"You're Welcome"

When I first heard that there was going to be a channel devoted entirely to video games I was ecstatic. There could be previews, reviews, debates, cartoons, the possibilities seemed endless.

I stuck up for G4 when they hired moderately attractive people that knew nothing about games. I defended G4 when they took over Tech TV. I held out hope that G4 would turn the corner and somehow manage to tap into the amazing passion and energy of the gaming culture.

G4 has failed.Turn on G4 and you are more likely to see an old Cops rerun or the show Cheaters, than a show about video games. On the video game channel. It would be like the Golf channel never showing anything about Golf. I am guessing that Golf enthusiasts would be a little perturbed.

At this point G4 is like the poor man’s version of Spike TV. G4 has about as much to do with video games as MTV does with music. Instead of seizing upon the enormous goodwill and passion that gamers have for their hobby, G4 has squandered it. I do not know of any serious gamer that looks at G4 as anything other than a joke. G4 has two somewhat decent video game shows, and as much as I enjoy a good International Sexy Lady or Ninjas, they are simply not enough.

The one redeeming part of G4 is they still show Arrested Development, which is not about video games at all, but is so amazing that it supersedes all other considerations.

There are only really 2 times a year where G4′s video game coverage really comes through for me, during San Diego Comic Con and E3. They are able to get live feeds from the show floors and I prefer watching the new game trailers on my television instead of on YouTube. They actually sit down and talk with the people that are making the games and the interviews are often interesting and insightful. It is these all too brief moments that demonstrate to me that G4 can appeal to the serious gamer without pandering to some stereotypical idea of what gamers like.

Our first step in fixing G4 is reestablishing their credibility. To do this we need a show that speaks directly from gamers to gamers. How about a show where you get a few game developers in a room and have them take online questions or quiz each other? Imagine David Jaffe discussing gameplay with Clifford Bleszinski. Then get the guys from Zipper and the guys from Bungie to talk about shooters with the guys from Infinity Ward. Every week you get another group together to talk about games. This show would cost about $12 to produce and would immediately reestablish G4 as a serious gamers channel.

Our next step in fixing G4 is simple and easy. In business, the most important thing is the people you have working for you. You can have the greatest idea or concept in the world, but if you don’t have the right people your idea or concept will never take off. G4 needs to bring on people that are more in touch with the games industry. There are countless editors from dozens of websites or magazines that would be amazing if only given the opportunity.

Don’t just hire some pretty face and have her read cue cards. Gamers are smart people. We can tell when you don’t really care and are just collecting a paycheck. A pretty face might draw people in for a moment, but if you don’t really know what you are talking about, they will turn away. If you actually know your stuff gamers will embrace you, regardless of the fact that you are not a super model. Gamers would rather hear their news from other gamers than vapid, wooden super models that have no real clue what they are talking about.

The next step is putting together some kind of video game centered, fictional show. This could be a cartoon or a live action sitcom, based around video games or gamers. For example, a show focused on a group of video game testers working for some monolithic corporation. How about a show that highlights the trials and tribulations of retired game characters. How much money would the Bayou Billy or Battletoads license cost? You could have the Battletoads and their roommate Bayou Billy trying to get real jobs or girlfriends or any number of things. The shows could even be short little 5-10 minutes long episodes that they sprinkle throughout the night. The possibilities are endless. I came up with these ideas while I was pretending to listen to someone talk about Pokemon. Imagine if someone was to take actual time and effort.

I believe in G4. I believe that it can be better, that if they just put forth the effort to connect with gamers they will be rewarded. Gamers want to like G4. They want a channel that they can connect with, that treats them and the games they play with respect. It seems so simple, and it saddens me that the suits don’t see it, that they are satisfied with mediocrity.

What do you think am I wrong is any channel devoted to video game destined to be defeated by video games themselves? Am I just living in a fantasy world where me and Captain America save television?

Tags: Battletoads, Bayou Billy, Captain America, Clifford Bleszinski, David Jaffe, g4tv, mainstream media, shows, tv

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 at 5:00 am and is filed under Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.