G4 Cancels Videogame Programming

[Sniper Team 4]

Wow...I stopped watching G4 long ago, before I even lost the channel on cable. The station started falling, and X-Play started started focusing less and less on game reviews and more and more on 'hype'. Their reviews were only two minutes long, and the episodes got to the point where you were lucky if you got two reviews in. When I found out Adam did his own show on the website, that was a shot in arm because it was him being him, like back in the days of Extended Play. Then he left and I was like, "Well, there's nothing left. Morgan barely reviews anything anymore," but I still check the website for stuff.

But this...this still makes me sad. I'll miss Morgan and I already miss Adam and I hope they can both find careers doing what they love. Still, to think that G4 would tear out the last pieces of what made their channel remotely interesting. The logic behind this decision. Man, I would have LOVED to be part of that discussion, just to see how they can justify it.

"Well, no one watches X-Play anymore anyway, so it's just dragging us down."
"Well yeah, that's because you changed the format and style of the show."
"That's because they needed to be more like the gossip and reality shows we're airing."
"Obviously not, because people aren't watching it."
"Exactly. No one watches it now, so let's just get rid of it."
"..."

 

[soren7550]

A shame this is happening. I actually liked G4, although I can admit it had been getting worse (despite the fact I never saw the TechTV days, came in much after that), but I don't loathe it. I used to watch Attack of the Show and X-Play a lot...until I started getting most of my information from the good old internet. After that I felt G4 became...I wouldn't use the word "obsolete", but I definitely stopped tuning in.

I think I feel worse for the people there. They had some genuine people who were really into games and tv and whatnot. Heck, the hosts of Attack of the Show at least always had good chemistry (at least back when Kevin and Olivia were there. Didn't watch too much when Candace came on the screen, but Allison Haslip was really good I think), even the guys who did the filming behind the cameras. I thoroughly enjoyed going on their website and listening to Feedback for almost an hour, or hearing Adam on his soapbox, making me appreciate what kind of person he really was. Heck, their Comic-con and E3 coverage were really good too!

I suppose we all knew this was coming once Adam and Kevin left (probably moreso for Adam than Kevin for most people, but I loved Kevin). G4 had a lot of potential, along with quite a lot of people willing to bring it out, but all things come to an end I guess. Hopefully whatever is coming next at least proves to be entertaining.

Pretty much this.

I met one of the guys from X-Play/AotS a year back, and he was a really nice and super dude. Wonder what's going to happen with him?

Also, weirdly enough, for the second time, the Escapist has made an article on a subject that I posted about on the forums not too long before the article went up [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.392290-G4-Canceling-X-Play-and-Attack-of-the-Show#15812397] (the first being the deviantArt user that was making a real life PokeDex a la field notes).

 

[Kyr Knightbane]

I stopped watching after Arena and Portal left. Those were two awesome shows. But G4 has finally sold out. I don't even know why they call themselves G4 anymore, They aren't about Games anymore. Maybe G3. Or how about Soulless sellout jerks?

Oh wait, thats taken.

 

[duchaked]

this would be a sad deal for a bit of gaming culture, tho apparently it hasn't been much of the gaming culture for a while now :/

 

[Zeraki]

Remember back in 2002-2005 when G4 was actually pretty awesome? Yeah... I miss those days. I guess now they can finally make the full transition to Spike TV Jr.

Adam Sessler, Tommy Tallarico, Victor Lucas... I miss those guys, especially Tommy.

 

[Zydrate]

It's been going downhill for years.

I want to ask "What now?" But we gamers get everything we need from site's like this. We don't need a television network.

 

[Pariahwulfen]

Ok I have to ask, WTF is G4? I know they were a channel but all I ever heard about them was that they played all that ninja stuff, I never knew they did anything with videogames.

This, please. I know G4 was a videogame related channel or something like that. But honestly, that's all I know. Where do they transmit it? Is it online only? Is it like HBO where you have to pay extra to get it?

I wouldn't mind checking it out at least for a while to either confirm how much it sucks or contradict people's opinions. I mean, all I have videogame related on my TV is...Spike TV. And it shouldn't even count!

When they were founded (early 2000s, I think), they were a channel dedicated completely to video games, and from my memory (perhaps somewhat nostalgia coated, dunno), a lot of the hosts of the various shows on that channel actually seemed genuinely interested in gaming. But after they merged with TechTV, they decided to become a "men's stuff" channel, which apparently meant cutting 90% of the video game related shows they had and replacing them with COPS, Cheaters, Ninja Warrior (not that I don't like Ninja Warrior), and random movies. They've since been dropped by a bunch of cable providers and no one really cares about them anymore. It's just sad to see the final nails in the coffin, I guess.

What little I saw before the hostile takeover of TechTV, made it seem that they were going after the MTV crowd, which turned me off to the channel almost entirely. It also saddened me greatly when they trashed TechTV, as that was my favorite channel at that point in time.

 

[Pariahwulfen]

Ok I have to ask, WTF is G4? I know they were a channel but all I ever heard about them was that they played all that ninja stuff, I never knew they did anything with videogames.

They used to be the nerd channel essentially several shows focused on games and the web such as shows like Screensaver, a do it yourself type of show for computers, Unscrewed, a late night talk show that focused on a lot on web stars and a few porn stars(same thing in most cases) as well as a few video game review shows other then X Play, plus they were the only channel other then Cartoon Network that regularly played anime.

Nono, that would be the final years of TechTV, and it was AWESOME!

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

Wait.

G4 still had gaming programming?

Oh well, the guys on Attack of the Show and Xplay will most likely get a job on a gaming website of some sort of or another, just you wait.

 

[Quaidis]

I can't wait for the week-long marathon of "Ow, My Balls!" on G4. You know that's where it's headed.

 

[r_Chance]

One less TV channel to watch. It's been a slow downward spiral, but it's still sad seeing the end...

 

[crazyrabbits]

It's official, G4 is no even attempting to act like they are not the Cops and Cheaters network.

Apparently, they're trying to make themselves appeal to the "modern man" a la Esquire/GQ.

That's really ironic. As a regular buyer of Esquire, I can attest that it's basically one step away from being Maxim itself. The only thing both those magazines still have going for it is the men's clothing advice and feature stories, and I don't see those translating over to this new station.

It truly is the end of an era.

 

[orangeapples]

So long all that remained of TechTV.

I remember watching AotS back when it was The Screen Savers and we actually learned things about computers and technology instead of "what's cool to buy". I enjoyed watching Arena and Cheat. Some of my favorite progams were Icons/Game Makers and Cinematech. Xplay was like their flagship, but slowly it had become their only ship.

they used to be something unique, but decided it was cheaper to air reruns of cops and cheaters, then they tried to make cops cool and relevant by making Campus PD and failed so hard.

Goodbye G4, you have an amazing history, as well as a horrible and unrespectable present.

 

[Bato]

When seeing this I had to go look up one of the older shows that was my favorite.
Portal! [http://www.youtube.com/user/EnterPortal/videos?sort=dd&flow=grid&view=0&page=1]
For anyone new that might click it, yeah it's cheesy but that's the beauty of it I think.

 

[MrBenSampson]

X-Play used to be my favourite show. Back in '03 and '04, tuning in for X-Play was a part of my daily routine. I've been watching it infrequently over the last few years, mainly because Blair gets on my nerves, but I still consider myself a fan. I was dissapointed when I learned that Adam left, but this news is depressing.

Back in '04, I got a copy of the X-Play Insider's Guide to Gaming, which I still flip through when I want a glimpse of what the show used to be. It has funny interviews with the cast and crew, as well as plenty of reviews of the games that released around that time.

Spoiler

 

[dyre]

Ok I have to ask, WTF is G4? I know they were a channel but all I ever heard about them was that they played all that ninja stuff, I never knew they did anything with videogames.

This, please. I know G4 was a videogame related channel or something like that. But honestly, that's all I know. Where do they transmit it? Is it online only? Is it like HBO where you have to pay extra to get it?

I wouldn't mind checking it out at least for a while to either confirm how much it sucks or contradict people's opinions. I mean, all I have videogame related on my TV is...Spike TV. And it shouldn't even count!

When they were founded (early 2000s, I think), they were a channel dedicated completely to video games, and from my memory (perhaps somewhat nostalgia coated, dunno), a lot of the hosts of the various shows on that channel actually seemed genuinely interested in gaming. But after they merged with TechTV, they decided to become a "men's stuff" channel, which apparently meant cutting 90% of the video game related shows they had and replacing them with COPS, Cheaters, Ninja Warrior (not that I don't like Ninja Warrior), and random movies. They've since been dropped by a bunch of cable providers and no one really cares about them anymore. It's just sad to see the final nails in the coffin, I guess.

What little I saw before the hostile takeover of TechTV, made it seem that they were going after the MTV crowd, which turned me off to the channel almost entirely. It also saddened me greatly when they trashed TechTV, as that was my favorite channel at that point in time.

I may be getting the two mixed up. At the time I had just started playing video games (a bit late to the party, yes), so I didn't watch too much of it anyway.

 

[BodomBeachChild]

Watched so much G4 during summer in high school. Cinematech was my favorite. Sadly, they followed the industry they covered, and decided to go down the tubes. At least I'll get to watch you be buried.

 

[Sylveria]

After a long fight against mediocrity, G4 will succumb and die in December of 2012.

It really has been said to see G4 turn in to what it is. It had so much potential when it started.

 

[Yostbeef]

I use to love the lineup back in the day when I was struggling through puberty.The same 4-5 shows looping 24/7,Judgment Day being my favorite.I never really watched AOTS or X-play,their attempts at comedy always annoyed me and was a big turnoff for me.I stopped watching it so many years ago but alas RIP G4,thanks for the memories.

 

[lord.jeff]

G4TV is what introduced me to the escapist due to Yahtzee's reviews being played on XPlay.