LP guide for newbies

What follows is a basic guide for starting out in the world of LP.

What is an LP, anyway?
LP (short for "Let's Play") is the practice of recording oneself playing a video game and making a running commentary on it. There are two types of Let's Play: the Screenshot LP, and the Video LP.

An LP is not simply a series of videos of a person playing a video game without commentary. The commentary is what separates LP's from simple gameplay videos.

Selecting a Game
So, now you have decided to make an LP. The first thing you must do is decide what game to play. This is a tricky decision. If one were to ask twenty seasoned LP'ers what the best sorts of games to LP are, one would likely recieve twenty different answers.

Generally speaking, however, one should not LP games that have been over-exposed. Few people will be interested in watching you play Super Mario 64 because you have been preceeded by over a hundred other people, some of which are almost certain to be more entertaining than you.

In addition, one should avoid playing highly repetative video games, such as MMORPGs or others that involve lots of "grinding." Few people will be interested in watching you do the same thing over and over.

Recording Video
Q. What do I need to record games?

Before you begin, you are going to need software and hardware. If you are going to do console games, you will need to purchase a capture card with any additional equipment needed. A popular choice of capture card is the Dazzle DVC100, which suits most people that don't need to record in HD or simply want to start with something cheap. If you don't plan on doing console games, but rather PC games, then there is many software programs out there that does what you need. Here is a list: - Camtasia: This program can record either your entire screen or a select area of it. It is also very system-intensive and requires a fast computer to avoid slowdown. This is a paid program, but there is a trial version available

- CamStudio: This program can record either your entire screen or a select area of it. It very much like Camtasia but has a 2GB File Size limit on the recording files so for most people, this is not optimal.

- Fraps: This records high-quality video of 3D games. However, it is very system-intensive. A demo version is available for free, but it only records for 30 seconds and applies an unsightly watermark onto the video.

- Xfire: This is not just a video recorder but an all-in-one online gaming utility. It allows players to network with other gamers and gaming clans, record hours played, use a built-in web-browser without exiting a game, and much more. Oh, and it records video, too. It is completely free. Unfortunately, it uses its own video codec which is prone to bugging out inside of video editing programs. It also only works with a few hundred specific games.

- Wegame: This is a free download, but requires a paid upgrade to record high-definition video. The free version features no watermark, but only records in SD. For mysterious and baffling reasons, neither version can be used without an internet connection.

- ZD Soft Game Recorder: A simple video recorder that does not use up much processing power.

- Some emulators, such as Visual Boy Advance, feature a built-in video recording feature

'''Q. Alright, I found a recorder that suits my needs. What now?''' Now that you've found your recorder, you will likely want to get used to how it works. Various tutorials exist on the internet on how to get the best out of your chosen software. When you've gotten the software set up for optimal settings for your set up, you should begin recording.

Recording Audio
First of all, Keep a good distance from the microphone, usually good distance would be when you don't hear your own breathing. Move the microphone above or below to your mouth.

Next thing to find out is whether your video recording tool also records audio. A good piece of recording software is Audacity, since it is readily available to people for a free download. If so, go ahead and record. If not, and you are doing live commentary, move your speakers close to your microphone so that it picks up the audio. [[Category:Why would you tell people not to LP those games? Some of the more 'famues' LP'ers played them.(one of the most watched German LP'ers became 'known' with IWBTG and his most watched LP's are Mario games) I dont' think you know what you are doing. Just LP what ever you feel like.(I give him the point 'don't LP a game because it will make you 'popular' ', but just LP what you feel like and you be fine. Why are you reading this guide anyway? Its best to learn from mistakes, then to sit here and keep reading a boring wall of text.]]