, and you'll do just fine.

Okay, maybe not that last one (seriously, if you're going to promote anyone, plug my friend Delzethin, he needs the help more than I do). But the rest of these should be decent advice. I've made a number of these mistakes throughout my Let's Plays, and I'm still making some of them. But I'm learning. And maybe I'm wrong about all of this, but this is just what seems to work well from what I've experienced, or other LPs that I've watched. I hope it helps. LPs are fun to watch, and if done right, they're fun to make, so everyone wins!

Remember, above all: These should be fun. For your audience, and for yourself. So have fun, okay?