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On Videogaming TV Shows And Vitriol 69

Posted by simoniker from the load-up-on-the-phlegm dept.
Thanks to GameSpy for their 'Sole Food' editorial discussing the vitriol directed against videogame-themed television programs, or, more specifically, the game-themed digital cable/satellite channel G4. The writer laments: "You'd think that people that enjoy the gaming lifestyle would be all over the only channel dedicated to their passion. Sadly, that's not the case", and goes on to suggest "there's been an enormous amount of improvement" in the channel, and comment: "my favorite thing about [G4] is that it will bring new people into the [videogaming] fold." Are there any game-related TV shows, either on G4 or elsewhere, that you think are being done just right?
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On Videogaming TV Shows And Vitriol More

On Videogaming TV Shows And Vitriol

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  • XPlay on TechTV is good.

    • Re:XPlay (Score:3, Insightful)

      by BFedRec ( 257522 )
      I agree... I think it's got enough content to be good, and odd enough hosts to be enjoyable. I don't see myself watching videogaming TV all day everyday... but I think that a half hour of X-Play every couple days is JUUUUUST right, I don't need to be in the thick of the video game industry, but I'd like to keep up with the basics of what's out there, and XPlay does a pretty good job of that.

      CharlesP
    • Agreed. XPlay is an excellent show. The reviews are generally good and the hosts have enough personality that I enjoy hearing them talk about things. The interplay between them is also a lot of fun.
    • Yuh but they NEED to get Lauren Fielder back.
      They can keep Adam and Megan, with a little Kate Botello thrown in for good measure, but man, Lauren was way hot.
      Maybe even that sexy goth chick from MuchMusic/Fuse.
      Too bad that Gamespot stopped sponsoring them. (I still call it GamespotTV or even Extended Play sometimes.)
    • I too like Extended Play. And I prefer the original, less stupid name that doesn't sound like the result of a 4 hour brainstorming session between 7 marketing shitheads who wanted an "edgier" name for the show. I stopped watching it right around the time Kate left. Not because of her really, just because I moved and now I don't get TechTV anymore.

      The only problem I have with the show is that every once in a while, I would go to turn it on and TSS would be on instead. Inevitably, I would hear Leo say "perso
    • x-play [techtv.com] was much better when it was Extended Play. It was more about the games back then and I didn't have to listen to Adam and Morgan's moronic banter. I know Morgan has big ta-tas, but her voice is quite annoying and her and Adam don't have very good on-screen chemistry.
  • Yes, Its on TechTV.
    Yes, Its on at odd times, and they move it around a bit. Just set your TiVo.
    Yes, Its got a horrid announcer voice, just use your TiVo to skip it.
    Yes, Its got lots of inane banter, just use your TiVo to skip it.

    Whats left is about 12 minutes of great, objective, intelligent, wide-ranging game reviews.

    Steve
    • I'm not sure which episodes are the new ones, but the latest one appears to be it.
      4PM, 4:30PM, and 11PM (all times Eastern) Monday-Friday

      I usually just set my cable box to switch to the 4:30 and 11 shows, and it's usually the last thing I watch at nite (or if I can't sleep I'll watch Unscrewed, which comes on at 11:30).

  • G4 (Score:1)

    by magiluke ( 629097 )
    I used to be somewhat in to G4, I thought it was a pretty neat concept. But then it started to become pretty redundant and boring. They were constantly repeating the same shows over and over again and such.

    I don't know, maybe watching video games being played is just boring, especially if it is only segments; one after another.

    Besides, the information provided on the shows is borderline useless. If I wanted to know how to beat a certain game, I would think that it is just easier to look it up on the interne

    • As with you, I found a large portion of their programming to be boring and oft repeated, but found some good items as well. Filter, which is a top-10 list show, with different categories being ranked, is not too bad. Can give you good ideas for what game you might want next. Cinematech, showing the various CG movies and screenshots from various games, also can be interesting, as well as, again, give you ideas on what game you might next want to buy. Then there's Portal. It's a kind of Soap Opera, using

      • Re:G4 (Score:2, Informative)

        by HTH NE1 ( 675604 )
        Then there's Portal. It's a kind of Soap Opera, using just characters from the various MMORPGs as it's actors. It's ok at times, boring at others.

        I actually like Portal. I probably need exposure to more quality machinima, but I like how they use various MMORPGs to tell stories. The cheesiness of many of the stories are part of its charm, as well as their parodies of people and films, like Ringfellas:

        "I thought it was four rings, each with their own power. One ring to rule--"

        "No, you [bleep]! It's one

  • Here are my thoughts: (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Sheetrock ( 152993 ) on Wednesday October 29, 2003 @02:23AM (#7336039) Homepage Journal
    • Gaming is interactive; television is not. For most gamers, watching people play games is like watching people eat food. They're more interested in the participation.
    • Gamers don't really need a heads-up about what's new. They largely play sequels or the latest tired iteration of the first-person shooter/RTS genres, or whatever their favorite magazine tells them to get for their consoles. Reviews all lie anyway.
    • Gamers aren't going to bother sitting in front of a TV for hours when they can sit in front of a computer for hours. The biggest decision for many is whether to camp in a plane in BF1942 or bitch in the public forums.
    Game channels/shows don't succeed because even if they were firing on all cylinders the hardcore gamer is on the computer and nobody else really cares to watch them. It's the poker tournament dilemma with electronics.
  • I refuse to watch the channel that screwed Wil [salon.com].

  • PA (Score:4, Funny)

    by Kris_J ( 10111 ) on Wednesday October 29, 2003 @02:53AM (#7336098) Homepage Journal
    http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date=2003-05 -16&res=l
    we were standing in the LucasArts booth and Tycho was looking at Wrath and I was standing behind him listening to a conversation going on behind me. G4 was back there filming a little thing about KOTOR and some G4 Business guy was talking to some LucasArts Business guy.

    G4 Guy: So you guys will give us access to whatever we need right?

    LucasArst Guy: Oh sure, we love you guys. Who doesn't like G4?

    G4 Guy: Tell that to Valve they won't give us shit. I don't understand why so many game companies don't want to work with us I mean we are great. If you give us some content we'll show it over and over again.

    Gabe: HAHAHA! Uh...I was laughing at something I heard earlier.

    I think it's great that they use their lack of programing as a selling point. Anyway I thought it was a funny story. As for G4 I think it's alright. Every time I see it they are showing a program I've seen multiple times already and it's usually about a game I played when I was in Junior high.
  • Like G4, X-Play has more problems than this comments section can handle. Read my rant here. [robotstreetgang.com]
    • I think your rant was very well written and made some good observations, but I think you side-tracked a bit and missed what actually happened to the show. Primarily, I think you give Morgan Webb too little credit. You go off on her part in the show before you get back to Adam Sessler, who's case would actually show the core of the problem more than anything Morgan Webb could've done for the show.

      If you look at Adam Sessler alone, and then look at Morgan Webb (who often has insightful commentary, yet gets '

  • not gunna happen (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Inominate ( 412637 ) on Wednesday October 29, 2003 @04:49AM (#7336318)
    The gaming world is something that changes day by day. Through the internet, people are used to getting news and information hours after it's published, or finding info they need with google. Things move faster than most tv programming can keep up with.

    What is there really to put on any kind of 'gamer's tv' that isn't easier to get at through an internet connection?

    • Gameplay video is better on TV than what you get from an internet connection. I like it best when they show scenes of high and low points from a game. Most promotional movies you can download only show good parts.

      There was one game review I saw where it randomly crashed to the desktop, and more than once. You'd never get a movie of that over your connection.

      Ravi

  • The hosts and the reviewers (if you can even call them that) are trying too hard to be hip and actually excited about these games that they are reviewing.. so excited in fact it comes off as being really forced and annoying.. for another example of "annoying" check out any N-gage paper ad.


  • I be hatin' the editorial writing style of that GameSpy article! Peace!

    • The World Cyber Games had some kick ass gamer TV. I don't know what G4 shows, but WCG had video coverage of competitive Starcraft/Warcraft/Halo. The players were skilled, the audience was into it, the camera work was decent, the video quality (I as watching an Internet feed, though it's broadcast on Korea on TV) was not bad. I'll admit still not as physically compelling as meatspace sports, but good gamer TV.

      By the way if you like gamer tourament coverage you should definitely visit Team Sports Network [tsncentral.com]. Th
  • Look at the posts by the "g@merz" on Slashdot. Look at how they react to ANYTHING. "OMFG! U SUXOR! FAG!"

    This, on a board that is NOT purely a gamer board. Now, consider the effect of something that attracts only gamers - the result will be to concentrate the "g@merz" to the strength of Alien blood.

    I do not find it surprising that there is vitriol directed at a gaming channel. I find it surprising that anybody else is surprised.

    Nota Bene - I draw a clear distinction between "gamer" - "a person who plays g

  • Judgement Day is pretty good. If a game sucks, they tell you, man, WITH BELLS ON. No shame here, nosirree. Icons is cool, especially when they do old-school stuff like the history of Activision. Cheat would be more fun if I had some of the games they cover, and Filter's fun, even if the number one choice is always wrong. Mostly, G4 impresses me with its even-handedness. This is a network that has every reason to just be fanboy infomercials 24/7 and it isn't. If they neglect anything, it's PC gaming, and e

  • Time Commanders - a BBC show , pretty good (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Viol8 ( 599362 ) on Wednesday October 29, 2003 @08:51AM (#7336976) Homepage
    Theres a new BBC show called Time COmmanders that doesn't actually focus on video games but uses a game engine as a method to allow contestants to
    re-enact historic battles. The BBC don't have a page on it (figures , battle isn't politically correct so the vegan lentil eaters who do their
    web site wouldn't be seen dead writing about it) but there is a page run by the company who did the software:

    Total War [totalwar.com]
    • This is the greatest idea of all time.
      I've never gotten into rts games (mouse interface doesn't do it for me), but does it allow naval battles? It seems to me most of what I've read indicates strictly land-based combat.
      Oh, what I would pay for some innovative USian programming like this.
      • I think the software only allows land based roman/medieval battles at the moment. Rumour is that next season
        they'll have vehicles and guns too. Not sure about the sea stuff, probably to complex to implement properly at the moment (wind, waves etc).

  • Electric Playground (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Mechanik ( 104328 ) on Wednesday October 29, 2003 @10:22AM (#7337828) Homepage
    Not sure if I will be lynched for this (I have a friend working in the industry that hates the show), but I am very partial to Electric Playground [elecplay.com].

    The skits are usually funny (yes, sometimes they are dumb, especially in the older shows, but they've gotten a lot better), but more importantly, the reviews are no-holds barred. If they hate a game, they have no qualms about giving it a 2/10 and ripping the shit out of it point by point.


    Mechanik
  • Its like watching a network that had its shows written by IGN writers. Its really bad.

  • G4 Good And Bad (Score:2, Interesting)

    by crashdavis ( 69986 )
    When the average age of viewers is probably about 16 and the average age of the posters "hatin'" is probably about 13, what do you expect them to say? I never met a 13 yr old boy who liked things because he appreciated their potential.

    However, a lot of the criticisms are totally valid too for the current state of affairs.

    - Ronilyn on Pulse could be a blowup doll considering the mechanical way she reads the teleprompter.

    - Diane Mizota does a better job, and is hotter, but it is pretty clear she never tou
  • WHenever I put it on it always seems to be hosted by people who don't really care about games. Like that show with the two girls on the couch who just bs. They never seem to know what they're talking about. The problem is that the pretty faces that belong on TV are not hardcore gamers, and the hardcore gamers who really have good insight are goofy, geeky guys that no network exec would ever dream of putting in front of a camera.
  • If I'm flipping through my favorite channels and see 'pulse' I stop to check of Ronylyn and her breasts are on...

  • Is live television coverage of a Counterstrike tournament or something. The "camera people" can be people sitting at computers with video outputs and connected to HLTV, and they can have instant replays of cool kills at the end of the round. Imagine the color commentary:

    "Now, it looks like 1337_k1ll4r is going with the MP5 this round"
    "That's right Bob, he just didn't have enough money this round for the AWP."
    "Well, let's see how well he does with this weapon...Here comes pwnz0rz_j00 with an AK..."
    "Oo
  • When I first got digital cable, all I watched was G4, but then quickly migrated to VH1 Classic.

    Why? Some of the shows, like that one with the host and his digital avatar buddy(some show about MMORPHGs), are just plain unwatchable. Judgement day is okay, but a little too MTV-like. There just isn't enough programming on the channel though to keep me interested. You can only watch the same Pringles commercial(are they their only sponsor?) over and over and over again.

    Does anyone remember from several years a
  • ... were "Games Master" (all hail Patrick Moore!!) and "Bits".

    Each had their own certain class and style but have yet to be beaten over here.

  • G4... (Score:3, Informative)

    by CySurflex ( 564206 ) on Wednesday October 29, 2003 @05:36PM (#7342085)
    Let me preface this by saying I work at G4, in the Web Development department. (And I'm a regular Slashdotter)

    Here are some responses to some of the posts here:

    I would probably nominate Portal as the worst show on TV, on any channel in existence. Anyone have a worse one?

    I'd say Portal is an aquired taste - some people are fanatical fanboys of it, and some don't get it. There is a lot of good humor in it, it makes fun of itself and of the MMORPG game genre. If nothing else, it's unique and creative and there is nothing like it out there. Isn't that what people ask for when they say how bad modern TV is?

    Excuse my ignorance, but does G4 play trailers? If not, they should, and they should do it "en masse". Rather than downloading these big motha trailers off the net, I'd much rather see em on my television, at television quality. Trailer after trailer... that's what they should air.

    One of our shows, Cinematech [g4tv.com] is only trailers and game footage. Since this show doesn't have hosts, it's all about the editing of the footage - and the editor that works on this show is really talented.

    There just isn't enough programming on the channel though to keep me interested. You can only watch the same Pringles commercial(are they their only sponsor?) over and over and over again

    You must have watched the channel when we just launched. We had a very limited inventory of episodes to air from, and only a few sponsors have signed up. Things have changed significantly since then.

    Besides, the information provided on the shows is borderline useless. If I wanted to know how to beat a certain game, I would think that it is just easier to look it up on the internet instead of waiting until 7:30 to see it on the tv.

    Some of the shows are targetted more at the casual gamer, or even the wanna-be casual gamer. Being online over-exposes you to the hard-core gamer, but joe six-pack sitting at home playing Madden 2004 on his PS2 never heard of Slashdot or the Gamespys and the IGNs for that matter. And the proof for that is that our show CHEAT [g4tv.com] is one of the most popular shows, even though you can easily get cheats online.

  • You used to throw "Electronic Playground" into that mix before the show got bought by G4. All I have to say about G4 is they really need to stop being too frightened (or too cheap) to air the actual audio of games they are reviewing. I don't know how many times I've heard the exact same cheap techno-dance beats being played over the gameplay of Game X. It's called "fair use" folks.

    Extended Play/X-Play has its own charm... namely Adam and the staffers that back him up. These folks really do know what th
  • I used to watch G4, but towards the end I was just watching Cinematech and Electric Playground/Judgement Day once a week, and most of all, Starcade. Starcade has to be their best show, but they keep showing the same 5 episodes all the time. I know there weren't too many, but there were more than that. I stopped watching though. Why? Digital Cable is way, way, way too expensive, especially considering I still watch tv on my 1986 RCA. If Comcast didn't make me pay extra for TechTV (which has gone downhi
  • I think that in order to be more successful, they are going to have to get to all mediums. I still can't get G4 on satelite, and that prevents me from seeing it. The other gaming shows I watch just don't cover what I play. I play competitive games, and I follow the teams, events, and whole community. I listen to shoutcasts, and online radio stations. If I could get a television station to cover more of what I watch it would get more attention from me. I am just like many other people, I DO NOT PLAY CONSOL

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