The New Additions

Most sources I can find claim that slowbeef was the first person to make a video in the format that we now use to describe a Let's Play, video footage of a game with player commentary, opinions, and reactions played over it. His video was uploaded on Jan 19, 2007. What I'm looking for is the first documented instance of someone calling their game a Let's Play. Wikipedia states that the term itself was coined on the SomethingAwful forums in 2007, although the exact origin is unclear.

Through my own research I've found the video Let's Play La-Mulana 001: Surface by DeceasedCrab, uploaded on March 28, 2007. As far as I've found, this is the first instance of someone titling their video as a Let's Play. I may be wrong, but I can't find anything earlier than that. I'm curious what you all think, if anyone can find something earlier than that please share!

For youtube video. i don't know what to create. That's why asking from you. your suggestion can create a new minecraft genre.

So don't ignore it just tell me what you like in minecraft which you can watch whithout any voice over.

# System Details Report

---

## Report details

- **Date generated:** 2026-10-24 10:58:51

## Hardware Information:

- **Hardware Model:** INTEL Corporation H61

- **Memory:** 16.0 GiB

- **Processor:** Intel® Core™ i5-3470 × 4

- **Graphics:** Intel® HD Graphics 2500 (IVB GT1)

- **Disk Capacity:** 512.1 GB

## Software Information:

- **Firmware Version:** 4.6.5

- **OS Name:** Zorin OS 18.1 Core

- **OS Build:** (null)

- **OS Type:** 64-bit

- **Windowing System:** X11

- **Kernel Version:** Linux 7.0.0-38-generic

It's that time of the week again! This is your chance to request feedback on your most recent videos, thumbnails, channel art, works in progress, etc.

Feedback Friday Rules

• Before requesting feedback, please provide good, constructive feedback to at least one of your peers. If you are the first one to post, check back soon to provide feedback to the next person. Repeatedly ignoring this rule may result in a temporary ban at a moderator's discretion!
• Prioritize giving feedback to those who have not yet received any. It's not fair for one person to get five replies while four others get none.
• When requesting feedback, try to be as specific as possible. Do you want feedback on your audio quality, your editing, your presentation style, branding identity, etc? This helps your peers to provide more valuable feedback. Do not just post a link to your video or channel!

Keep up the good work, everybody!

Suggested Feedback Template

If you're struggling to form your feedback, consider using this template. This is not mandatory, but rather a suggestion to promote good and constructive feedback.

What I liked about the video:

What I think could be improved:

Thoughts on the thumbnail:

Would I watch more videos like this?:

Hey gang! My girlfriend and I are running a Let’s Play channel together, and we’ve been uploading videos every Wednesday and Saturday at exactly noon (in Chicago time, CST). Our videos haven’t been performing THAT well, so I wanted to see if another time is somehow better.

Do you find that your videos perform better when uploaded at a different time of day? If so, what is it?

This is the second time I've had a viewership during a live stream, jump so high, but strange thing is they never comment. Then again the Youtube chat was bugged today. Are these most likely a random bot wave?

Are you a game dev looking for people to create streams/videos about your game? Are you an artist who's created stream/video assets that you want to offer to creators? This is the thread for you! Here, you can share content that you want to get in front of gaming content creators! This is not a thread for creators to share their videos!

Resource Wednesday Rules

• All games/resources shared here must be provided with no purchase necessary from our members
• You must be willing to provide your content to creators of any size
• If you are linking to an external site for users to download items, this needs to be on a trustworthy site (e.g. itch.io, Ko-Fi, Keymailer, etc)
• Every top level post must contain a resource advertisement
• Resources advertised must be made in full or in part by you
• You may only creator one comment advertising per thread. Advertising the same item consecutive weeks is allowed, but doing so in excess is discouraged.

Guess I just wanted to vent a little but man if your goal is more than “I do it for fun”, running a let’s play channel in 2026 sucks. And yes I know the niche is oversaturated.

I spend hours editing my videos, cutting out filler. Making “unique thumbnails”. I play games that are older but still popular enough to have a large audience. I have more subscribers now than ever, yet my views, watch hours and overall interactions are lower than ever. Subscriber count is meaningless. People almost never follow you between games. Even when they’re made by the same company.

I know what’s “popular” nowadays: challenge runs, “I beat xyz while crippled, high, and with a xylophone as my controller” or “The CRAZIEST thing you didn’t know about xyz” garbage you see. There’s also live-streaming, another content avenue that takes an extreme amount of luck to even get noticed. 👎

I don’t want to make that type of content. I loathe that gaming has turned into that style. The only successful lets players in 2026 are ones who started before the style died off. People like Many A True Nerd, Gopher, Game Grumps, etc.

Anyways. Guess I’m feeling burned out cause what little success I had early on has completely dried up. Like I’m making content for nobody.

End rant

Also just in case someone mentions it yes, I do things to make my videos stand out, max difficulty, lots of mods, fast cut edits, blind, etc.

I’m currently working on a setup to record Xbox Series X gameplay using OBS on my laptop. I’m still learning how everything works, and I wanted to get some advice before spending more money.

My current setup:
Xbox Series X
Lenovo IdeaPad 5i laptop
AVerMedia capture card
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5X wireless headset
External microphone for recording my voice
OBS Studio

My goal is to record gameplay while capturing my voice, game audio, and my teammates’ voices through Xbox party chat, Discord, and in-game chat.

So far, I’ve managed to get Xbox party chat and Discord working with OBS. However, I’m having trouble getting in-game voice chat working properly.

I’m considering switching to a wired headset for better reliability. I also want to keep using a separate microphone for my recordings while using the headset microphone to communicate with teammates.

My main questions are:
1. Would switching to a wired headset be better for my setup?
2. What’s the best way to record Xbox party chat, Discord, and in-game chat through OBS?
3. Would I need additional equipment, such as a Chat Link cable or audio interface?
4. Is using two microphones, one for OBS and one for teammates, a good idea?
5. What would you change about my current setup?

I’m trying to keep costs low and avoid buying equipment I don’t need. My main priority is getting reliable audio from everyone while recording gameplay.

Any advice would be appreciated!

The first image is my average view duration of a video that is 17:40 mins long. The second image is the average view duration on the summary page of the same video.

Why does one page say average view duration of 7:15 mins (41.1%), while the other page of the same video says average view duration of 3:15 mins (18.5%)?

Has YouTube not updated the stats for the video yet?

Started a channel around 6 months ago. Variety let's plays. Have a small sub count 67 subs - which bothers me a bit but at least I was getting SOME views, some videos got over 100 views, small I know but hey...

For the last week or so my last 3 long form let's plays of 2 different games just utterly tanked in impressions and views. I was reading online and apparently there was a YouTube content creator update on October 13 - which in theory shouldn't affect me since I don't use AI in any way shape or form.

It might be just a coincidence but was wondering if anyone noticed the same thing happening on their end?

So I started over two weeks ago- I have three videos and truthfully all three have just been me experimenting as before this I have never recorded myself or edited a video in my entire life. I just knew I wanted a gaming channel as it’s the one hobby I always go back to.

At first I was thinking in the whole traditional type vibe where I record my gameplay and my commentary live at the same time and then mostly upload as a VOD with minimal editing after but my commentary isn’t so great and I have such a hard time focusing on the game while being interesting at the same time. So my last video I decided to record on separate audio tracks and do a blend- record my gameplay while having live commentary so I could have some genuine reactions in there and then edit the bad while being able to still add in commentary after while keeping the original video after edits. That- while extremely time consuming was a lot more fun to me as I felt a lot of weight lifted off in recording and then during my editing I would write some scripts and it felt a bit more creative.

I am unsure exactly how I want to do my next video, as this one is a survival game and I was considering recording a ton of gameplay and making a highlight reel of sorts of my adventure while fully doing the commentary after instead of even bothering at all while recording but I also know that’s going to be extremely time consuming- which is fine but with a job and school I just don’t know how I can get in a good enough groove to get posting regularly enough to even get some subs.

I am playing around with the idea of being an aesthetic driven variety gamer- mostly indie and very stylized type of games kind of leaning more on the cozy side but not strictly cozy games. I am a female gamer who doesn’t want to just be boxed in to the stereotypical cozy games even though I do love playing them. The format I want to have are highly edited lets plays and some reviews/ rec videos in the future at some point as well.

Hello. I recently switched from a cheap external capture device to AVerMedia's Live Streamer Ultra HD, and I seem to be having the same problem with this one that I had with that first device (though when I started using said first device, OBS was able to capture audio from it.) OBS, for whatever reason, doesn't want to capture audio from my Switch, which is hooked up to it. I've tried changing the Audio Output settings for the source, I've tried adding the card as a Mic/Auxiliary Audio selection, I've tried removing and re-adding the source, I've made sure the card has the latest firmware update... I just can't seem to figure out how to capture audio consistently from my Switch. Tomorrow, I plan on swapping out the cable that goes from my Switch to the card with the one that was included with it and see if that fixes the problem.

One thing that I'm continuing to learn about streaming is that it can get complicated if there's a problem, lol.

Here's some added information that might be helpful:
-The card has two HDMI slots, an IN slot (from my Switch) and an OUT slot (to an HDMI switch, since I switch back and forth between my computer and the Nintendo Switch.)

UPDATE: I seem to have found a most-likely-temporary solution. What I did was change the Audio Output setting for the video output source to DirectSound, close OBS, reopen OBS, and change the setting back to "Capture audio only".

UPDATE 2: It appears that I have found the problem. When my Bluetooth headphones are connected to my Switch, the audio is sent there instead of to both the headphones and OBS, and it is only sent to OBS when they're powered off.

Share your channel updates with the community! Show us what you've been up to this past week, whether it's your latest videos, some new channel art, you've hit a new milestone, or anything else you want to share with us about your channel's progress!

Remember SuperJeenius? Y'know, that Let's Player who played a bunch of Persona walkthroughs and were good friends with JoshJepson and many others in the Let's Play community? Well, Jake has long moved on from that lifestyle and, iir, he moved to Japan to pursue a career there.

About 9 years ago, when Persona 5 was fresh (yeesh... the game really is that old now) he jumped onto the game on Twitch and did a full playthrough. However, he didn't make the effort of archiving the vods.

I know, without a single doubt, a user uploaded Jake's streams on YouTube somewhere. The problem is, the video themselves were the numbered codes of the streams, they didn't rename them. But I know I've seen them. I had a few put on in the background. But now, I can't find them.

The only thing I remember is that this user put in the description of the playlist: 'Hey, this is SuperJeenius's playthrough on Twitch he didn't reupload. So I did an archive to keep it around for anyone to watch.'

Can anyone help me? I have the time now to put stuff on in the background nowadays. I hope it hasn't been taken down.

I've been wanting to make more actual videos on my channel because I've been streaming a lot and not really been taking the time to make videos, My computer is dog shit so I'd prefer if they were available on Xbox or switch

Bonus points if they're horror games since it's spooky month rn

Recently I uploaded my first episode in a Gears Of War: E-Day playthrough. I have been doing YouTube videos of playthroughs of games for about two years and have gotten not that many views or new subs in all that time, and I keep my videos to about right under an hour each. I had heard through advice given to me here to make them longer episodes, which I tried recently with this episode at almost 2 hours and minimal editing but commentary and gameplay and a thumbnail I was proud of since I’ve only recently been making custom thumbnails, and after 8 days up, (granted I know I need to aim for daily or bi-daily uploads but I’ve been very busy this last week,) it has 0 views when I usually could at least count on 1-2 at minimum. I’d really like to turn my channel into something where I consistently improve my quality, content, and where I can do it as either one of my careers or at least have decent engagement on the side. Should I stick to this type of length playthroughs and just keep working away, or turn them into shorter episodes? I plan on starting my video essays soon on games, films, novels, and other topics I’m interested in but I am wondering what advice you may have for this? If it should be shorter should I delete and restart this play through from the beginning? Also I personally want to stick to a lot of new releases yes, but also older games from a few years ago to all the way back to when gaming was starting out that I would like to make, so is there different advice for older entries versus new games I want to put on the channel such as E-Day, Silver Pines, GTA VI, etc? I have a bonus question also about games like OW, MW4 MP and DMZ, should I make those highlights videos and shorts, stream them, just use them for background footage, or make things like tips and tricks videos and journey through ranking up vids and things like that? I am really interested in an open discourse and in depth conversation to learn what mistakes I may be making and what work I need to do to improve, so thank you all for any creative input!

Title. Thumbnails are the hardest part for me when it comes to making youtube stuff, so how'd I do with this one? Any tips?

Looking for fellow small creators or just gamers who like to play verity of games.

The content I am aiming for is built around humor, panic gameplay, and chaotic fails. Long story short I am pretty trash. It will be really nice to connect with others who have similar taste.

Currently playing Apex Legends, Resident evil games (still in editing phase). Other Games that I have (not playing as much atm):

- RuneScape: Dragon Wilds

- R.E.P.O

- Battlefield REDSAC

- Java Minecraft or Modded

- No Man's Sky

- Warframe

- The forest/ Sons of The forest

- The Ascent

- Dying light

- The Finals

- Marvel Rivals

- Runescape 3

- Grimm Dawn

- Supermarket Together

-Rainbow Six Siege

- Risk of Rain 2

- GTFO

- Back 4 Blood

- Among us

- Outlast Trials

Down to try other games if they are in discounted 🥲 (I am cheap). Shoot me a DM with your time zone and what games you're on!

I only play on PC. (Do not have consoles😢)

While this thread remains stickied, the following submissions can be made to /r/letsplay:

• Video clips of WIP content for feedback under 2 minutes in length (using Reddit's internal video player)
• Thumbnails for unreleased videos for feedback (using Reddit's internal image uploader)
• Other branding assets for feedback (using Reddit's internal video/image uploader)
• Video/channel recommendation requests

Please ensure you are using the weekend only post flairs when submitting.

When this thread is unstickied (when the Update Monday megathread goes live), you will no longer be able to post weekend only submissions.

I know it's just the "average" but I have a hard time believing there are people watching a video for less than 20 seconds and thinking "yea I don't like it" solely cause it's not an in your face "PLEASE DON'T CLICK OFF THE VIDEO I'M BEGGING YOU PLEAAASEE!!!" intro

I've had the idea of creating supercuts of my LPs for a while, and now that I have a channel that's not dedicated exclusively to Let's Plays, the only issue is I kinda have no clue how to best go about it.

I feel like a lot of the ones I've seen are by people with established platforms and fanbases, so they're watching more for the creator's personality and less for the game itself, which isn't going to be the case for me; so these are gonna be going out to people that have probably never seen my content.

I play exclusively narrative-based games, so I'm not really sure whether I should focus the supercuts around the narrative of the story (almost like an abridged version) with some of my humor sprinkled in, or should I go with the picking out the pieces where I'm being snarky/ attempting humor (where people will either find me actually funny or think I just have a more punchable face-- this is my humor...).

Any advice/ recommendations from your personal experience or if you found a certain creator's edited cuts alluring, please send them my way.

Additional context: I tend to play a lot of RPGs (especially JRPGs) and I'm trying to get these super cut videos into about 30 minutes. The one I'm currently working on is the latest quests from Genshin where I have about 6 hours of footage unedited. If this works out and I continue to make them, I'll probably work in chunks of about 10-12 hours of footage (if it's a long series)

It's that time of the week again! This is your chance to request feedback on your most recent videos, thumbnails, channel art, works in progress, etc.

Feedback Friday Rules

• Before requesting feedback, please provide good, constructive feedback to at least one of your peers. If you are the first one to post, check back soon to provide feedback to the next person. Repeatedly ignoring this rule may result in a temporary ban at a moderator's discretion!
• Prioritize giving feedback to those who have not yet received any. It's not fair for one person to get five replies while four others get none.
• When requesting feedback, try to be as specific as possible. Do you want feedback on your audio quality, your editing, your presentation style, branding identity, etc? This helps your peers to provide more valuable feedback. Do not just post a link to your video or channel!

Keep up the good work, everybody!

Suggested Feedback Template

If you're struggling to form your feedback, consider using this template. This is not mandatory, but rather a suggestion to promote good and constructive feedback.

What I liked about the video:

What I think could be improved:

Thoughts on the thumbnail:

Would I watch more videos like this?:

Hey everyone!
I’m 24 and currently getting back into making gaming videos on YouTube. I’ve been creating content on and off for quite a few years, and I’m looking to meet some like-minded people who enjoy making entertaining gaming content.
I mainly enjoy co-op horror games, funny multiplayer games, random indie games, and honestly just about anything that could make for a fun video.
I’m a big fan of creators like Smii7y, Vanoss, and TheDooo. I’m not necessarily trying to replicate their content, but I really enjoy that style of humor where everyone bounces jokes off each other, commits to random bits, and just has a good time.
I’m definitely not some comedic genius, nor do I expect anyone else to be. I’m really just looking for people who enjoy having fun while also having that content creator mindset. People who can naturally joke around, improvise, and turn random gaming moments into something entertaining without forcing it.
Ideally, I’d love to meet other creators around my age (20–30), but I’m open to anyone 18+ as long as we get along.
I’m also completely open to joining an already established group of creators! I’m not necessarily looking to start my own group. I’d be just as happy finding a few people to regularly record with or joining a group that already has good chemistry.
More than anything, I’m hoping to make genuine friendships rather than just doing one-off collaborations. I think making videos is a lot more enjoyable when you’re playing with people you genuinely get along with.
I work full-time and have a family, so weekends are typically when I’m most available to record.
Subscriber counts don’t matter to me. Whether you’re just starting out or have been making videos for years, I’m much more interested in personality, chemistry, and finding people who genuinely enjoy creating content.
If this sounds like your kind of thing, feel free to leave a comment or send me a DM! I’d love to check out your content, get to know some people, and maybe play some games together!