Video Games on TV

Well Spike TV is having their fourth annual Video Game Awards this Sunday December 9th. I haven't watched these awards in the past, but this year I have decided to check them out (likely days after on my TIVO). The reason I am interested though isn't to see who is going to win. I personally don't put a lot of stock in most awards shows because most of the time what really should win doesn't. My point in watching is to see what sort of production Spike pulls off. Since it is a show devoted to Video Games, my instincts tell me that it will be chalk full of corny clichéd punch lines and your standard stereo typical nerd fair.

Back when G4 was more about gaming, their shows were full of this type of nonsense that drastically degraded their product. Granted, I have watched my share of X-Play, but more because it was my best way to see games in action before they came out, not because I was enjoyed the show itself. The past few years however with the increasing quality of video podcasts, and websites centered around preview videos of games, I have seen no reason to watch G4 or any other show about video games on TV. Maybe, just maybe, Spike has learned from these mistakes and will provide a quality viewing experience more on par with the internet competition than the TV competition.

UPDATE: Long story short, I never watched the VGA Awards because my Comcast box decided to reset itself during the awards and my TIVO picked up a blank signal for two hours. I'm not sure if I should be mad at Comcast or thank them.....

Lost Mobisodes

When I heard last week about the Lost Mobisodes starting this past Monday, I was pretty excited. I have talked about Lost on this blog before and it is by far my favorite show on TV (even though it isn't currently on). After watching the first Mobisode I'm a little confused. The only thing it seemed to reveal is that Jack already knew that his dad really cared, which seems odd with the way things transpired following that event. What else does it mean if anything? I'm curious to find out what other people think. Check out a preview of the Mobisodes here.

LOST the "Maxi-Series"

I don't watch many TV shows, but when it comes to ABC's Lost, I'm hooked. Now I don't get as worked up like other people seem to when it comes to the plot twists, open agendas, and mystery of the series, but I would ultimately like to learn the secrets of the island. There was an article on Variety.com recently that discussed this very topic. The author, Brian Lowry, discussed an interesting alternative for TV shows such as Lost, Prison Break and others that are obviously not meant to run forever. Rather than treating these as your average TV show, he suggests what he calls a "maxi-series" in which a the date when the show will end is known by the audience. In theory, this would help to eliminate that anxiety and disgust that many people feel when watching these shows and not knowing if they will ever get any real answers. In this era of TV shows on DVD, iTunes and On Demand, this may be a step in the right direction toward retaining more viewers for an entire series.