A large part of my gaming experience growing up was watching my dad play (clobber?) various Zelda and Super Mario Bros. titles, and in time, I grew to really enjoy watching him play. Each playthrough was different, and it always fascinated me how his performance would change over time. With various Nintendo Power magazines in hand (I'm including the NES Atlas in that bunch), I'd lead my dad through labyrinths, secret areas, and more. Of course he'd occasionally get frustrated, but Darknuts suck for anyone, eh?

Honestly, that tradition began as far back as I can remember; my parents actually owned and played game consoles in the years before I was born. Much like other parents in the 80s, my folks were adept at Tetris, WordTris, and the many other derivatives (Super Tetris by Spectrum Holobyte is a notable example that actually got our family into fierce competition with one another), and my dad continued with adventure and role-playing games. I remember being incredibly proud when he let me play through the first few levels in Zelda for the NES and dumbfounding him by getting five hearts, the blue ring, and the white sword even before going into level 1. His mind was blown, and he made sure to praise me for being so ingenious. I never felt more proud at that point in my life - it was a bonding experience that sticks with me to this day.

But what about these days? What place does spectatorship have in single-player games? As one could expect, I adore watching people play games, and my latest fetish has been glitch runs, notably those in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. That game, with its rumors, lore, and glitches, including several beta quests left in the game, is chock full of replay value for speedrunners and glitchrunners alike. Glitchruns of that game are now in the five minute territory, and it's damn near impossible to find a 100% speedrun that follows the normal flow of the game - that is how broken Ocarina of Time is. Other games, including those without serious glitches, also delight me - I adore watching people play RPGs, especially, but what I really enjoy is trading off sections of games that are traditionally single-player. To some, this method of play is downright insulting, as they view single-player games as an experience that is meant to be personal. For heavy story-driven games, I can understand their side, but let's face it - many early games didn't have the budget or technical capacity to have engaging stories. Adventure games (the Zelda series is a repeated fantastic example) are modeled in such a way with their levels and labyrinths that trading levels is insanely easy and can contribute very well to two-player stamina. RPGs can be split similarly with various plot points and sidequests; Final Fantasy XII was an astounding example of this, and remains on the top of my most-played game list with well over 220 hours on my highest save. Some modern action RPGs, notably the Tales series by Namco, allow for input from multiple controllers, keeping as many as four players engaged in a story-driven setting. My hope is that that trend continues.

For me, video game playthroughs are akin to watching a TV show or movie; they're often in episodic form if the game is short enough (consider Spelunky runs episodic with this definition), and for longer titles, a person can get a solid block of hours watching, including cinematics (something like Metal Gear Solid IV, for instance). While this form of entertainment doesn't appeal to everyone, video recordings and streaming have made it available to the masses. As mentioned several times in the past, one of my favorite bored times activities is to open up Twitch and pick a random game and player and just check things out. Despite me not playing very many titles, I'm still inspired every so often to pick something up because of how cool playthroughs can be.

In the not-so-distant future, Saxxon and I will be collaborating on Final Fantasy X|X-2 HD Remaster, and I hope to continue the Tales of Symphonia and Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World HD Remaster with Bryan if we ever find time again. Kit and I are still slogging through Final Fantasy VI when we have time, and it sounds like Saxxon and I will also be picking up Final Fantasy VII in due time. Maybe Mr. Bond and I will even get Chrono Cross going again, who knows! Point being, social gaming with story-driven, traditionally single-player titles is something I truly enjoy, and while it doesn't resonate with everyone, it's an amazing source of relaxation for a socially-needy gamer.