My thoughts on G4TV relaunch
Intro: I didn't plan on talking about this relaunch because it has been around for over a month now, that's not enough time to comment on how it's doing. Plus, I already talked about this network so I don't have much to say about it now, but something happened last week that could hurt this network's second chance.
When I learn that G4TV was going to be revived two years ago, I was indifferent to the news. I said that because it's tricky to bring this network back because it lost its novelty over time due to the internet. (Ironically, that's what I missed about the network; the novelty of it.) I mean, we have IGN, Twitch, Machinima at the time, E-Sports, video game communities on social media, and people on the internet who cover video game topics. Plus, people are not watching cable TV like they used to. Comcast (The company behind G4) seems to be aware of this, so instead of returning to cable, they're going to take this relaunch online. I understand why they would go in this direction; however, it's going to be an uphill battle for them because of the competition. Reviving G4TV could work if it returns to its former glory. Plus, I would prefer to have all this video game content under one roof. The relaunch happened on November 16, and it was disappointing because it gave us the same two shows they are X-Play and Attack of the Shows. What made this worse is that we only got half of the host for those shows. That's the problem with reviving this network is that it doesn't have enough content to justify itself.
This is what last week's schedule looks like.
That's another thing, it's trying to operate like it did when it was on TV, and it doesn't work. Seriously, what's the point of bringing this network back if you're going to do the same thing that got this network canceled in the first place? This wouldn't have angry me if G4 didn't do a montage of what this network used to be like and how it is today. What's stopping this network from bringing back the old shows like Players, Arena, Cheat, Icon, Filter, Code Monkey, etc? Well, I heard that they tried to bring back Screen Savers, but that didn't work. Not only that have people who talk about video game content on the internet host these shows. Doing that would also help make this network relevant and give these people recognition. The only thing they can do to compete with others is to talk about obscure games and review handheld games. I say that because a lot of people don't do that, plus handheld games are no longer a thing after the Nintendo Switch. If G4 encourages more people to play handheld games, then they could make a comeback.
Now it's time to address the elephant in the room. Last week, one of the new hosts of X-Play, who goes by the name Frosk, went on a must-see rant, and it was a must-see just not for the right reason. Her rant was about addressing sexism in video games. Look, I don't mind her talking about this; however, it wasn't the time or the place for it. She starts off by saying she's happy to be a part of G4 because she grew up watching it. I don't buy that statement for two reasons. First of all, if she did grow up watching this network, she should be talking about how G4 fell from grace and what to do to make it better? Instead of doing that, she's trying to be the next Anita Sarkeesian. I'll get into the second reason later. Then she said she gets backlash about her not being as bangable as Oliva Munn and Morgan Webb, the previous host. Then she berates men for saying that they get happy off of seeing those two because it's dehumanizing and weird. She also said that those two women and women in general don't exist to be visually appealing to men.
First of all, what does men telling you you're not eye candy as the previous host have to do with sexism!?! Second, it's hard for me to comment on the comments she gets because she didn't show us the comments. So, I can't tell if people are trolling you are not. The only comment I saw was Oliva is hot and they deleted it. Why? That wasn't offensive. Because people do get harassed online, and you don't look presentable, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt. Look, I'm not saying it's OK to be harassed online; however, you can't enter a mostly male-dominated space and not expect them to feel some way about it. Do you think a straight man is not going to get funny looks for working as a fashion designer? Plus, this happens to everyone. You should know this. Are you telling me that you do hear men and women giving each other a hard time for being bad at playing Red Dead Redemption online?
There are two ways you can deal with it; you can either ignore them or change your image. I wouldn't do the last part because people will think you have an inferiority complex. Also, ignoring people has its limits. This is why I don't like playing games online, because I'm sick of people giving me a hard time for being terrible. Doing that is not helping. Putting your target demographic on blast is not a smart move because you're biting the hand that feeds you. Of course, you're going to be compared to Oliva Munn and Morgan Webb. That's what happens when you replace someone. You don't hear Robert Pattinson complaining about being compared to the other actors who played Bruce Wayne/Batman because that comes with the territory. I understand that talking about getting happy off of seeing an attractive woman can be a bit much; however, you can't throw a dog a bone and not expect the dog to bite. What do you mean by playing with yourself is dehumanizing and weird? That's what men do when they find women attractive. Guess what, women do it too! Her male co-host, especially Adam Sessler, must be Asexual because they also think playing with yourself is weird and encouraging her to say this stuff.
I hate to burst your bubble, but women do exist to be visually appealing to men and vice versa. We have eyes for a reason. We wouldn't have sex, Hooters, Beauty Pageants, and the human population wouldn't exist if that wasn't the case. She made her rant worse by telling on herself. She admitted that what she's saying is scripted because she can't review video games by herself. Despite reading the same script as everyone else, she gets flak for it. Yes! It does happen to her male co-host, but it's sexist that it happens to her. This is why people don't like you, you're lazy! There are plenty of people on the internet who review video games by themselves. If reviewing games is too much for you, then you're in the wrong profession. Because you're reading someone else's review, it makes you look disingenuous. Really, we should be making a big deal about what she just admitted instead of her calling us sexist. Why are we not watching the person who wrote the review, instead of her? Plus, she gets information wrong. Receiving criticism is not sexist; that comes with being a public figure. How do you expect to get better at your job without feedback? Again, if you can't deal with that, you shouldn't be there.
The next thing she said is there are people who hate any change that isn't Adam, and brings up that half of the staff are women. (Despite some of them having guy names.) Once again, she talks about fans thinking she ruined this relaunch because men can't sexually objectify her as they did with the previous host. Plus, we would prefer to watch Adam over her is ruining her day, and we are gatekeeping video games. Yeah! People don't like change, especially if those changes are making something worse. Do you mean to tell me that you are above being upset over change? We would rather watch Adam Sessler than you because he's the only face we're familiar with. This relaunch wouldn't stand a chance without him. Plus, we don't know you, and you ruined any chance of getting us to like you because of this rant. Don't get me wrong, Adam is not about criticism; he gets a lot of flak for what he said about Republicans. He despises them so much to the point where he wishes death on his family members who are Republicans. Now, don't take what I'm about to say the wrong way, but I respect his conviction. I mean, would you take his hate for Republicans seriously if he didn't include his family?
If half of the staff has the same mindset as you, then I don't see this as a good thing. First of all, you don't get to complain about men not sexually objectifying you when there is a video of you trying to grab a man's butt. I doubt you ask his permission to do that. Second, this is the other reason why I don't think you grew up watching G4TV, because this is a network that caters to men. Of course, it will have attractive women on that network. Why do you think Oliva Munn plays off on how attractive she is when she was on Attack of the Show? If you were watching the WWE, do you want the wrestlers to be sexy? If the answer is yes, then what are you complaining about? This woman clearly doesn't love herself if she did nothing, anyone would say would bother her. If you don't want to be eye candy, that's fine, but you need to have a good personality to be likable. That's what we like about Oliva Munn and Morgan Webb, it's because they're familiar with video games, funny, and likable. Them being attractive is a bonus. Really, I think those two get too much credit for being eye candy. I mean, Diana Mizota (One of the hosts of Filter) is visually appealing, but I digress.
Gatekeeping is not a bad thing because there are people who shouldn't talk about things if they're not knowledgeable about the subject. How can we gatekeep you when you work at a job that talks about video games? She finally ends this rant by saying we should be nicer and grateful that they provide free content for you. If you don't like G4, don't watch it. I'm sorry, but people are not obligated to be nice to you, especially when you haven't given us a reason to. Providing free content is your job; why should we be grateful that you're doing what's expected of you? It's a good thing I'm not her boss; if I was, I would give her a tongue-lashing. First of all, she didn't talk about Red Dead Redemption like she was suppose to. Second, her rant has nothing to do with sexism in gaming. Finally, she alienates the target demographic, and we lost viewers because of you. G4 has a lot of work to do to get back on the fan's good graces.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of G4. Instead of reminding us why we love this network in the first place, you open an old wound and put salt on it. I'm sick of everything being ruined because of politics, because it has no place in the media, sports, and relationships. I would be surprised to see that G4 is still around a year from now. You can't always rely on upsetting the host to get a reaction out of them for views. Overall, bringing G4 back was a mistake because it had its time to shine, and it's hard to go back to what it was.