Video Game Matches to Be Televised on CBS

[DMenacer]

Video Game Matches to Be Televised on CBS
By SETH SCHIESEL
Published: July 28, 2007

The magic of television has already transformed everything from motorcycle acrobatics to poker into living-room spectator sports, not to mention turning competitive singing into a national obsession. Next on the list: video games.

Tomorrow at noon, CBS, the august home of the Masters and March Madness, will become the first broadcast network in the United States to cover a video game tournament as a sporting event.

"Who knows, in 10 years we could be looking back on this as a very significant moment," said Rob Correa, senior vice president for programming at CBS Sports. The network's broadcast will consist of edited moments from the World Series of Video Games tournament, held in Louisville, Ky., last month.

"There are an enormous amount of people of all ages who play video games these days, so we're going to try to see if video games' popularity can translate into a viable television audience," Mr. Correa said.

While representatives for the other major broadcast networks said they had no plans to cover video games as a sporting event, CBS is planning to broadcast at least two more video game programs this year.

For gamers, the national model to emulate is South Korea, where video games are one of the dominant pop-culture pastimes and where there are at least three full-time video game television networks akin to ESPN. But for now, they and the rest of the viewing public will have to make do with this first attempt at making games a mass spectacle.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/28/arts/television/28vide.html?_r=1&th=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&emc=th&adxnnlx=1185631812-Ql18x1iESXnjLLs1gN1D2A

[detourne_me]

heh.. believe me,   people definitely watch the video games tv stations here in SK. one of the pro gamers is doing his military service at the base my town surrounds, and a co-teacher was ecstatic the day he got the pro-gamers autograph.

doesn't G4 play video game tournaments too?

[Ajax]

heh.. believe me,   people definitely watch the video games tv stations here in SK. one of the pro gamers is doing his military service at the base my town surrounds, and a co-teacher was ecstatic the day he got the pro-gamers autograph.

doesn't G4 play video game tournaments too?

Nope. That would make to much sense for a network dedicated to gaming but they are like the illegitimate child of E and SpikeTV. The only gaming shows they still air are X-Play (game reviews) and Cheat.

Besides that they do talk shows, con coverage (they are doing Comic-con currently), and Ninja Warrior (japanese game show which is really fun to watch imo).

[Previsionary]

actually, if you have direct tv or something, there's a few more gaming channels + a whole station dedicated to gaming and other stuffage, i believe. I was surprised to see a gaming program on, I think, Starz. Speaking of spike...don't they still do their video game rewards or am I imagining that...like i apparently imagined alot of stuff related to spiketv. :P

G4, um...they did show old broadcasts on video game tournaments...when it was still techtvish. I don't exactly know how to classify current g4...it's not as educational as it used to be and nowhere near as helpful or particularly entertaining, imo.

[detourne_me]

ahh, but leo laporte still has a show right?

[GhostMachine]

I think Leo Laporte's show was replaced with either infomercials or X-Play re-runs. G4 has changed a lot in the last year or two, and unfortunately not for the better in most cases (I wish they'd get rid of the Man Show re-runs and bring back the late night anime, for one thing). But at least they still have Adam Sessler. (Adam Sessler and Zach Selywn are my two favorite male G4 personalities, and Kristin Holt is a LOT hotter than Morgan Webb, in my opinion - I really miss Diane Mizota, though)

G4 did used to have that show Arena, which was sort of a video game tournament series with two teams facing off each week and the winners advancing, but they stopped making new episodes a few years ago and I believe they stopped airing the re-runs last year or early this year.

[Previsionary]

Leo still had the screensavers on the canadian airwaves until probably...a few years ago. I think he runs a podcast now or appears on Kevin's podcast...haven't really kept up. On the plus side...g4 does still offer some useful things. Just a few mins ago, they showed a hi-def trailer/pics of the next batman movie...so...all is not lost. :P

[crimsonquill]

G4 has befallen the standard cable sheepism that to keep the "ratings" they must air shows that appeal to a mass audience (i.e. Cops, Star Trek) and the occasional reality show (Cheaters) but have lost all of their original core shows because of the cast getting fed up with dealing with the new owners of the network. But that will probably change now that their Con coverage is helping expand their name and the now getting to have exclusive shows like the new Spaceballz Animated series (teasers have been showing during their Comic-Con coverage) and my favorite new toon - Code Monkeys.

However, CBS getting to air video game competitions seems a bit weird since most games contain more then G-Rated violence which leads me to expect them to clash with their network censors a lot over this. Unless they dust off the 8-Bit Arcade machines like that old game show Starcade - the first show with something like Mortal Kombat Armageddon or Quake 4 or Doom 3 or any VS shooter at all would have it off the air with numberous law-suits from over protective parents that forgot to set their TV censorchips for sporting events.

- CrimsonQuill