In the first episode of the first season, Winter is Coming, three rangers come across a wildling camp killed by a White Walker. The walker then kills 2 of the rangers, but allows Gared to live.
In episode 10 of the second season, Valar Morghulis, Samwell Tarly sees an army of wights led by a White Walker. The walker spares (ignores) Samwell Tarly but attacks the camp at the Fist of First Men. (Also noteworthy is that some wights also pass Sam just before the White Walker on his horse does, and either don't see him or ignore him.)
The walkers clearly spared these two people because they could have overpowered and killed either.
From a tactical point of view, the walkers gain nothing by sparing anyone. They are better off killing the person and thereby recruiting the person into their undead army. And the downside is that the survivor can warn others who would then flee the walkers. The result is that the walkers have fewer people to recruit because many humans fled.
Is there an explanation for why the White Walkers sometimes spare somebody?
I prefer an answer from the books, but I will take one from the TV shows.
Answer
Three rangers in the Prologue of Game of Thrones were Will, Gared, and Waymar Royce. In the book Will was up a tree, hiding and watching:
“On your feet, Will,” Ser Waymar commanded. “There’s no one here. I won’t have you hiding under a bush.”
Reluctantly, Will obeyed.
Ser Waymar looked him over with open disapproval. “I am not going back to Castle Black a failure on my first ranging. We will find these men.” He glanced around. “Up the tree. Be quick about it. Look for a fire.” .
.
.
.
“Will, where are you?” Ser Waymar called up. “Can you see anything?” He was turning in a slow circle, suddenly wary, his sword in hand. He must have felt them, as Will felt them. There was nothing to see. “Answer me! Why is it so cold?”It was cold. Shivering, Will clung more tightly to his perch. His face pressed hard against the trunk of the sentinel. He could feel the sweet, sticky sap on his cheek.
His commander, Waymar Royce fought the white walkers and died:
Royce went to his knees, shrieking, and covered his eyes. Blood welled between his fingers.
The watchers moved forward together, as if some signal had been given. Swords rose and fell, all in a deathly silence. It was cold butchery.
When he finally came down Royce came back to "life" and killed him.
Will rose. Ser Waymar Royce stood over him.
His fine clothes were a tatter, his face a ruin. A shard from his sword transfixed the blind white pupil of his left eye.
The right eye was open. The pupil burned blue. It saw.
The broken sword fell from nerveless fingers. Will closed his eyes to pray. Long, elegant hands brushed his cheek, then tightened around his throat. They were gloved in the finest moleskin and sticky with blood, yet the touch was icy cold.
The third ranger, Gared, ran off before the white walkers showed up and was later seen south of the wall. The Starks did not take his talk about white walkers seriously and beheaded him for deserting the Night's Watch.
As for Sam, in Storm of Swords, chapter 18 (first Sam chapter, very close to the end) they are retreating from the Fist of the First Men and encounter a white walker:
And then he was stumbling forward, falling more than running, really, closing his eyes and shoving the dagger blindly out before him with both hands. He heard a crack, like the sound ice makes when it breaks beneath a man's foot, and then a screech so shrill and sharp that he went staggering backward with his hands over his muffled ears, and fell hard on his arse.
When he opened his eyes the Other's armor was running down its legs in rivulets as pale blue blood hissed and steamed around the black dragonglass dagger in his throat. It reached down with two bone white hands to pull out the knife, but where its fingers touched the obsidian they smoked.
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