Episode 16 - The Rise and Fall of G4TV

The Joy of Gaming Podcast, Episode 16:

The Rise and Fall of G4TV

On this episode of The Joy of Gaming Podcast, Rich, Jordan and Tim celebrate the highs and decry the lows of G4 Television, which, as of this coming December, will be no more.

G4TV…people have long argued over what the name really means. Some say that it was originally intended to represent the first four generations of gaming (Text, Sprites, Polygons and Textures), others say that it means “4 gamers,” while still others satirically say that it stand for the “generic content” (such as Cops and Cheaters) that began to occupy the channel’s afternoon time slots a few years back.

Soon, however, this will officially become a non-issue, as the one-time gaming-focused TV channel is scheduled for a complete overhaul and re-branding in mid-December.

But regardless of what the channel has become, it certainly played a pivotal role in bringing social awareness to gaming culture. It gave many of us an unprecedented glimpse into the game development process, provided us with a front-row seat at industry-only gaming conventions such as E3, and introduced us to such gaming personalities as Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb, Geoff Keighley, Kevin Pereira, Olivia Munn, Blair Butler, etc.

G4 has no doubt been on a downward slide for many years now, but as its demise draws near, we have decided to take a look back at the origins and evolution of this storied gaming institution, and discuss the impact that it has had on all of us.

And of course, in true TJOG style, we will also discuss what we’ve been playing recently such as Lollipop Chainsaw, Zero Escape: Virtues’s Last Reward, Resident Evil 6, League of Legends, etc. We also touch on a bit of significant gaming news, and anything else that may be on our minds (Hint: More Star Wars Films!)

So grab a bucket and prepare to shed two tears for the fall of G4, and then proceed to play one of the new fall game releases to numb the pain. Because in the end, the games themselves are what really matter. This… is The Joy of Gaming!