REFOCUS: G4TV has committed to delivering exclusively “male friendly” content.
By Aaron Sanders, Diversions Editor
In 2002, the former president of Walt Disney Television and Television Animation designed a new television channel to compete with the successful gaming and technology channel of the time, TechTV. This new channel, named G4TV, would still appeal to the same “geek” demographic, but would simply be geared toward a more “MTV” style. The baby program launched a slew of gaming-oriented shows such as Arena (multi-player gaming competitions), Cheat! (tips and cheat codes for in-game use) and, most importantly, X-Play (painfully truthful videogame reviews). Three years later, the channel would adopt The Attack of the Show!, a show that reviews new technological items, popular web clips and pop culture, and previews videogames, movies and digital media. Unfortunately, as of October 26, 2012, G4TV has formally announced the cancellation of both X-Play and Attack of the Show!, the last surviving shows from G4TV’s early years.
While it is sad to see these two shows expire, the decision to go through with the cuts has been coming for a while now. Ever since founding hosts, including Olivia Munn and Kevin Pereira of The Attack of the Show! and Adam Sessler of X-Play, began leaving their respective shows, the fan response has been anything but approving.
Over the past four years or so, G4TV has made a huge push to transform itself into a Spike TV clone. The introduction of Bomb Patrol Afghanistan, Web Soup, Campus PD and Proving Ground (and let’s not forget those 8-hour blocks of Cops) indicates G4TV’s transition from “geek” channel to “man” channel.
G4TV has officially sold out. Without its trademark shows, G4TV leaves little for its gamer fan base. What was once a place for gamers to engross themselves in their unique culture has become a feeble moneymaking vehicle that panders to a “manly-man” audience. Gamers bid farewell to this once-glorious channel. The memories have been sweet and plentiful, but the time has come for the channel to disappear.
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