The Rise and Fall of G4 TV 4 Gamers
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- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
- G4 TV 4 Gamers was the first all gaming television channel. I take a look at its history, what it did right and the many things it did wrong.
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Movies, games, and the occasional editorial.
From A-Z list films, video games, and other overlooked goodness.
Schedule -
Monday - 1 PM EST New Main Show Episode
Friday - Unscripted reviews of movies currently in theaters and VOD
Also occasional episodes of Good Bad Games and other assorted stuff at random times.
the fall is when the channel decided that 10 hour blocks of COPS was a good idea.
Adam Sessler confessed that Cops was a big reason G4 was staying on the air at all, it was a ratings machine. That and Star Trek apparently were necessary to secure certain ad revenue, because most of the original target audience was too young for the major advertising niches.
OLE SammyOLE just like how MTV decided to make a whole marathon of Ridiculousness
Brayan Argandona Florentino MTV is such garbage now.
Yep. One of The Fatal Three Cs. Cops, Cheaters and Campus PD. Why were they even on the channel? They had NOTHING to do with games and tech.
KageMaxwell
Money
2003 coming home after school to watch X-Play at 4pm
Good times and right after that straight to toonami and then played pokémon ruby at night
Emerald version for me
Omg yes!!! Best memories
X Play was the shiiiit
That show was hilarious!
Just hearing "Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb" takes me back to being a kid, man. Ain't nothing like G4
Saying "Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb" to myself, while thinking of the voice saying their intro, is the only way for me to remember their names.
Corey D. Arnold Morgan Webb is playing DnD with acquisition inc.
It was better before G4. After that, neither one of them seemed to want to be doing the show. It almost felt forced on some episodes of them reading their lines.
@@only1sn1not1taken Ahhh..., Morgan Webb, I really wanted her to have my children. Still kinda do.
Best damn show ever. Among with cheat kristen holt, and attack of the show, as well as electric playground.
One thing that wasn't mentioned: On it's shutdown, in the final moments of it's broadcast, they ended the way they began. With Pong, with it constantly shrinking until it was a dot, then it shut off for good.
XellorfGaming That's so sad...
+XellorfGaming :( what could have been a great thing...died too young
+XellorfGaming This video was uploaded a few months before that happened.
I saw the final moments of the broadcast.Did the first episode really begin with Pong? I want to see the first episode of X-play.
This was posted just weeks before the shutdown. I'm sure that if this video came out after that happened, he would have mentioned that in his video.
X-Play was one of my favorite shows until they cancelled it. I also grew to really like Attack of the show. Adam Sessler getting let go was just ridiculous though
Completely agree. Sessler was the talent!
That's when I quit watching G4 altogether. Munn went on to better things and that was fine, but firing Sessler was too much
I loved AOTS. I still vividly remember the Batman skits. Damn, I miss watching G4.
Attack of the show was garbage. Just like a lot of shows. Sure I was young and dumb back then. But now I see it was just trash.
Sessler was a poser anyways
From 2003-2005 G4 was basically the only channel I watched. It was SO good. I will never understand how they managed to destroy it so horrendously. It's like they didn't even realize the goldmine they actually had.
@@baconbenjidestroyer Look...I maybe a bit biased, cuz l didn't watch G4 until late 2008-early 2009, and it seems like it was way different by then than the channel that existed years earlier, but...I loved the late 2000s version. lol Ppl complain about all the reality tv shows they aired, but thats what was popular back then. Hell, at that time in my life l LIVED on junk food, reality tv marathons, and video games, so that version of G4 was everything to me.
The quickest way to failure is a businessman that doesn't understand the product that they're selling
You don't have to understand the product, as long as you surround yourself with people you do, and take their advice.
@@tweakx4 Those are the people I'm referring to
G4 was pretty much the only channel I'd watch back in the day. I really want a DVD box set of every episode of every show ever aired on G4.
Including cops?
It'd be expensive as hell and be literally tens of thousands of hours, but that'd be amazing.
Shout Factory's already got Starcade (even though that's JM productions that licensed it to them), so that's a start.
I wonder if NBCUniversal would license G4 originals to third-parties? Cinematech would be useless for a video release, however.
They should just post them on RUclips or Hulu.
Gamespot TV or X-Play with Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb. especially. Icons has been posted on RUclips.
With Twitch and RUclips, there's really no need for G4, especially in the hands of producers who didn't understand their audience and ruined both Tech TV and G4.
I met the G4 Producer at E3 2019, he was standing around outside the exit without a pass to get in. He honestly seemed like he had lost touch with the industry.
Oh, he’s definitely out of touch all right.
I believe the people running G4TV are burning Gamestop into the ground right now.
very similar modus operandi
Gamestop has always been the same since inception. That's why they are closing down so many stores, they haven't adapted to an obvious trend - people are buying digital games more. I mean 68% of console software sales last year were digital.
@@joser1853 It started with that, but rather than selling old games as well as new ones, selling snacks and having tournaments and all that, they are selling IT Chapter Two wallets and Gilmore Girls POP figures.
@@joser1853 Its a mix of digital but the constant statements of Gamestop not offering good deals for trade ins. You always hear those jokes abouut gamestop offering $.54 cents in store credit for a ton of games and it doesn't paint a good picture.
Add in the company makes all of it it's money from preowned and memberships and having the employees have to bend more and more to make up for it in a digital age is really rough.
The biggest irony is games as a whole are drifitng away from the concept of you owning the game and going for a "Live service" idea. Digital only is all the more proof a company like activision would gladly sell you a right to play "Their" game and not actually own it. They'll gladly take it away from you and sell it back as the next iteration.
It's currently going down a field where neither side wins.
I hope cuz gamestop's a fuckn shit show might as well play "gameshop" yt video non stop.
maaaann I miss hearing that " A-A-Adam Ssesslerr .. M-Morgan Webb"
+Vercusgames
ahhhhhhhh the good old days lol
I read that with the original announcer's voice. Yep, I'm a fan :P
Vercusgames I still occasionally bring those results up with friends and such as surprise trivia on the consoles. That has stuck with me...man...
Morons were running G4TV. A bunch of know-it-alls that didn't understand the business they were in.
Tech TV was a gem too. and the morons in charge didn't understand it.
I knew it was doomed almost from the very start.
@Vercusgames Drunk Link. Stan Lee, The Stand-Up Comic. French Canadian Guy. Special Agent Bob and Secret Agent Steve. Just absolute classics
I miss G4 so much, always had a crush on Morgan Webb to. Was so heartbroken to see the channel go.
Morgan and Kristin Holt.
I had the HUGEST crush on Kristin when I was like... 8? I think?
I used to watch this show every morning during the summer as a kid remember seeing gameplay for ultimate spider Man in 2005, I miss when g4 was god tier
One of my first memories for it was channel surfing and finding an episode of Cinematech playing a video of the Bruce Lee game for Xbox. I kept watching and found some openings for other games like Skygunners and got really interested. Then judgement Day came on right after and it was like I'm hooked.
It was around the time that G4 became the Cops channel that I quit watching TV altogether and switched over to RUclips, and now Google is doing everything in their power to send RUclips the same way as G4.
There will be something else after RUclips is completely ruined.
@@rezcellent 2 of my biggest gripes.
Switch to mainstream.
Fucking commercials. Everywhere.
Pope Brandon Brownson I’m glad there are other people out there who noticed this I did the same thing and when I started watching RUclips ads weren’t even thought of but now they’ve taken over I can’t even watch a stream on Twitch without stupid ads now
I really hope RUclips isn't ruined, it's the only video channel I watch. Twitch is too laggy. :(
Kito Brown YT is my main content channel, but I agree wholeheartedly, the commercials made watching YT content absolute torture. It had gotten so bad that I HAD to buy YT Premium just to make the ads go away, and because there are few alternatives to YT for my favorite content such as Switch Up and Fact Hunt for gaming and gaming-related history, it was worth it.
YT is getting rather cluttered now, and most gaming journalism isn’t worth supporting (Gamespot, IGN, et cetera). There is a need for a new place for content that could take the content provided by gamers for Twitch and YT, add in-depth gaming journalism (including on-point research - not just he said/she said/someone said) and allow budding gamers in. Focus more on the art, programming, sociopolitical environments that contribute to game themes, round table discussions, and how to portray gaming culture more positively (Child’s Play, Humble Bundle-backed causes [like the ACLU one or hurricane relief bundles, for example]. Now that we have the internet as an everyday tool, we can make a new G4 TV online hub and really get things going, should someone attempt to try it.
"We never stopped playing." - G4, 2020
November 16.
"We never stopped attacking fans." - G4, 2022
"We stopped playing, but never stopped mistreating our emplyoees." - G4, October 17th, 2022.
Honestly, was it a surprise? They tried to do the same exact thing RUclipsrs do now, but with a massive backend staff that couldn't make money.
I feel bad for those who were unwittingly roped in, thinking it was going to be successful or at least fun.
@@xX_Pokeman_Xx And Frosk. Don't forget what she did....
@@RedDragonM1That was the final nail for G4.
Aots, xplay, Ninja Warrior, and cinematech were so awesome. I used to love turning g4 late at night and watching random video games videos. The good ole days.
AotS was my favorite, and of the sets they went through, the one with all the hanging phones is by far my favorite.
+MyBrothersMario true.
ninja warrior ruin the channel
cops ruined g4 not ninja warrior.......and the bimbo models they hired to host shows that didn't know jack shit about video games
I just remember one bimbo blond. all the other were legit
Still can't comprehend how you fail at a gaming channel during arguably the biggest decade for games.
For Real, That era of video games was probably the most amount of gaming time i put in, in my life. Call of duty 4 and fallout & all that shit blew my mind and i was addicted. & i actually enjoyed G4 for that reason, they talked about all the new games and what was good and what sucked, shit, sometimes i'd leave it on in the background, x-play, that cheat code show, and attack of the show all were cool to just watch and see what they talked about.
Now i rarely ever play video games or even enjoy any of the new games, i end up buying/playing old games i enjoyed or never got to play.
Interesting too, the Funhaus guys, from RoosterTeeth were, just about all, involved as the crew for G4 and they reference it's fails all the time. Same with Machinima. I think it had to do a lot with poor leadership and taking wrong directions as to "what the kids want to see" and just downright getting it wrong, Also it seemed they all wanted to, so badly, create a "Google" like work place they spent all their time and money into that instead of writing and show planning.
and with no competing networks
@@RUclipsIsTrash57 Most games these days play almost the same anyway. Either first or third person shooter with rpg elements. I do enjoy a good 3d brawler though like Bayonetta or Ninja Gaiden, but the last couple of years I've started collecting retro shit and the older shit, especially Genesis, SNES, and ps2 still hold up. Can't say the same for ps1 though.
Raven Darklaw i can agree with you there. 3d Beat ‘em Ups are fun. But i havent seen a good one in a while. Bayonetta was good, and the early god of wars were great. The new one looks a bit lame.
@@RUclipsIsTrash57 Yea very true. I guess you could put the recent Spiderman in that category but I got so bored with it. Way too much been there done that. DMC5 also, but just watching my homeboy play it on shareplay for 30 minutes I was like meh.
This may not mean much to anyone but I used to watch G4TV whenever I got off of school in the afternoon it meant so much to me and quite honestly I miss the Channel with every fiber of my being they were hands down my adolescence distilled into one channel and I could not thank them more if I tried. Olivia Munn, Pereira, and everyone involved were legends.
This was an awesome walk down memory lane. I watched G4 from the beginning and recognized almost every single thing in this video. Great job on this documentary, it's done very well.
same
I started watching techtv early on and remember coming home for the summer from college searching for my fav network on my parent's tv. I remember coming home one summer and had trouble finding techtv, screen savers, and xplay. I soon realized techtv had become G4, when i discovered xplay had moved to this new network. Every summer I would come back and discover the networked had changed more stuff. Adam had a new cohost Morgan Webb, Screen Savers at the time I assumed became Attack of the Show, and Cheat had found a new host. I was disappointed with most the changes at the network but for the most part accepted them for it was nothing i could do about it and also some of the changes grew on me. Morgan Webb and Attack of the Show quickly won me over. I took a long break from G4 and when I came back years later, the network had completely changed. Even Attack of the Show didnt seem the same.
G4's last big contribution?
Ninja Warrior.
Dude, my dad and I bonded over watching the original ninja worriors! Makoto Nagano was our guy :)
Holy shit that’s crazy that the only thing remaining from them became a legit pop cutler phenom. I’ve always had love for attack of the show though
Whats funny about the American version they're all athletes, where Original its just regular people.
Yes bruh, the original Ninja Warrior was one of my favorite tv shows.
Sad that the X-Men anime didn't live on.....I bet you probably don't even know that was a thing.
Ain’t nothing like tuning in at 730 for xplay. Good times
G4 is coming back in 2021
This was my fav channel...
I hear you man #rip
+danielcwc It was also my favorite channel. I used to want to work for it when I wanted to work in TV but not anymore.
danielcwc this really was I loved it so much
danielcwc This and Fuse were the greatest channels ever.
I loved G4 ! Watched it everyday !
If the G4 vending machines had had something other than Chili-Cheese Fritos perhaps I wouldn't have such frail bones today.
Mr Sark I would have thought Mt Dew and Doritos were on tap at all times. How else did they expect you to film all those long hours of CoD and Halo?
So uhh, they didn't let you have a real lunch huh? Well that's not illegal.
Anyone else here because G4, Attack of the Show, and X-Play is making a return?
When I saw it was making a comeback I was so happy I am curious of how the comeback will go though?
Are you for real? You have no idea how happy that makes me. I miss G4 so much that I occasionally watch old bumpers, shows and videos like this that talk about it. Cannot wait to see it come back.
@@lamontyaboy718 Right?! www.engadget.com/g4tv-teaser-222059630.html quick search this is what I found
That’s the reason why I’m here. I’m miss AOTS and X-Play.
beware the horrors of necromancy gentlemen
Greed, that is what killed G4. they wanted more veiwers so badly they betrayed there audience. They went the way of MTV and thats sad indeed
Moral of the story: don't turn a dedicated video game TV network into a glorified Spike to attract more viewers.
Nanokoex but they NEEDED more viewers to stay on cable
Nanokoex it wasn't greed it was survival
You can do that without betraying your veiwers
This is an old story. We've seen it before and we've seen it again. Skyrim sucks because Bethesda wanted to appeal to a mainstream audience so they cut out all the RPG. BioWare did the same thing with Mass Effect Andromeda. Big companies are greedy as fuck and greed kills creativity and quality. You need to have passionate people in control, not some douchebag sitting in a boardroom.
Man I insanely loved G4 while attending High School. You can't even imagine.
I loved X Play, The reveiw show with the two men and the one with that cool nerdish guy that liked Morgan Webb.
Anything that inspired you to do something is truly loved. That channell had me writing down list of games reveiwed on it on a peice of paper. I would write down various consoles (PS2, X Box, etc) and games and saved all of my lunch money everyday in an effort to buy them. I ended up buying my first PS2 in grade 8, Grand Theft Auto 1, Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Splinter Cell 1. I didn't buy even half of my list but it was a good try for a boy that wasn't rich.
This is the channell that really exposed me to gaming. I played games before but I constrained myself to a few categories. Fighting, racing, action. I still constrained myself but atleast I was being informed and thrilled by the various games that the hosts would showcase. My tonque was dripping for more and more. Imagine me actually coming up with a scoring system for scoring games, just because I saw them scoring games. And I actually went on to scoring lots and lots of games and using those scores to decide which game was the best.
It is really really sad to see this great thing die. Even Sadder is the dishonor met onto the staff that was really charismatic about games and worked hard to showcase these. What this documentary declares is gaming racism from the very people that want to make money from gaming. Seeing gamers as lesser people. It's bad enough that you hate games but when you hate/ despise people that play games, that is really cruel and inhumane. Notice, the only one those mad and fuck up people kept on was that cool guy that flirted with the women. So gaming people, we are not of any significance.
The arrogance that those fuckers have. Trying to put gaming and technology one side for the hype; ignoring the interest of gamers and tech people for main stream; and having it backfire in their faces and draining their pockets. Why does one start a gaming channell if they don't want to broadcast gaming? These guys are fucking irrational. I am not saying gamers should not look at other aspects of life should as school, girls, future success in life, but this is what we love. Just as how people love reality shows and fasion shows. Death to them... cause I know these prejudice fucks are saying the same about gamers...
+John Brown I think you are talking about Judgment Day with Tommy Tallarico and Vince. The other guy was an intern fill-in who I think jumped over to Sweat
big973e ok that's what happen with them
Anonymous what you talking about?
@@dmaster20ify Damn, you really did love G4.
It’s a good thing that All of our favorite people from G4 like Olivia Munn, Morgan Webb, Sara Jean Underwood, etc have all moved on to Greener Pastures
@Why The Hell Was I In Star Trek 6? yeah sure, that explains why AOTS was cancelled 2 years after she left
@Why The Hell Was I In Star Trek 6? um, she joined in 2006, the network peaked in 2008, she left in 2010, the show got cancelled 2012, network cancelled in 2014. The network got cancelled because the owner made them get rid of all the video game stuff and focused on Cops and Cheaters instead and viewership declined.
@Why The Hell Was I In Star Trek 6? yeah, it's called going to sleep. The peak of 2008 is covered in cast interviews about that era, and yeah, AOTS starting losing traction in 2010 when Munn had a very limited appearance on the show and her departure. Notice she was the only one out of the entire cast that got a career in Hollywood.
@Why The Hell Was I In Star Trek 6? well, my google search has turned up 0 results for year by year ratings for Attack of the Show so I don't have the numbers to back up my claims which stem from cast interviews and my own personal experience when I watched the channel back then. If you can provide me with actual numbers that prove me otherwise then I will shut the fuck up about it.
@Why The Hell Was I In Star Trek 6? no, I'm basing my comment on cast interviews and my memory of the show. You're basing yours on your single opinion. Whenever anyone talks about old school G4 they talk about Kevin Perreira, Olivia Munn, Adam Sessler, and Morgan Webb. they're the big 4. nobody talks about Kevin Perreira and Kevin Rose except maybe you whacking off to the thought of them touching tips. like I said, show me proof that I'm false and I will shut up about it
I feel like youtubers filled the void left by G4. Gamers did want to watch game related programs and I'm glad we still can. I don't bother watching TV because I've found so many interesting channels that give me the shows mainstream channels don't think people want. So many channels have lost their uniqueness to become bland crap.
What channels would you recommend?
They've done more than fill the void. They've completely oversaturated it. You can find 50 different PS4 unboxing videos. Lol, unboxing....really!? Look it comes with a power cord and controller guys!
It's one of those weird things where when you're smaller, you're allowed to be weirder or more niche as a way to get more viewers. But when you get those views and revenue streams you're now spending too much to have things fail so you then have to become more "mainstream". You can see this perfectly with G4 or comedy central for traditional media and with let's players like markiplier, who went from horror games and drunk minecraft to comedic games and live gags. Shit...we're even starting to see it with roosterteeth
There's no void anymore. It's more like a huge stream of garbage now. Even if you subscribe to a bunch of folks on RUclips, they die off, channel direction and content changes, some quit, etc. It's about as bad as TV now. I've known of 2 guys I cared about pass away and it left a hole in my heart as they were really good and no one else did content like they did.
I respectfully disagree. Things change, people get married, haves kids, get careers, "retire", move on and even die. You have to make a choice. How much time and money you are willing to spend on something. It's the sacrifice of any creation. It's nice to say "I do it for the passion" but passion does not pay bills. They have to buy their own equipment, props, write scripts, capture hours of footage of games, edit videos and balance a personal life. Maybe being a artist and a amateur game designer I see thing differently.
This is certainly a trip through memory lane. It was so good for the first 3 years. Made up a good chunk of my TV viewing in high school.
This video aged like fine wine.
Did it?
G4 rose again, and then it died again... All because the social climate had changed, and basically it was just irrelevant like it was before... there are so many things on the internet from publications right down to individual content creators, covering video games, pop culture, technology over the last decade plus since its first death.
All 3 of the G4 presidents look exactly the same.
TFW u get red pilled from the cancellation of G4
@@BirbarianHomeGuard Dark times indeed.
The Jared Fogle look.
the G stands for Generic
What a "missed opportunity" indeed.
I still remember "discovering" G4. I would often just turn it on and keep tuned-in all night, even if it was just for background noise. It was just so cool that something like G4 existed in the first place.
We may have Twitch and Let's Plays now, but I still argue to people that there's a big difference between being able to choose what you watch all the time and a watching TV channel. Nothing beats keeping a TV channel on and discovering something new and interesting. I mean, Rifftrax might be great and all, but nothing will ever beat the feeling of watching episode of MST3k on Comedy Central/Sci-Fi. Same with G4's programming.
Anyway, thanks for the trip down memory lane! That SSX high-score... every commercial break... pure nostalgia. I *still* can't believe that was on a cable channel.
Joshua Campbell Thanks! I know, there was so much silliness that never would make it on a channel these days. Those old bumpers are pure gold
GoodBadFlicks Also -- and kind of a non sequitur here -- I'm really happy you're gaining popularity by sharing what you enjoy. That was always my favorite part of this channel: unabashed, optimistic love of stuff that most RUclipsrs would just, well, cynically shit on for cheap laughs.
I hope your channel continues to grow and that you don't stop any time soon... even if you *did* like Man of Steel...
Joshua Campbell
if i had money like bruce wayne mix with bill gates i would revive g4 back how it was. i won't care of old reruns to return it and make new channels.
I agree with earlier comments; you need to do a sequel. It's so sad. So many ppl have & will lose their jobs.
Once they started syndicating Cops and Cheaters I tuned off.
Yep, would still watch Xplay and AotS but that was it.
agreed, i watched every show they had to offer and loved all of it, but I just stopped watching once it became a marathon channel for tv shows that weren't their own
@@dkres82 same here.
Same here.
Facts, same here👍
I feel like the original G4 woud be a huge hit right now, or would have been for a while a few years back.
Delta It was ahead of its time for sure.
@@tiredsentinel1724 RUclips also happened, and traditional media didn't see how that was going to take eyeballs away from their media form.
TV as a whole is dying, you only gotta look at channels like Cartoon Network to get a solid idea of that.
Online through RUclips and video sharing apps/sites are the real sweet spots now due to convenience.
I would absolutely say if they rebooted G4 in this current age on RUclips/Twitch and had the same programming as the first two years or so, they would absolutely dominate the market. They could even share the videos on their own personal site, it would still lead to a crapton of views/money.
@@Darkfortune629 You bring up a good point. I wonder how much sites such as Game Trailers (owned by Viacom/MTV at one time) and ScrewAttack contributed to the "stealing" of views from the cable network for focused, gaming type content.
@@thejunkman I'd say by the time G4 was having the issues 2004-2006 most people had access to the internet in some kind of way through home or school. Especially with people like AVGN getting his start on RUclips around 2006 I think the shift started around there but wasn't really noticeable till later on.
Now is the Rise and Fall + Another fall of G4
if it’s falling then how did it just get on RUclips TV 🤔
@@iiawesomej this aged…..poorly
@@iiawesomej Aged like milk.
...and it's gone!
@@damightybenstein yup. A screaming Karen put the nail in the coffin. "IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T WATCH IT! PEACE!" okay. I left right away. I don't like being called a sexist and a bigot. And Adam was supporting her?? Ugggghhh....He made it worse by acting like a 15 year old on twitter.
I was one of the TechTV and X-Play fans. I saw all of this in real time and suffered throughout... :-(
Elvys Pena I was a fan of both channels! TechTV helped me to pass all my accelerated IT programs in undergrad! I learned so much on both channels. I miss them. :(
I'm still so very mad at the direction it went, this is what killed television.
Me too man I watched extended play all the way till Adam sessler left after that I was done
Very well produced. I enjoyed the watch!
Proooooooooooooooo comment
***** Thank you sir! I appreciate you checking this out!
I didnt know projared watches goodbadflicks too, awesome!
GoodBadFlicks It was an awesome video. Very interesting
Procomment
God I miss G4, remember watching Cinematech, Cheat and Xplay like crazy. Honestly watching G4 and finding out there was a way larger community for gaming along with the channel introducing me to some of my favorite games is what grew my passion for gaming
It’s back! You can watch on RUclips
I remember watching G4 in my mid teens and then it changed. Star trek on all the damn time and Ninja warriors that I love BTW but it was on ALL THE TIME.
Jesse Cormany for the first few years it was pretty much all I watched
GoodBadFlicks i had to turn to gamespot and screwattack by 2012. by that time G4 was in no intrest of me :( though one of my favorite Shows ever was Cinematech Nocturnal emissions because it highlighted all the japanese games i never got to play until now because i didnt have PS2 that time it was on and majority of games they showed were all either on Playstation Platforms or Nintendo's and the games i had were on the original xbox and only a few Japanese games released for it. i was a big anime fan at the time as well so i really enjoyed that and Anime Unleashed and their Marvel anime they had in 2011. i would remember that most of the music Cues they used were mainly from APM Music and i would remember most of them. G4's cinematech NE made me Remember alot of good games i eventually got to play years later. Still i teared. G4 i loved you.
Jesse Cormany Don't forget the COPS marathons every weekend.
Jesse Cormany After like 2011 the channel should of just been called "COPS"
I hated that show from the start
AN EXCELLENT VIDEO. PERIOD. :) I truly miss G4 and its great, diverse, fun, informative GAMING shows. I watched it in the morning before work... and it would be the first channel I'd turn to when I came home. G4TV.com, Icons, X-Play, Judgement Day/EP were some of my favorites (just to name a few). We gamers had REAL, legit, mature gaming content... til it turned into nonsense and sexualized crap. Watching it slowly deteriorate before my eyes just killed me... slowly. Adam and Morgan did NOT deserve the disrespect they received. Nor did any of the rest of the hosts who helped build a pioneering channel. If any of the old G4 crew read this comment, I want to say THANK YOU for feeding my gaming passion every day, with class, style, laughter, and maturity... til you were no longer allowed to do so. You rocked!
***** Thanks so much!
I love this. Its also worth watching Kevin Pereira's podcast where he interviews Adam Sessler. They go over the downfall of G4 and when Adam left Xplay. I think he also has one with Morgan Webb and Blair Herter where they talk about their experiences working at G4.
I have AT&T U-Verse, which still carried it due to contractual obligations until about 20 minutes ago. The very last show was an old 2003 Sessler-era X-Play episode; I think it was the 1000th episode fan voted favorite. After the show ended, they showed about a minute of Pong while the screen slowly minimized into a tiny white cube. When the screen was just black with the little white cube in the middle, an audio clip played (it sounded like someone saying "Comic-con" or something similar) and the cube warped away, sort of like the graphic of Mega Man warping away in the old MM games. Then nothing...the channel is currently just a black screen, and the channel guide says it is "Off Air". Kind of neat the network started with Pong and ended with Pong.
Swifty Magee I just saw someone posted it on youtube. So sad. Probably the only time I've seen a channel actually do something at the end
Wow! I'm honestly surprised there was someone working on the channel who still had enough nostalgia to give the channel such a proper sendoff like that. I stumbled upon that channel 2002 but after the Pong marathon and loved it's underground production vibe before 05', when it got more commercial. *pours one out* which would be a can of Surge if I could still get any LOL!
Swifty Magee That's crazy
Man G4 in it's hayday sounded amazing
it really was an amazing channel for alittle while.
It took up my awkward teenage years when I was still in high school and my brother moved out so I had our bedroom to myself. I would always watch this network, felt like a group of people who were cool and understood my passions.
It really was.
will be missed :( It was just ahead of it's time..
Yeah, Man, it was. It felt like a cool little Community to escape all of the bs. There was nothing like it before and there will most definitely never be anything like it after.
I’ll never forget the intro song to “Attack of the show”, or Morgan Webb proving to the world just how strong a GameCube really is...
Morgan Von Webb with the german accent "Oh X-box, there's no way to turn you on, You Lose" and bashes it.
G4: We're a channel for gamers!
Gamers: interesting
Producers: Actually, the higher ups all agree nobody wants to watch shows about geeks. What people really want is Cops!
G4: Welcome back to our Cops marathon!
Gamers: Nope, done, bye
*we're
The cops and cheaters network.
I only watched G4 for the video game shows. When they became The Cops Channel, I was DONE with it. Fuck that shit! Why try to be Spike TV Junior when you can focus on what made your channel great, which is GAMES?
Also, they had some pretty ladies hosting these shows. I always thought Morgan Webb was sexy. Bear in mind that this is coming from a trans lesbian. I always went for the geek girls. Did so back when I was an egg and I still do now.
G4: *Confused Pikachu face*
Comcast did it all and they also killed AZN Television (TV for Asian-Americans with Anime in there)
Very good video. Video Game television will probably never come to be anymore, what with the rise of online gaming news and entertainment. They really missed their prime opportunity.
Adam Harris Thanks!
Actually, DiXP is a late night block that plays games and had an entire segment dedicated to Overwatch.
What the hell..only recommended just now?? This was my childhood!
If they were running programs close to what they had at launch I feel like they could 1m Subs within three months.
Man I miss TechTV! X-Play was such a great show.
here here hurl was my fav
I couldn't imagine the show without Adam. I remember buying a Dreamcast just because how good Adam said the games was. I regret nothing
I loved X-Play too. When they moved to G4 I still watched but I loved those old days on Tech TV especially.
I was there when it was called Extended Play and it was hosted by Dash the digital host. TechTV may have been on the death throes anyway due to its television format and the Dot-Com bubble bust, but it used to be far more respectable with their programming than G4's later gradual bastardization in favor of the "gamer" demographic.
Vinesauce Obscurities I remember Extended Play! Yeah, TechTv was just special. I remember the Screen Savers and all that...G4 kind of ruined it all.
You're so thorough with your information, i have complete respect for your content!
Expl0rati0n Thank you!
This felt like a defunctland video. Well researched, delivered and edited. Loved it, great work.
Thanks!
Great documentary! Incredibly informative, thought-out, and researched.
+CH Gorog Thank you!
+GoodBadFlicks awesome I give it a five out of five!
Twitch , mixer and gaming on RUclips show that G4 producers just didn't know what they were doing.
I wonder had they stick to their slow growth and/or kept their resolve after the merger, would RUclips even become successful with gaming? And had it not had been a success with RUclips, would Twitch or Mixer even evolve? Would the Esports crowd become a G4 staple after Esports would in-evidently become a giant in competitive sports? I believe they could have become a hit as now gaming has taken the lead as most profitable entertainment industry money maker, they never played their cards right and went all in on snake eyes.
@@Gamebrojeremy1 inevitably, jesus christ man you unironically pulled a bone apple tea on us.
"mixer" .... this comment did not age well lol
Looking forward to seeing one of these about Twitch like 10 years from now.
Maybe about 20 years for youtube to be done the same way
This was one of my favorite TV channels. At the time, we didn't have internet and I got stuck so many times in several games. This channel helped me so much. And that was only one reason. I still love all the humorous sketches during commercials.
Every time they showed the predecessor of the older CEO, I had to back up to see that they weren't the same person.
Yeah, I had to wonder which clone facility they fell out of.
Literally this happened to me while watching hahaha
Just Be Respectful. Fr, I knew I wasn’t that only one who noticed that
Yup I was like isn't that the same guy haha
Right, it's crazy how they all looked almost identical. Like they came from the same crappy CEO factory.
I first learned about this channel about 20 years ago when I was in college. I absolutely fell in love with it because it covered so many of the nerdy things that I loved. Sadly, I lost access to the channel when I got out of college. Many years later it was offered in my area and I barely watched it because it offered little worth watching.
You are so awesome for using our gaming channel pic haha
Zionmainframe and the punisher = WIN!!!! xD
***** Damn right haha
WrecklessEating giving credit where its due :)
Wooooo WrecklessEating!!
***** thats my guys! They are the best :)
I used to LOVE “Attack of the Show” and still think something in that format would do great on RUclips. Kevin Peirera and Olivia Mann had great chemistry also.
There's a show called The Attack that airs on Disney XD.
the last few years AOTS was literally the only show I watched on G4 till it was canceled
DaMightyBenStein I’ve caught a few episodes here and there. I wonder if it has any of the original people behind it. Definitely had the same feel.
Mulberryman Me too! (Well, that and “X-Play” but “AOTS” I watched every day and recorded to my DVR if I couldn’t!)
Man, but the Screen Savers!
Im surprised I missed this video. I started watching g4 around 2003. I was 10 or so and it blew my mind that there was a channel dedicated to strictly video games. As I grew older, I stopped watching it as much. I would say, late 05’ is when it started to dwindle for me. I genuinely feel the internet growing at the pace that it did, kind of took over most of my time. I remember tuning in on occasion after and it just not hold my attention for long.
With youtube and everything in between, it took over A LOT of what tv had going. It’s sad because I have a lot of nostalgia for early G4, but we’re so spoiled with youtube and the internet overall. Im glad things are where they are now. I can literally watch, read, listen to anything I want on demand. That necessarily wasn’t the case about 15 years ago. Nostalgia can sometimes be confused for “better” but that’s us, looking at the world through our younger selves.
Great video and attention to detail!
Props for still watching it in 2005. I was done with the channel before that point. I think I lasted a year into the merger. I was originally a TechTV watcher.
That was an excellent video. I never got to experience G4 in it's early years. I only got to see it in it's last days and by that moment I was not interested at all in more reruns of cops. But I do have a fond memory of flipping through the channels one day and settling upon an episode of Icons. I forget exactly what episode it was but it got me interested in the channel. Then when I decided to check it out again? it got cancelled.
It seems like G4 was a case of what might have been. And you did an amazing job detailing that. This was professional quality and one of the best you tube docs I have ever seen. Fascinating, witty and and all around fun video. Love your work. Keep it up. You Rock!
OcpCommunications
Hmmmmm.... do you remember what exactly was in the episode of Icons? If you want, I can try and find that episode on RUclips and point you to it. Also, in case you're interested, I noticed a number of different people recovering decade old episodes of certain shows like X-Play, Judgement Day (or Review on the Run), Arena and what-not. I can point to you some of those things too.
OcpCommunications Thanks! This was a major labor of love for me. G4 was a huge part of my life circa 2002-2004. I wanted to give it a proper send off.
Hypeathon Unfortunately, I can't even find the original episodes of Cinematech despite extensive Google searches. Management really fucked up badly.
I remember g4tv when I was younger (I think 8-13). I remember really liking xplay until they stopped making new episodes and threw syndicated programs on that turned me off of the channel. I remember thinking, "If I wanted to watch cops I would switch to the channel that had cops (spike tv)". Original Xplay feels like a dream now.
TechTV was that channel I had my cable box set to come up first when over I powered it on. I also watched a lot of G4 and when the networks merged it killed everything I enjoyed about the two networks. And, another great irony of how mismanaged that network is that they cancelled Portal just in time for World of Warcraft to become HUGE.
SteamPoweredTV having WoW on Portal would have been awesome
Definitely not crying, while drunk watching this at 3 am.
I miss G4..
So sad man..
Lockdown has given us so much time lmao
It's coming back. We finally have proof that there is a God. G4 is coming back next year.
Gaming G4
@@damightybenstein I am so sorry
Sounds eerily similar to a European gaming TV network I worked for in the 00s
Greed mixed with bad decisions?
GoodBadFlicks
Not so much greed, just out of touch producers with no idea about games telling people who do know about games that they don't know what they're talking about, and then watching their channel burn.
My shows were keeping them afloat to the point 80% of the channel in its last days were year old re-runs of shows I created. But they refused to make any new eps
That stinks. Such a shame when the folks in charge can't see what is working and why.
GoodBadFlicks
I think some do see it, they're just too proud/stubborn/arrogant to admit they're wrong.
Larry Bundy Jr U remember 10 Play? It's a Top 10 Video Game Show from UK.
Even with today's internet coverage I think a properly maintained channel focused on tech and video games would fit today's market like a glove. I love the early days of Tech TV with Leo Laporte and Kate Botello, and I feel that with the knowledge and experience that the folks have, a new focused channel could be created and embraced.
One of my favorite videos. Thanks for putting so much effort and passion on this beauty of a gem. RIP G4.
I loved when they covered San Diego Comic Con. I think the video nailed it. The producers didn't know what to do. They were just not geeks and they ran a geek channel.
Those first 2 years of G4, having shows like G4tv.com was like RUclips before RUclips. Damn I miss that channel.
The Rise and Fall of G4 TV Part 2: Electric Boogaloo.
I remember watching G4 in my teens. In the beginning, G4 was known as TechTV, then changed to G4. I used to love Attack of the Show, X-Play and all the E3 conventions that they aired, as well as the Tokyo Game Show. Then, G4 changed. Ninja Warrior was cool, but what I couldn't stand was that Cops and Cheaters was on all the time.
+TheNewEmphinix I friggen miss ninja warrior TT^TT when x-play ended my mom would sit down and watch hours of ninja warrior with me
+slayertakim1 Ya back when Nagano was reking in Sauske and you got the 3 main shows one after the other. Truly a great way to spend your day after school video game reviews and funny internet shit. At least Kevin and Chris are still on tv. Adam Sezler and Morgan Webb still review games so in a way G4 is still alive. Nice to know that G4 gave birth to these great people who still continue to do great work today. R.I.P G4
Kevin Lopez The worst things to come to G4 were Cops, Cheaters and another Cops themed show about college campus police officers.
what teenage demographic had "lots of money and tons of free time"? lol
white folk
Bahahahahahahaha!
s p o i l e d
b r a t s
w i t h
w e a l t h y
p a r e n t s
I had lots of money as a Teen and no not from rich parents, my family was really poor but I worked after school and made enough money to buy movies and games.
Usually when they say that they mean a business or marketing definition. Today to fit under many businesses definition of "young and wealthy" all you need to be is 14-25 and have a smart phone.
(long post) Man this brought back so many memories. I watched ZDTV-Tech TV since 1996... I grew up with Adam and Morgan... G4 was great content that I loved everything but arena. I miss being excited for those shows. I loved everything about tech tv,g4 in 2003-2006 it broke my heart so much when things where going south... I didn't have tv in 2010 but I went out of my way to go to my Parents to watch the final few episodes of Attack of the Show and Xplay. i cried when Adam got let go.. I knew something was wrong before he did and I have been following them all since. They don't know me but I feel I know them. Love you guys. Thanks for all the good memories ❤️
Fun Fact: The Big Bang Theory had fridge magnets that showed the 'G4 Videogame TV' logo on them. Those magnets are still there as of this comment.
Gamecube and PS2, man oh man games for days.
Man, just too bad what happened to G4, all that effort to get it up, into something cool, amazing, and then bam.
The first two years of g4 is like watching old school skateboarding vids on terrible cameras and fish eye lenses... it had such a charm to it and had your eyes absolutely glued to it.
I used to love watching “Attack of the Show”.
That show was so raunchy and funny. I loved it.
@@jayyt2969 the theme was catchy too with its techno voice
It was Hilarious.
@@sonic1135 attack of the showww attack
@@sominboy2757 it's real man its returning
I knew G4 was done the minute Munn left in 2010. A lot of nerds had nothing to spank it to after that ._.
+Kool Keith Productions It was done when it first became G4.
ishikabe1
When was that again? Cuz I actually started watching in late 2009, and I LOVED G4 then. AOTS and Xplay were my 2 favorite shows, and they were at their best around that time.
+Kool Keith Productions it was dead way before that, when Tech Tv had to downsize, they cut out a bunch of the original programs. By then, it was AOTS, X-Play, and Cops and more Cops
+Kool Keith Productions psshhh poor gamers , but truth to be told i do hear , coincidentally everything fell apart at the same time.
Sarah Jean Underwood was waaay hotter.
Who's here because of G4 coming back next year?
"We never stoped playing"
What if it sucks again?
@Bento Werner this comment did not age well
We respectfully wish they stopped playing.
I cried when they went out of business and stop broadcasting, I wish someone would buy it from Comcast and set it up as a iptv service with on demand of there back catalog and bring back to video video game based programming.
We must raid them
"PeOpLe WaNteD To PlAy tHe GAmE bUt NoT wAtcH pEoPlE PlaY tHe gAmE" oh they was so so so so wrong.
Flowey: "YOU REALLY ARE AN IDIOT."
Yea,reviews let me know if i wanna buy it,i use Twitch like this now
@Ruben Sheldon that is exactly what they meant tho, many other sources to out there besides this video, they highly believed that no one would watch people play games.
@@BeeLeeBeats So basically, network television itself is an out-of-touch format which should have been destroyed already.
Cringe
I was so lucky my small regional cable co carried G4/TechTV in it's prime. Loved watching The Screen Savers live, Call for Help, X-play, Icons etc. Great times.
Man this just broke my heart 😞 if I had the money to do so I would revive the channel
I would too
I would too especially now that I know what they did wrong
Damn! This was WAY F-ing better then I thought it would be. Great job, dude.
Thank you!
I was really surprised. At first I went to play it as white noise while I worked, but I wound up restarting and actually watching the whole thing.
After everyday at my shit job, I watched AOTS just to feel better about life. Kevin and Olivia everyday was the best.
You’ll be happy to know AOTS is back and Kevin is back too! They have the episodes right on there RUclips channel!
I was a Tech TV fan who had seen things about G4 in EGM and really wanted it. What I didn't want was the takeover of Tech TV. Even the Screensavers soon stopped being the version of the show I liked well before it became Attack of the Show. The charm of the Screensavers is that it was dorky, with people that really didn't belong on TV.
Well put. Leo and Pat were understated and conversational which was a perfect format for that type of show that discusses computers and gadgets. I learned so much from watching that show.
I liked both networks when they merged it was over.
@@danristheman1 same here loved them separately but once they merged I knew the end was coming , the way they did tech tv was horrible
Remember when they had the tech synth band on the show? I think there were accordions and a soundboard and I think pvc pipes. It was kinda weird but kinda cool at the same time.
To this day I remember Leo Leport advertising for everyone to pickup a copy of the book, "Backyard Ballistics" after they did a potato gun on the show.
I remember when X-play kept changing, definitely my favorite show. I knew when Adam and Morgan had to stand about 12 feet away from one another for no apparent reason the show was doomed to fail. I never really gave attack of the show a chance because they never seemed to talk about anything interesting when I watched. You're right though, now with youtube there's really no need for a gaming only channel, which kind of sucks.
+Hafa Ball it would be nice if they put some of these fan made compilations, gaming reviews, and general forum talk on tv
God I'm glad I was a little kid when G4 was in it's prime. I had no idea about any of the internal struggles at the time, but it makes sense now looking back. I owe a lot of my interest in videogames to X-Play and Cheat, especially my love for the Metal Gear Solid series (Kristen Holt you changed my life).
I loved Code Monkeys. Too bad they never released season 2 or made it to season 3
season 2 was made, started with the 420 special
Yes, season 2 was hilarious, but it was never released on DVD
I know the feel I still rewatch the episodes online.
It's somewhere here on YT. Just search for it and apply the playlist filter
I'm glad online services like RUclips now exists to host more niche content. The TV format with time slots and commercial breaks is unbearable to watch now. No wonder it's dying.
lol don't kid yourself tv really isn't dying, there are still commercials on youtube.
StrikeTeam7
Assuming you don't use adblock.
dvsaleios
I do but legally speaking their are commercials on the internet. Also Tivo exists so people skip commercials and pre record so tv dying is not true.
StrikeTeam7 TV isn't dying, but the traditional appointment time to watch a program is, with DVR and OnDemand options.
Roy Phillips
It still exist you just choose to participate in it or not. It's not completely gone. Only thing not like that is the netflix series.
Congratulations on being the video the new G4 execs definitely watched and decided to copy suggestion for suggestion. Amazing ideas in this vid and it’s crazy to see the relaunch taking a bunch of inspiration from this!
lol I would love it if they actually did.
@@GoodBadFlicks I remember watching this video years ago in university and thinking it was brilliant with how you suggested they focus on nerd topics that have seen a big rise in popularity like esports and dnd and I mean they now have dedicated shows for both. They may never admit it but in my head canon they people running the new company just had this video playing on repeat while they planned the launch lmao
This, and your "WTF Happened to X" videos, have been very well made and entertaining. I like what I've seen so far; you've earned a sub. Keep it up!
Thanks!
Morgan webb could be sigourney weaver's daughter.
I never thought of that, but yeah, for sure!
Lol why did they decide to fire Adam Sessler DURING an episode?
@Agent Smith That's what makes it so good!
@Agent Smith Is he actually, though? I know there's lots of clips of him acting a bit like Joe Biden, but I always chalked that up to him being kind of an old geezer himself.
I mean they had already decided to fire him, it's just that Adam noticed that the VP was there to see him and he immediately put 2 + 2 together while they were rolling.
i never watched G4 but i absolutely loved TechTV. that channel was one of the prime things that inspired me to move to san francisco, and it was probably the last tv channel that i could just watch all day and never get sick of. when G4 came in and completely destroyed it was pretty much the same time i gave up on cable/satellite tv altogether, and i haven't had a tv subscription of any kind since.
I remember as a kid being so annoyed that ZDTv changed to Tech Tv and then to G4. I was learning so much about computers then boom. In comes pop culture crap and terrible anime. I loved X-Play but I missed just having a show that would show me how to install a CPU and how to tweak your bios and talk about the hottest new digital cameras.
HotSkull for sure! i watched shows like the screen savers and call for help religiously.
Funny enough, those of us on the G4 side of fandom felt the same way about TechTV when the two started joining forces. "WTF is with all these new boring talk shows like X-Play and shit? We already have G4TV.com, where the hell is Blister and Portal and Cheat and Judgment Day and Filter?! (I was in middle school back then, so of course those were gonna be my favs) Go back to where you came from and stop ruining G4, TechTV!!!"
Ahhh, those were fun times, TBH...
As a TechTV fan I hated the merger. I lost my favorite show like Screensavers with Leo Leporte.
Some good G4 shows also went away. With the exception of X-Play, all the merger did was help get rid of both channels best shows and they ended up keeping mostly garbage.
It was bad for both fans since they watered down the video game programming as well as the tech programming
Leo is still on syndicated AM radio.
At least Leo Leporte went on to do podcast. I followed him for years after TechTV because I respected his intelligence and opinion.
@@only1sn1not1taken I started watching him since ZDTV. That's where I found him. #amazeyourself
“People want to play games not watch them,”
Twitch: laughing all the way to the bank 🏦
Leo and Patrick.... I miss u guys. Cat, u were so hot. Morgan... That time when u had blonde hair and the studio was really cold, I some forget lol
as a former G4 Correspondent I must lower my fedora out of respect to this great channel in hopes that perhaps it will one day be revived.
Good night sweet prince. Many a dorito was eaten, much dew was chugged and pizzas demolished while viewing your programmes.
*Roger Fedoraer, Mod of /r/gaming, League of Legends champion*
Roger Fedoraer it may be gone but its spirit will live on
Seems like an update video is needed for 2021-2022.
I was a gamer as a teen (2600, Colecovision, Intellivision) and later worked in IT in the very beginnings of the home computer craze when people had lots of choice (PC and clones, Atari, C64, Apple IIe & IIc, Amiga-1000) but I got bored and drifted away from gaming the year the NES and Sega came out. The last series of "big games" I was into was the original PC port of Tetris, Leisure Suit Larry (and the other Sierra *-Quest games) and a few years later: Doom.
I only watched 2 shows on G4: Code Monkeys which was AWESOME as it spoke directly to me and my IT years, and Attack of the Show because Olivia Munn was drop dead sexy (and still is!) and her on screen chemistry with Pereira was entertaining. I really missed both of those shows when they went belly up.