Gamer Crushes: Because Sometimes, the Gaming Community is Just One Big Mutual Admiration Society...

I like the way you play...

Hey guys, it's another Fun Friday with me writing alone. I know, I know, I miss Player 2 as well but she flies back in this weekend! That's right, folks, the dark days of enduring my ridiculous rants are almost at an end. Get excited!

This past week, I've found myself watching a lot of video game vlogs on Youtube. As is to be expected, this has led to me developing a few new gamer crushes. Gamer crushes are characterized by a deep admiration for another gamer based on the way they play video games. Much like "Man Crushes" or "Nerd Crushes," they are often platonic in nature and are rooted in idolization rather than in any romantic feelings. It is this phenomenon that leads certain gaming streams and podcasts to become wildly popular. However, it isn't as if just any gamer who streams his play time online will be an instant internet celebrity. It takes certain skills to be "crush worthy," at least, in my book. 

Confidence

First and foremost, it takes confidence, and a lot of it. Gamers, by nature, tend to be very private people, so streaming their gameplay live for an audience of what could be potentially hundreds is going to take backbone. Not to mention, this is the internet you're exposing yourself to. It isn't exactly known for handling aspiring bloggers with kid gloves. Trust me, it takes a certain fearlessness to navigate this troll dungeon. Now, as far as confidence goes, 4Player Podcast has it in spades. They have, fromd what I've seen, one of the largest followings for their type of media. Yet, they easily manage the large number of fans as if it's second nature to them, never allowing their live stream chat to get too ridiculous (they have some excellent (and slightly infamous) moderators) or their community fans get to out of hand (well, there was that one fanfiction...). They also tackle many different types of games and aren't afraid to leave their comfort zone when it comes to genre. Seriously, they're the only people I think I'll ever have so much fun watching play with an Eyepet. These guys constituted my first major gamer crush and, while it's mostly faded now, they are still one of my favorite live streams to watch.

A Good Sense of Humor 

Look, I'll say this a clearly as I can. If you're playing a game live for an audience and your voice is dry and monotonous, you never laugh or even make an attempt at a joke, or you sound like you aren't enjoying yourself, you're doing it wrong! I want to hear a some humorous commentary during a game of CoD, not something that sounds like my grandfather talking about World War 2. One of my slightly more recent infatuations has been a Machinima contributer by the name of SeaNanners. He mainly plays first person shooter style games but has, on occasion, played such games as Mincraft (which I guess could be considered a first person shooter if your some type of bow and arrow vigilante creeper hunter...). Now his humor doesn't overbearing or obnoxious, as does the humor of some aspiring vloggers. Rather, it's easygoing and natural, as it should be when it comes to gaming. Believe me, people can tell when you've rehearsed a joke over and over.

A Sense of Mutual Discovery

There is a definite difference between an instructional walkthrough and a gaming stream. Most people don't want to watch you play through a game for the umpteenth time with perfect skill and precision. The best type of gaming video, in my opinion, is one where the viewer gets to watch the gamer stumble through a new game for the first time. The best example I can think of is my most recent gamer crush, Davidr64. He's known more for his streaming of MMORPGs like WoW, but recently has been taking up more unfamiliar games and playing through them live. It is in these new games that I think this guy really shines. For instance, he has begun playing Oblivion for the very first time and posting the videos up on Youtube as well as streaming live on Justin.tv. At no point do his videos feel contrived or presumptuous and even viewers such as myself, who have played Oblivion to death, are kept amused by his sense of wonder as the game unravels for him at random. Nothing is for certain, but I have a feeling I'll be following his updates for awhile.

What do you guys think? Do you have any serious Gamer Crushes at the moment? Let me know!