In a recent post here at 61fps, fellow blogger Bob Mackey dredged up from the pit of nostalgia GamePro TV. I am pretty darn sure I watched this when I was younger. I think there was another show even earlier in my childhood that reviewed games on the Nickelodeon network that I would watch. Looking back I wonder at how awful those shows were. More recently there were things like G4 which showed numerous programs aimed at the gamer audience. I don't think even the ones that continue to survive are what I would call great. Why do Video Game TV shows suck, and can they possibly be done in a way that's appealing?
For a preview/review show, I think the movie model should be followed. It seems that previous video game shows that did try were dragged down by attempting to appeal to twitchy children with short attention spans. They really suffer from the camp cringe factor. A straight, serious approach with some industry news tossed in might work.
Reality shows (ugh) are numerous these days. They're mostly tripe and trash but they are popular. A reality gamer show might actually be interesting. Heck, how about a sitcom starring three roommates, each a hopeless fan of a different console?
So far, the best “TV” for gamers is right here on the Internet, with the likes of Yahtzee and The Angry Video Game Nerd our soap stars. So, if you were a screen writer and wanted to do a TV show for video gamers, what would you do? Surely our ideas could be no worse.
Related Links:
The Angrey Video Game Nerd Says a Bad Word: Deadly Towers
Yahtzee on E3: Are We Gaming in an Age of Uncreativity?
Play It Again, Sam