Is watching someone play the game the same as playing a game myself, absolutely not.

Can I get satisfaction and an understanding of a game I know I never would’ve played otherwise, yes.

I’m not going to put in enough hours to make it through difficult games like dark souls or Hollow Knight. But I’ll put a walkthrough on while I do work or chores so I can experience those games in some way.

I’m all for it, but it scratches a different kind of itch than playing a game does.