The Internet has destroyed the need for a game-centric TV network in America. The tech-head and the gamer are two concepts that go together in the West, and no group is drifting further away from television than those who know their way around a keyboard.
On November 1, DirecTV announced that they would no longer be carrying G4, a network that has billed itself as “TV for gamers” since it first launched in 2002. If DirecTV gives a station the boot, it usually means it will soon shoot into obscurity — like NBC’s Trio network — but the backing of Comcast might help keep the channel on the air.
G4 has had a pretty rocky history. Although it started out with plenty of gaming-related content, including a news program and weekly, live call-in show, the network has morphed into something else entirely — especially after they merged with TechTV. Fast-forward to the present. Geek favorites like The Screen Savers turned into Attack of the Show, and Cops and Cheaters replaced original programming like Icons. The last true remnant of TechTV — and the last bit of gaming content — is X-Play. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, the population of South Korea is watching the Global StarCraft League on GOMtv.
Interested parties in South Korea battle over broadcasting rights for StarCraft 2 tournaments, yet in North America, something like the Computer Gaming Series can’t even keep a spot on DirecTV’s exclusive (and content-starved) channel The 101.
Meanwhile, thanks to the miracle of the Internet, we can find enormous amounts of well-produced game-centric and tech-centric shows. Area5’s programming is extremely well done considering that it's mostly Web-based, and Giant Bomb alone produces more original content each week than G4 does. If we skip the visual realm and factor in podcasts, the amount of enthusiast entertainment out there expands enormously.
The only issue that might concern those who rely on the Internet is that it isn’t going to be free forever. Using my two prior examples, Area5’s previously free program CO-OP used to be an ad-supported Revision3 effort, whereas now they independently distribute the show for free, but they also charge for a high-resolution 1080p version. Giant Bomb, along with parent company Whiskey Media, have an ad-free yearly subscription that offers better video quality and a weekly live show that is only available to non-subscribers on a delay.
It seems that the pay-for-premium model is going to be the plan from here on out, and I have no issue with this. Top-shelf content is not cheap to produce, and the fact that Area5 and Giant Bomb still offer a version of their products for free is quite generous. Even though nerds may be cheap, we also want to support those who bring us our entertainment. Korea’s GOMtv also offers tiered content: A subsciption to the Global StarCraft League gets you English commentary and archived match videos.
This is why gaming content on TV will never work: G4, and networks like it, are creating programming for tech-savvy people who know that they can pick and choose the media they want on the Internet — either for free, or at a lower cost than the monthly bill for a entire 24-hour channel that features mostly non-gaming content.
When G4 started, broadband wasn’t as readily available as it is today. That's hard to believe since it was only eight years ago, but it’s true. I still have fond memories of the network in it’s early years, and I'm astonished that it ever made it off the ground, considering how risky the concept is. Although the channel has changed drastically over the years, it’s good to see that the concept of game-inspired entertainment hasn’t died. It’s just moved on to a delivery method that the audience prefers more.