33 - Why I like to watch other people play games

Today I was reminded that one of my personal favorite video games of all time, Chrono Trigger was made in 1995. 23 years have passed since then and I can still remember the day I got it. I couldn’t tell you what I did on a lot of days but I can tell you what I did that day. I had to go to the dentist.
I can still see a 13/14 year old me sitting in the dentist chair waiting for the doctor to come in while reading the instruction booklet that contained the basic instructions, some other basics about the game world, and a bunch of cool art. I spent countless hours leveling my characters up to ** (double stars was the highest level) and endlessly replaying the game on the New Game + setting.
While I was thinking about all of this I started to think about my most recent experiences with Chrono Trigger. The first, I plugged in our old SNES to my 55 inch television and played some Chrono Trigger with my son, who was four at the time. The other, is watching speed runners named Puwexil and Essentia, blow through the game in ~3 hours. Then I thought, wow those two things are actually very similar. I was enjoying Chrono Trigger with others my son and these two people I did not know in real life, but the effect was the same. It brought me right back to being a kid again loving Chrono Trigger.
My mother asked me in the last year “Why do you like watching people play video games, why not play them yourself?” The thing is I do play video games myself...all the time. I explained to her that it was the ease of being able to sit down for 20-30 minute or 4 hours depending on the event and just enjoy the game. As someone with two kids, a full time job, and a loving wife I cannot always sit down in front of the TV for 6 hours like I might have when I was younger.
Now though, the more I think about it, it's not really “watching” someone play a game, it is being with other people taking part in the gameplay experience. Watching someone play a game I know well, like Chrono Trigger, would not be the same without their commentary and knowledge. I get to experience something that I really like and learn something about it at the same time. Not only am I being entertained and educated but I am doing it with other people.
I remember fondly the days when my best friend and I would get together and play JRPGS. One of us would be controlling the characters while the other was talking and playing along. At the time it seemed very natural, playing video games gave us something to do together that was both engaging and did not require us to continually find new things to talk about. I do not get days like that anymore, except maybe with my wife and kids and that’s OK. But what I can do, is tune into someone on twitch or YouTube and easily slip back into those worlds that I lived in as a kid.

Gone are the days of multiple 12 hour “World of Warcraft” sessions with my wife. But I can watch someone run Final Fantasy 6 while I clean the house. I may not have the latest version of Zelda, but I can watch and enjoy others playing it, while my kids do homework.
I enjoy the social aspect of gaming as I except most people do. They use gaming as a way to relax, vent frustration, release pent up energy, and communicate with people. I find that watching someone else play and enjoy a game that I love is just as satisfying as playing it myself.