There is no way that this will end well.
Although saying that, it can’t be much worse than Game Face on Bravo I saw a while ago which I think might have been the worst video gaming show I’ve ever seen. Maybe it has improved in the interim, I’m not sure I dare check. The horror. THE HORROR.
Gamezville was possibly as painful to watch as ripping out your face, so it can’t be worse than THAT.
It’s in the hands of people who know what they’re doing, and have done for 20-ish years now, so I expect they’ll do good. If they actually do anything with it.
Unfortunately, these days the magazine aims at a much younger audience than it did 10-15 years ago and so you’d have to assume any new version of it would probably do the same. That’s not a great sign.
Although it’s less likely to do the horribly contrived method of ‘getting down wiv da kidz’ as the aforemented show did. That said, it’s fairly obvious that it won’t be as good as it was 15 years ago simply because Gamesmaster of old was just that good (excluding season 3, but still…), and also there wasn’t much like it at the time. Though to be honest there’s even less like it now over here. The only show I’ve seen about gaming in years that wasn’t a one-off was X-Play on G4, and I’d rather not watch that again.
They should bring back Bob Mills era Games World.
Sadly I didn’t have Sky back then and only got it when it was brought back with Andy Collins in 1998. Still loved it.
There was VideoGaiden. And that Games issue of Screenwipe (Although the Gameswipe one off was worse, for some reason).
I hate self-promoting myself here, and I hope Brig doesn’t mind, but I thought some here might be interested. I’m starting a new podcast game show (to my recollection the first paying podcast game show ever) called Double Cross. It’s a twist on the quiz show format (but what isn’t?) where even if you don’t know the right answer, if you can convince your opponents that you are right you’re safe. It’s about attempting to manipulate your opponents into thinking your wrong answers could be right. It’s a really interesting, strange, and funny format and I’ve got an unbelievably great group, QuizQuizQuiz, working with me and doing the writing.
I don’t know if anyone here would want to be a contestant, but if so you can sign up at http://www.buzzerblog.com/doublecross. We’re taking anyone who can speak English, and we are offering some cash and prizes. It’s nothing life-changing but it’s on par with the text-and-win shows (within reason of course). It’s an abbreviated first season and I’m really hoping this thing does well so we can expand it in the future. People using Skype get first preference for casting since the call clarity is best, and this is an audio show.
Again, sorry to self promote, but just in case anyone would be interested I definitely wanted to let everyone know.
I’ve put myself forward for this, it looks really interesting. Thanks for telling us about it, Alex.
As did I. Sounds brilliant.
Is it a bit like “Beg, Borrow or Steal” then? (Which itself leant somewhat on an earlier show called, er… “Double Cross”.)
Ah, Double Cross. That was one of the first Prisoner’s Dilemma games, wasn’t it?
Aaanyway, this sounds like Beg, Borrow or Steal, possibly mixed in with Chris Tarrant’s The Great Pretender In Reverse. Or Defectors with no audience. Possibly.
Well, Trust Me with Nick Bateman came first.
Yeah, I couldn’t remember its name (or when it came out), which is why I said ‘one of’ instead of ‘the’, to stop myself from inventing fact.
Nah, there’s no prisoner’s dilemma aspect in for the sole purpose that I’d rather not completely piss people off and make them never visit me again, and playing Share or Steal for upwards of $100 for an amazing group is going to suck week after week. It’s more along the lines of we give a question and you have to give an answer. Even if you don’t know the answer you can try to get a really convincing bluff. Your opponents are the two who have to accept the answer or say you’re trying to cross them. You get points, I make fun of you a bit, and the eventual winners win money and come back for a championship game for the grand prize.
We’ve got quite a few English in here so far which is fantastic. I’m going for non-US centric material so anyone can play. If this first season goes well I’d love to do a very small mini-tourney, with like a UK, US, and Aussie match. Those 3 winners play against each other.
I’ve also got something called Money Vault coming out that’s essentially Deal or No Deal for the slightly less stupid. Like if Deal or No Deal is first grade, Money Vault is second grade. If you took that Racko board game and threw it on steroids and screwed with it a lot, you’ve got it.
Incidentally but happily tangentally, I’ve just become aware of this by one of the guys behind the completely brilliant Consolevania, and currently writing and starring in BBC Scotland sketch show Burnistoun Robert Florence.
PAGING CHRIS M DICKSON:
http://www.downtimetown.com
It’s his blog/internet TV about boardgames! Excellent!
I can add to that with a site I found some time ago, also about board games.
http://www.boardgameswithscott.com/
Whuh?
(Your link is blocked at work. I shall have another look at the link at home, where it will not be. Thank you for thinking of me all the same.)
I’ve started to read bits of this. So far, I like what I see. Thanks for the link!
The content is very good, but – even going back to the start and working my way through – I’m not wild about his sense of humour. I’m sure he’s not wild about mine, though, to be fair.