12-23-2007, 11:59 AM
Media Coverage talks to the X-Play co-host about some big changes for the show and the status of "gaming" network G4.
Through all the changes and programming turmoil TechTV has seen since its acquisition by Comcast and its rebranding as G4, one part of the schedule has remained remarkably consistent. X-Play (formerly Extended Play, and formerly Gamespot TV before that) is by far the longest-running video game-related program on American TV. The show's focus on brutally honest game reviews and oddball humor has kept it relatively well-respected in the eyes of gamers throughout its nearly ten-year tenure.
That's why it was somewhat surprising for the show to announce a major format change last week. On Jan. 14, 2008, X-Play will begin running five days a week, with gaming news coverage, tips and tricks, and other new content mixed in with the familiar base of reviews. The format change accompanies a promotion for co-host Adam Sessler, who has been named Managing Editor, Games Editorial for G4. I talked to Sessler about his new position, his new show, and a potentially new image for his network. Some interesting excerpts from our conversation:
On X-Play's new format
"This is the show I've always wanted to do. Obviously I'm very, very deep in games, and I find that many aspects of the industry that are newsworthy are very interesting to cover, and I'd like to get in the middle of it. I happen to like our show's perspective when it comes to reviewing games, and I think we can offer that exact same perspective as to events inside the industry.
"As you can see with a lot of stuff on the web, when things happen in the industry, there can be a kind of zero-sum reaction in terms of 'what does it mean' -- it's either an ultimate failure for the company or, 'Wow, they're going to dominate.' We'd like to get more nuance into the dialogue about what's happening in the industry."
On the when and how of the redesign
"About every three years this show does go through some sort of overhaul/reformulation, and this just felt like the right way to go, especially given how successful the industry has been in the last year and probably will be in the years to come. ... All three of the major consoles are out, and you're also seeing a more constant stream of quality product on the consoles. If we attempted to do this at the launch of the 360, when there was a bunch of games and then pretty much just nothing, as there was in the middle of this year, it would have been very, very difficult.
"I have to say, with whatever crystal ball that I have, that we're going to see a more consistent output of quality games in 2008. When you have stuff like Activision Blizzard being created, you have a lot more interest in how much money is being generated, especially for the California economy. That creates new information about the industry every day that's good fodder to talk about."
On the tone of the new show
"There's still going to be comedy. The tone of the show isn't going to be some grave, severe thing, because at the end of the day this is video games – we're not talking about science or something like that. There will definitely be comedy but it won't be at the expense of all the news and the more hardcore stuff and vice versa."
On G4's declining image as a 'gaming' network
"I think [the new X-Play format] will help demonstrate that gaming has been at the core of the network, despite the acquisition of other programming that might not be as directly game-related. ... I think [covering] games 24/7 would always be a little bit tough. You see other kind of genre-focused networks out there, they have to start rehashing and rehashing and rehashing. I'd just as soon see a network with a lot of fresh content that's not always consistent on one topic rather than the same three hours repeated ad nauseum.
"Putting X-Play on five days a week, so we're actually going to be relevant, I think is a pretty significant step to try to show that games are definitely a focus of the network, if not the focus of the network. I think that will do a lot. The other thing is, just because someone is really into video games doesn't mean they're not into other things. The network does attempt to serve myriad interests for people out there whose core interest might be video games."
On competition from Spike TV and shows like Geoff Keighley's Game Head
"I think one of the things we have in our favor is our longevity. By July 4 of next year, I'll have been hosting a show continually for ten years. I think the brand of X-Play has been well known. Geoff Keighley's a colleague of mine, and I like him a lot, but both of our shows definitely have a very different flavor and a different tone. I don't see them as so competitive as complementary. It's not like you'd watch one exclusively and wouldn't watch the other."
On being one of the more recognizable game journalists out there
"Sometimes I wish I didn't have to take on that odd responsibility, because I really admire a lot of my colleagues and I think they deserve the same level of credit. At the same time, in terms of being recognized on the street and stuff like that, if that was really an issue for me, I shouldn't have taken the job in the first place. Every so often I would just as soon not get recognized, but on the whole it's fine."
http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/featur...306/?biz=1
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Gotta say, I'm optimistic. X-play's always been borderline mediocre IMO, but back when it was Extended Play and wasn't so full of 'humor' it was excellent. The few times G4 has hosted special events and roundtables (which Adam lead) were also of a different tone, and something I could see working if expanded upon.
Through all the changes and programming turmoil TechTV has seen since its acquisition by Comcast and its rebranding as G4, one part of the schedule has remained remarkably consistent. X-Play (formerly Extended Play, and formerly Gamespot TV before that) is by far the longest-running video game-related program on American TV. The show's focus on brutally honest game reviews and oddball humor has kept it relatively well-respected in the eyes of gamers throughout its nearly ten-year tenure.
That's why it was somewhat surprising for the show to announce a major format change last week. On Jan. 14, 2008, X-Play will begin running five days a week, with gaming news coverage, tips and tricks, and other new content mixed in with the familiar base of reviews. The format change accompanies a promotion for co-host Adam Sessler, who has been named Managing Editor, Games Editorial for G4. I talked to Sessler about his new position, his new show, and a potentially new image for his network. Some interesting excerpts from our conversation:
On X-Play's new format
"This is the show I've always wanted to do. Obviously I'm very, very deep in games, and I find that many aspects of the industry that are newsworthy are very interesting to cover, and I'd like to get in the middle of it. I happen to like our show's perspective when it comes to reviewing games, and I think we can offer that exact same perspective as to events inside the industry.
"As you can see with a lot of stuff on the web, when things happen in the industry, there can be a kind of zero-sum reaction in terms of 'what does it mean' -- it's either an ultimate failure for the company or, 'Wow, they're going to dominate.' We'd like to get more nuance into the dialogue about what's happening in the industry."
On the when and how of the redesign
"About every three years this show does go through some sort of overhaul/reformulation, and this just felt like the right way to go, especially given how successful the industry has been in the last year and probably will be in the years to come. ... All three of the major consoles are out, and you're also seeing a more constant stream of quality product on the consoles. If we attempted to do this at the launch of the 360, when there was a bunch of games and then pretty much just nothing, as there was in the middle of this year, it would have been very, very difficult.
"I have to say, with whatever crystal ball that I have, that we're going to see a more consistent output of quality games in 2008. When you have stuff like Activision Blizzard being created, you have a lot more interest in how much money is being generated, especially for the California economy. That creates new information about the industry every day that's good fodder to talk about."
On the tone of the new show
"There's still going to be comedy. The tone of the show isn't going to be some grave, severe thing, because at the end of the day this is video games – we're not talking about science or something like that. There will definitely be comedy but it won't be at the expense of all the news and the more hardcore stuff and vice versa."
On G4's declining image as a 'gaming' network
"I think [the new X-Play format] will help demonstrate that gaming has been at the core of the network, despite the acquisition of other programming that might not be as directly game-related. ... I think [covering] games 24/7 would always be a little bit tough. You see other kind of genre-focused networks out there, they have to start rehashing and rehashing and rehashing. I'd just as soon see a network with a lot of fresh content that's not always consistent on one topic rather than the same three hours repeated ad nauseum.
"Putting X-Play on five days a week, so we're actually going to be relevant, I think is a pretty significant step to try to show that games are definitely a focus of the network, if not the focus of the network. I think that will do a lot. The other thing is, just because someone is really into video games doesn't mean they're not into other things. The network does attempt to serve myriad interests for people out there whose core interest might be video games."
On competition from Spike TV and shows like Geoff Keighley's Game Head
"I think one of the things we have in our favor is our longevity. By July 4 of next year, I'll have been hosting a show continually for ten years. I think the brand of X-Play has been well known. Geoff Keighley's a colleague of mine, and I like him a lot, but both of our shows definitely have a very different flavor and a different tone. I don't see them as so competitive as complementary. It's not like you'd watch one exclusively and wouldn't watch the other."
On being one of the more recognizable game journalists out there
"Sometimes I wish I didn't have to take on that odd responsibility, because I really admire a lot of my colleagues and I think they deserve the same level of credit. At the same time, in terms of being recognized on the street and stuff like that, if that was really an issue for me, I shouldn't have taken the job in the first place. Every so often I would just as soon not get recognized, but on the whole it's fine."
http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/featur...306/?biz=1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gotta say, I'm optimistic. X-play's always been borderline mediocre IMO, but back when it was Extended Play and wasn't so full of 'humor' it was excellent. The few times G4 has hosted special events and roundtables (which Adam lead) were also of a different tone, and something I could see working if expanded upon.