The Outer Limits

Journeys to the farthest reaches of interactive entertainment

- ALEX SPENCER

With all due respect to streamers, YouTubers and e-athletes, I've never really seen the appeal of watching other people play games. I've done my time in those trenches already, going round to the house of the first kid on our street to own a PlayStation; arguably, every career decision I've made since is a way of avoiding that happening again.

Then again, I wouldn't say I'm an especially big fan of sitting in silence while someone just talks at me, either. And yet live standup comedy is becoming an increasingly large part of my cultural diet. It's also, contrary to the mission statement of this column, a form of entertainment I specifically do not want to be interactive.