G4 Rewind

G4 Rewind: Congrats on your latest promotion to editor-in-chief, how much does the new title change your work load?

Adam Sessler: There's a point at which you're working hard enough that any increase seems nominal in its burden Pretty much I'm still overseeing the content on the show and website but, as ambitious as we always are, we'll find ways to make it more challenging.

G4R: You've been with X-Play since its inception, 10 years now, which is quite a long time especially in the revolving door business that is television. Have you ever been tempted to move onto other projects?

Adam: I don't want to sound coy, but not really. Some of the joy of the show and how it's evolved is that many of my interests, be it comedy, game industry news and demos have been incorporated into X-Play. In addition, back in the ZDTV days I always assumed that the only reason I still had the job is that no one was paying attention so I've sublimated that attitude into a pleasantly sedentary existence.

G4R: If you had unlimited resources and time, what would be your ideal next step for X-Play?

Adam: World Domination. I want bureaus in Japan, Korea and all over Europe. While I still think that U.S. developers are the current leaders in quality and innovation, there's so such interesting experimentation and culture in games around the world that would be great to cover, not just when we go and visit. Other than that, we could also just host from the Sony Metreon.

G4R: Do you ever get time to read the X-Play boards or chat?

Adam: I do read the boards but I rarely jump on except when we caused multiple brain aneurisms over our GOTY choice for 2008. I used to go on a lot more but the etiquette has devolved into such mindless posturing that it seems that a post from me would only legitimize some appalling behavior and thought.

G4R: What's the one thing you've wanted to do on the show that you couldn't do (because it was too expensive, too controversial, whatever)?

Adam: I've always wanted to do a "Special Episode" based around John Hinkley's shooting of President Regan where I'm shot and we release a photo of me in a hospital bed holding a DS and a stylus in my hands to reassure viewers that I'm still in command of game review. Then I come back on the show playing Al Haig saying the constitution dictates that I'm next in line to host. I have no idea why no one went for it.

G4 Rewind: What are you interests outside of gaming?

Morgan Webb: I am very interested in science, specifically biology. I am especially fascinated by insects, arachnids and the concept of the super-organism.

G4R: Of all the X-Play sets, which was your favorite?

Morgan: The current set is my favorite! We're really happy with it.

G4R: You created your own tech news web cast called "Webb Alert." Can you talk about where the idea was born?

Morgan: I spend a lot of time reading blogs every day, and when I missed a day it would take forever to catch up. I wanted to create something that would help people keep up with everything that happened in the blogosphere in about 5 minutes a day.

G4R: Will we ever see any more special episodes such as the Halloween shows or the musical?

Morgan: I sure hope so! They're a lot of work to create, so it's a little harder to do while we're shooting a brand new show everyday. We love doing them so hopefully we'll be able to bring some more to our fans.

G4R: Would you ever consider consulting or contributing to a real game?

Morgan: I think it would be fun, but we're critics first. If we're taking money from game developers, we couldn't claim impartiality in our reviews.

G4R: Is there anything outside the world of gaming that you'd like to do on television?

Morgan: I hope one day I'll get the opportunity to do some science television, but for now I am happy teaching people about games on X-Play.

G4 Rewind: X-Play sort of went through an evolution in January; we went from a rather laid back Adam-&-Morgan-on-a-couch-cracking-jokes X-Play to more grown up, in-depth, serious-business X-Play. Can you talk about the changeover, what worked, what didn't and what's next?

Wade Beckett: The big push last January was essentially to relaunch X-Play as a daily topical videogame show. Game reviews have always been at the heart of the show but since the shows were pre-taped (sometimes weeks in advanced) we never had the opportunity to be very timely. Also, the air scheduled was a bit hit or miss. We'd roll out new episodes Monday-Wednesday with repeats Thursday and Friday making it difficult to get the word out in a timely manner. Comcast and G4 really believed in the show and greenlit the new daily format. One of or favorite aspects of the new daily X-Play are the hands-on demos. We offer up the opportunity for game developers to show off their games beyond screenshots and cinematic trailers. Want to show gamers 'real' gameplay--bring it on X-Play. As you've seen over the past 12 months it's really working. Everyone has really come through and the audience at home is the real winner. As the show continues to evolve we'll definitely be incorporating elements of the X-Play XL episodes from December 08 in to the show. We experimented with one hour eps last month to see how it would feel on a daily basis and the response from viewers was overwhelming. It was also a blast for us--albeit pretty crazy production-wise. I think the freedom that a one hour episode afforded in a more open and freewheelin' showdown rundown was most evident in Adam, Morgan, and the day's in-studio guests on the show. We gave them quite a bit more time each day to just talk about what they know and love--videogames. No teleprompter or forced agenda... just people talking games. It looked great and really played well on TV. We've received a ton of viewer feedback and people really just missed them 'hanging out'.

G4R: Some fans miss the skits that were once a pillar of X-Play, did they compromise the professionalism of the new format or did time just not allow for them?

Wade: We get this question a lot. The funny thing is we are doing more comedy these days than ever before. I think the biggest distinction is that we made a conscious effort to remove live action and animated comedy sketches/skits (for the most part) from within game reviews in favor of leaning on our writers and producer's razor sharp wit for added humor and punch in our reviews. Newer comedy franchises like Marvin the Game Dreamer and Gamertag!, coupled with favorites like Crazy Adam's Imports, Morgan's Home Swag Network, Drunk Link, The Canadian guy and Ratty make for a pretty diverse mix of humor. Comedy is big for us. On that note...look for the return of Ratty next month. Don't get on that guys bad side.

G4R: How hard (or easy) is it to get gaming industry insiders (developers, designers, etc.) on X-Play?

Wade: The response from the industry has been tremendous. Once they saw what X-Play was taking on-- TV's daily primetime show about videogames--they saw the potential. We can't make the show without the games and the publishers and developers have really come through in a big way. We've also really enjoyed the likes of Ted Price, Will Wright and Kyle Schubel dropping by to hang out on set. Look for more opportunities like this in the not-so-distant future.

G4R: Have you checked out X-Play's (televised) competition (The Electric Playground, GameTrailers TV) and if so, how do you think your show compares?

Wade: Yep. I know Victor (EP) and Geoff (GT TV) well. Both are talented guys and competition is a good thing for the industry. G4 has a deal with Electric Playground and distributes the show on our website in HD and Geoff used to work for G4 as well on the show G4TV.com with Laura Foy and Tina Wood. While both are shows that cover videogames, I really think we stand out from the pack. We are a daily show that is timely and topical, plus we really cover the entire videogame space. With reviews, demos, news, strategies, comedy, viewer interaction and segments like Will Work for Games, I think we do a fantastic job of covering the entire gaming space. There's room for multiple videogame shows on TV, but I'm definitely pleased that X-Play's the most watched and most respected. We are approaching our 1000th episode this year. No small feat for a TV show these days--whether it's about videogames or anything else. We're very happy.

G4R: In the past, X-Play has had several smaller award shows (G-Phoria, End of Year Awards, Golden Mullets, etc.), is there any plan to compete with Spike TV's own rather grandiose Video Game Awards?

Wade: I don't see G4 ever competing with Spike's VGAs on that type of scale--just doesn't make business sense for us. The VGA's most likely cost upwards of nearly double the annual budget of a daily X-Play. In March, X-Play will be broadcasting the Games Developers Awards from San Francisco in a primetime special. For the gaming audience at large, this type of thing makes much more sense for us. And to be honest, I really think extended speeches from Will Wright, Todd Howard and Cliff Bliszenski resonate with our audience more than to performances by the likes of the All American Rejects. We are also pretty please with X-Play's Annual 'Best of the Year' awards. They are simple and to the point. For us, it's all about the games.

G4R: Any plans for new or updated interactive bits of X-Play?

Covering over a million net square feet of space, the "2009 Consumer Electronics Show" will feature more than 2,700 exhibitors from 30 product categories. This year, auto technology, digital imaging, entertainment content and location based services (LBS) are growth leaders, expected to deliver major announcements at the show. G4's Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn, joined by correspondent Kristin Adams, gadget experts Chris Hardwick and Dave Mathews, as well as numerous guest experts, will be center court, bringing viewers an all-encompassing look at the best of CES and breaking news as it happens.

G4's nightly specials will also feature floor demos of the newest gizmos and reviews of the "must-have" toys, as well as an "inside the machine" exclusive look at how some of the hottest gadgets are made. In addition to product launches and demos, the 2009 CES will include an overwhelming array of 200 conference sessions with 500 expert speakers. G4 viewers will have the best seat at the most important press conferences, keynotes and events, and behind-the-scenes access for special interviews with industry legends.

"CES encompasses what G4 is all about which is why we offer more coverage from the show than any other network," said Neal Tiles, President, G4. "This is the technology Super Bowl for young guys, and we're making sure they catch every moment by delivering six hours of live coverage via the multitude of "G4 Multiplex" platforms, as well as real-time twitter commentary throughout the broadcast."

Highlights from "G4 Presents CES 2009" will include:

* Best of CES - G4 experts will review products making the biggest splash, including:

· Green technology

· Digital cameras and camcorders

· Computing, storage and peripherals

· Robots

· Automotive technology

· Mobile video

· Home theater and stereos

· Portable audio and video players

· TVs, projectors and displays

· Social networking platforms

· Convergent technology

· Presentations from new exhibitors

* Keynotes - G4 will deliver live coverage of the biggest keynotes, including the highly anticipated address from Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer
* Key Interviews - G4 will feature surprise interviews with top CEOs and exciting celebrities
* Expert Analysis - G4 will tap into some of the biggest names in the tech industry to get their thoughts on what the future holds for technology
* G4's Top 10 - G4 will present picks for the hottest technologies across 10 categories, including digital cameras, camcorders, automotive tech, computers, peripherals, home theater, displays and TVs, mobile phones, portable audio and video, and personal technology

In addition to six hours of live television coverage, the network will feature extensive CES coverage at G4tv.com, including full length videos and live-blogging from over 20 of the biggest and most important CES press conferences and keynotes, exclusive live streaming coverage of G4's "Best of the Best of CES Media Presentation," round-the-clock news coverage from TheFeed blog, hands-on video demos of the latest and greatest from the CES show floor, photo galleries and highlights from G4's six-hour on-air CES blowout.

CES 2009 coverage will also be available across G4's other non-linear platforms:

· G4 on Demand (VOD)

· G4 Podcasts (AOTS feed) - iTunes, Zune, etc

· G4 Mobile (Verizon VCAST, GoTV)

· G4's Wii and PS3 Console Portals