No Netflix, no cable, no television at all in my life. I read, listen to podcasts, and watch a lot of Youtube. A lot of times it’s just to have something on in the background that I don’t necessarily feel like paying strict attention to. And that’s where Let’s Plays come in.

For the uninitiated, an LP is where you watch someone else play a video game. This notion strikes some people as hilariously wrong. And I would be the first to say that sometimes it is. But stick with it long enough and you will find that there are a few content creators that are worth watching, if only for that background noise purpose most of the time.

Tex, the frontman for the Black Pants Legion, is not my favorite LPer–maybe third or fourth on my list–but he’s what I’m watching tonight, the same night that I got my invite code to lib.reviews. So he’s the one I’ll talk about first.

One of the good things about his channel is that he plays a LOT of Space Station 13, and is one of the few people who do it consistently and well. If you’re not familiar with SS13, you should be, and it’s worth checking out BPL just to get a sense of it.

Tex’s videos are slickly but minimally produced. A brief visual intro is provided, and then he just drops straight into an SS13 round or other game. SS13 and the other things he plays move slowly most of the time, and this allows him a lot of room for commentary on a wide range of topics. Which is good, because he’s smart and well-educated, especially on matters historical. While I don’t agree with him all the time (he’s from Texas, so how could I?), I find his viewpoint on many things congenial or at least interesting.

I say: Give him a shot, and see if he’s your cup o’ tea.