G4 started as a channel that described itself as “by gamers for gamers.” With programming like "Cheat!," that featured cheat codes and hits for games, or the well-received video game review show, “X-Play,” with hilarious and thoughtful reviews for games, G4 really was the television channel for gamers.
But in recent years, the channel has fallen far from its original mission statement. What used to be interesting programming for geeks and gamers turned into replays of mediocre movies and reruns of "Cops" with some less-than-stellar new episodes of “X-Play” and “Attack of the Show” in between.
G4’s coverage of the gaming trade-show “E3” and their stellar coverage of Comic Con International lit a spark of hope that the channel could continue. Despite this, it is now official; the days of G4TechTV are long gone.
Parent company NBC Universal’s announcement to Variety magazine on Sept. 6 stated that they plan on rebranding the company to have an image more reminiscent of GQ magazine and lose what little gamer image they had left. Soon, the closest thing to “TV for gamers” is The Video Game Awards on Spike TV once a year.
G4 isn't the only video game-based media outlet to have died in the last couple of years. The last several months also saw the demise of video game magazine Nintendo Power. It seems that video game media just isn't what it was years prior.
The rebranding of G4TechTV is baffling. The video game industry is constantly changing and shifting. Release dates get pushed back, games get canceled, layoffs happen, games are announced and all of that can happen over the course of one week.
That's not to say that the gaming news industry is dying at all. Sources like GiantBomb and IGN and news magazines like Electronic Gaming Monthly and GameInformer are still thriving
It is hard not to hear this news of the bleak future of G4 and think back to the old days. When it came into fruition in 2004, G4TechTV had so much promise. They had “Anime Unleashed” at night and shows like “X-Play” and “Icons,” which paid homage to the big movers and shakers of the gaming industry that really made it a destination for geeks and gamers to converge and just geek out. Let this be a remembrance of the good days, when G4 was a channel for gamers, not a GQ knockoff.
Reach the reporter at brian.bishop96@gmail.com