This is on the heels of Adam Sessler's and Kevin Periera's departures from the so-called-titular gaming cable channel known as G4. The 4 G's stand for Games, Gear, Gadgets and Gigabytes, BTW.
Now, I don't watch G4. Used to watch it a bit years ago but now I stay the hell away. I'm not even a TV person anymore. I leave the TV on Speed Channel and listen to it as I work. But I still have some pity on G4 since I'm a "gamer" and so is G4.
The main problem I have with G4 is that I always felt like it insulted my intelligence. Whatever original programming that station has consists of a bunch of gloating airheads who use dumb catchphrases like "fus-do-rah" or "the cake is a lie" or "epic fail." And they oogle over models at Comic-Con (yes, I'm talking about Olivia Munn and the "Olivia's Rack" segment). And then they air reruns of Cops, Cheaters, and The Man Show. Literally, I just checked G4's schedule for the next six hours and there's X-Play, Revenge of the Show, and 3 hours worth of Cops. That's all you got???
I'm sorry, but I'm not a toolbag. Not all of us are energy drink hopped-up nerds who sit around in our underwear playing World of Warcraft or Xbox Live 10 hours a day. Gimme a break. Even though I found Adam Sessler irritating in the past, at least the dude knew his stuff and brought some new ideas to the table. He made you think a little.
Yes, Adam, you may be a bastard, but at least you're a magnificent bastard. Like me.
Browsing through sites like Kotaku, Reddit, and GameFAQs, I doubt I'm going to heavily invest in another "mainstream" gaming channel. But these are some common sense ideas I'm going to throw out a
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1. Ditch Cops, Cheaters, The Man Show, etc. Literally, I just checked the channel's lineup for the next six hours and it was all Cops, all the time. This is a gaming channel, not Spike TV. Try to focus in on shows that have to do with gaming and technology, not dudes running around with guns or women. Also, no more juvenile jokes like "Revenge of the Kha'ak" from X-Play a few years ago. Yes, this is real. And yes, the "kha'ak" was blurred out.
If I wanted to watch crap on TV, I'd sit through a To Catch A Predator marathon. It's got cops, girls, and controversy...it's got it all.
2. Channel the old TechTV/early G4. Bring back some decent shows like Icons. Documentaries help! We want shows that are both educational, fun, and not idiotic. Even if the show is old, at least try to keep it interesting. Like Angry Video Game Nerd--it's meant to be informative as well as entertaining in the long run. But here's some an episode of Icons you should like:
Wow, Yu Suzuki on cable TV. It's a miracle.
Holy cow, Yuji Naka's got some nice wheels (Lotus Elise).
3. There are three things that many websites/news channels focus on--News, Opinions, and Fan Stuff. Focus on this. There needs to be more "radio-esque" shows. Have one or a roundtable of pundits report the news, take in some calls, give out some fan polls, make it feel like we're getting involved in the process. Even if they dish out game reviews, allow some fans to offer a counter-opinion so the hosts don't develop this superiority complex. Sites like GameSpot, Kotaku, and Joystiq get gamer feedback all the time--why can G4TV air some of their feedback too?
4. You can't cover ALL gaming with just one or two shows. Gaming is such a BIG thing so you gotta break it down into many pieces. How about some shows that are dedicated to specific aspects of gaming? How about a show on FPSes. Another on RTSes. Another on MMO's. Another on RPG's. Another on sports games. Another on--dare I say--racing games! Throw out some news, a few reviews, get some fan involvement in there. Also throw in some shows on gaming hardware, computers, new gadgets, etc. Revenge of the Show doesn't count. Air a new episode at least once a week, even if it's just for 30 minutes. Get gamers of ALL interests involved. Show 'em some love.
5. Channel some of the more successful online brands that have sprouted up recently. Like Giant Bomb. Or Machinima. Or Mega64/Rooster Teeth. They've put out some clever stuff. There's a reason why people are browsing them more than your channel. Like check out these YouTube vids--they're pretty interesting:
Warning: Bad language.
Dumbass kids on Xbox Live
Stuff about Black Ops
6. Gaming competition shows. Holy cow--who would've thunk it? Isn't gaming about competing against other people??? Get some MLG, EVO, or CPL coverage in here. These events go on all the time. Seriously, I have a friend at FIEA who watches Starcraft 2 competitive streams all day. Or if the pro circuit is too heavy for you, make a casual gaming show like the old Button Mashing on GameSpot.
Button Mashing aired back in GameSpot's Jeff Gerstmann/Alex Navarro days (before Giant Bomb). Basically, three people near the GameSpot offices came in for three rounds of competition. First round--go through three console games and accomplish menial tasks like "kill 2 guys on Mega Man" or "get in a car in Grand Theft Auto" as quick as possible. Fastest 2 players go to the next round where they try to identify a bunch of games from a bunch of spliced game clips. The player with more correct answers goes to the final round where they challenge one of three GameSpot editors at their favorite game (i.e. Tecmo Super Bowl, Guitar Hero, Street Fighter II). Beat the editor and you win some GameSpot swag. Lose and you go home with just the GameSpot t-shirt. Still a fun, simple idea that wouldn't take much effort to produce.
EDIT: There was once an old G4TV show called "Arena" which featured LAN events between teams of gamers. It aired from '02 to '04. Don't know why they canned it but that's G4 for you. Making room for more Cops reruns.
7. Do your convention event/interview footage. Like E3, Comic-Com, Blizz-Con, GDC, whatever. But be rational report the news. Talk with big shots like Gabe Newell or Cliff Bleszinski. EDIT: Try to get interviews with Japanese guys too--yes, do the translator interviews with guys like Miyamoto or Inafune. Then you can gloat but don't act like nerds. Seriously, if you didn't get the memo by now--act like men, not like geeks with the mentality "I am nerd, hear me roar." Avoid phrases like "noob" or "epic fail."
8. Bring in a show that contains nothing but user-created & submitted content off of YouTube. Like some Super Mario Bros. movies, a gaming speedrun, a Minecraft creation, or a funny glitch. Just some cool stuff for us to watch. But no YouTube Poops, just say no.
9. No more Bit Monkeys. The concept is okay but the humor is so juvenile...guys calling each other douchebags and hitting each other in the head with bats. A missed opportunity. This coming from a guy who's a game programmer who longs for the games of the 80's/90's.
10. AND ESPECIALLY NO AWARDS SHOW LIKE THE SPIKE VGA'S. HELL F***ING NO. If you want to do an awards show, don't blow it out with a bunch of self-gloating celebrities and other talking heads. You'll make gaming look bad.
11. Air the old Mario & Sonic Cartoons, but only at 1 am since they can be cringe-inducing for 20+ year olds to watch at times. And air The Wizard or some other vidya game movie like Super Mario Bros, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, etc. once a month. HA, scratch the movie part.
12. Follow these steps:
1. Make the Mass Effect cartoon a reality.
2. Get lots of viewers.
3. ???
4. PROFIT.
13. LAST DITCH EFFORT TO GET VIEWERS. BREAK GLASS ONLY IN CASE OF EMERGENCY. Air My Little Pony. I'm not a Brony but it will help you guys out, I swear. At least it's not The Man Show so I'll let it pass...reluctantly of course.
That's some EPIC WIN right there.
14. The Golden Rule: What will non-gamers think of our channel? Will they look at us like we're serious about games like any other everyday interest (cars, sports, food, travel, politics, etc.)? Or will they look at us like a bunch of morons caught up on a massive nerd-gasm orgy of crappy memes, Comic-Con cosplayers, and Mountain Dew? Think about it.
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That's the list, have fun and please don't "frag the messenger." If you do all these things, Adam may come back and you may restore some sanity to gamer culture. Now get working, G4, cause times are changin'.
