MTV Does Games This Week 30
MTV is taking another crack at a 'Gamer's Week' this week, and they're already showing they've learned since last year. Offering programming that's about 100x more respectful than anything at G4 (thank you Stephen Totilo), Gamer's Week 2.0 (really obnoxious Flash) will offer up many segments all week long on the next-gen consoles, upcoming and popular released games, and even some games industry esoterica. From the GameSetWatch article: "Tuesday, 11/14 — The spotlight falls on video game classics on Sucker Free as it features special Pro-Gamers, like Triforce from Empire Arcadia, the first fully realized urban gaming clan seeking prize money in organized competitions and arcade hustling, Dana Platt from 'VOA: Valkyries of Arcadia' and David 'Walshy' Walsh from Kianeto gaming clothing, and a look back at Tetris, Grand Theft Auto 3, Pacman and Super Mario Bros."
Best fit (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm honestly surprised it has taken MTV this long to start covering games. And it's not like they can't occasionally deal with "softer" issues smartly. MTV in the 90s had a very good show on movies that ran on Fridays. It profiled whatever big release there was but did a great job of profiling independent/smaller/foreign releases that didn't hit minor markets (stuff like Reservoir Dogs or Johnny Suede come to mind). It usually did a better job than most critic segments on TV.
Where else would gaming reporting "fit"? I can't think of any currently existing network where it makes sense for them to report on games. Maybe one of the news networks could have a gaming piece on its weekend entertainment shows but that audience is very old. I would imagine the same can be said about New York Times readers but that didn't stop their E3 Blog. I'm sure The Rocky Mountain News skews older too but they have occasional great gaming coverage.
You'd think newspapers would be all over this. With one or two staff members you can deliver a lot of content and with a big news name behind you, it's easier to get a scoop. Newspaper circulation is falling and younger readers aren't arriving... in print. Overall circulation (counting the internet) is up, and including smart, original/exclusive game coverage can add to that. You're adding fuel to the fire, capturing readership outside of your market that usually doesn't read your paper, and capturing a younger audience.
The only media that regularly covers games and treats them equally to film and music are magazines. Aside from strictly gaming mags, men's magazines (Maxim, Playboy) and entertainment magazines also report on games. Occasionally you see something insightful in Time or Newsweek. If was Nintendo, I'd be buying some ad space in Redbook and Seventeen. Can you imagine this Ladies Home Journal cover in 2012?
With it sitting next to a People cover with a very airbrushed Cliffy B smiling and talking about his love of cats.
OK. On the other hand maybe let's just stick to what we have now.