Leftover pepperoni pizza, and something good to watch. That’s the perfect way to spend an evening! Tonight’s cinematic classic is Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon. I am on the part where Luigi is “ghost busting” his way through the abandoned clock tower. (Here’s a clip from my perspective.) It’s a good thing I wear a seatbelt because this story has kept me on the edge of my seat! (A little wheelchair humor.) 

Yes, my fellow Couch spuddies, I do realize that it is a video game. Still, it’s a great story! The animation is dated, but it still holds up, and I never had a NintendoDS, so it’s all new to me. (For more about my gaming background, read my article I Am Not A Gamer, But I Am A Replayer.)

Of course, I know all about the major streaming services: Hulu, Netflix, DisneyPlus, and so on. However, there’s one thing that stops me from having any of these services and their wondrous content… money. When you’re disabled like I am and living on a fixed income, you have to prioritize. I say to myself, “Do I buy groceries this week or buy another month of service to see Henry Cavill with his shirt off? Do I pay the power bill or watch baby Yoda swallow a frog whole?”

Yes, young spuds, even at level 45, adulting is hard!  

Since joining this community, though, my eyes have been wide with wonder at all these wonderful games and their stories. Most of them are, I’d venture to say, far superior to what Hollywood has offered lately. And my way of seeing all these things is through playthroughs: people who are streaming their gameplay on Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook. There’s great content whether it’s a playthrough with the player’s commentary or just a video of someone playing the game without commentary.

So far, my favorite playthroughs have been in these games:

Uncharted 1 and 2 – There’s a live-action film coming soon for Uncharted, though, personally, I think the games themselves would make great films! Here’s one of many available on YouTube with no commentary:

Kena: Bridge of Spirits – I love everything about this game! The world is so colorful and immersive, even in the dark moments. Kena is a very strong and, at times, a fierce young girl who fights corrupted spirits in order to set them free with the help of some little friends known as Rot. THEY ARE SO STINKING CUTE! Special thanks to Dan Morris of Deadpan Gaming for sharing his commentary-free playthrough playlist here:

Unravel – I love this game because it has the feel of a Pixar film and it has yarn! Check out this playthrough on YouTube:

In addition to playthroughs, I have seen a ton of creator content within our Couch Soup community. Those streams have kept me laughing on those days when I need it! Here are some of my favorite moments over the last year:

“I’m on fire” from the Chaos Crew:

“Worst Pirates: Dan & Brandy Play Dead Space” from Deadpan Gaming:

“First time in Dead Space! (Spoiler: IT’S TERRIFYING!)” from Pagan Plays:

Well, my spuddies, I hope my story and these samples show you that watching playthroughs and other creator content can be a great alternative to what’s on TV.  

Have you found yourself watching people play games instead of binge-watching the latest HBO Max series? What game or content channels would you suggest I add to my playlist?