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Good Game
Created by	Janet Carr Jeremy Ray
Presented by	Steven O'Donnell (2007-present) Stephanie Bendixsen (2009–present) Jeremy Ray (2006–2009) Michael Makowski (2006)
Country of origin	Australia
Original language	English
No. of series	10
No. of episodes	295 (as of 30 March 2014)
Production
Executive producer	Janet Carr
Producers	Janet Carr Ben Shackleford Lin Jie Kong
Production locations	New South Wales, Australia
Running time	30 minutes 40 minutes (specials) 60 minutes (season finals)
Original release
Network	ABC (2006–2007) ABC2 (2008–present)
Release	19 September 2006 (2006-09-19) – present
Related
Good Game: Spawn Point Good Game: Pocket Edition

Good Game is an Australian television gaming programme produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It was created by Janet Carr and Jeremy Ray.

The programme, currently hosted by Steven "Bajo" O'Donnell and Stephanie "Hex" Bendixsen, is a mix of gaming news, reviews and gaming-themed features. The tagline of Good Game is "a show for gamers by gamers". The show has two main spin-offs: Good Game: Spawn Point and Good Game: Pocket Edition.

Production

File:Good Game filming.jpg

Filming on the set of Good Game in August 2013.

Monday and Tuesday we film, and Wednesday is for extra bits and field shoots where Hex and I usually aren’t required. Wednesday and Thursday are our review days, and during this time we also write and capture footage and check and tweak the previous week’s edits. Fridays the show gets sound mixed and we have a production meeting and read all the reviews and talk about them. Then we log as much footage as we can and it all starts again. It’s a very busy job, making two TV shows a week along with reviewing means there’s not much time for dressing up, but we try to.

Bajo's interpretation of the production schedule, interviewed by Kamidogu, 12th March 2011

Tv.com explains that "Good Game is a news and reviews show about computer games, aimed at the gaming community. It also includes gaming tips and interviews with game developers". A lot of the show must be written during the week between shows' airings as most of the content is reviewing newly launched games. While most of the content is scripted, many parts - such as the filler sketches in between or during segment are improvised. During these skits, the show tends to rely on long takes rather than cutting to different camera angles and other footage.

Mondays and Tuesdays we shoot both shows (Good Game and Good Game: Spawn Point), Wednesdays and Thursdays we play the games for the week, write the reviews and then capture and log all the gameplay footage for the editors. We’ll also check the review from the previous week’s game that’s set to go in this week’s show. Friday we have a big production meeting, and we have a kind of cool ritual where we all watch the sound mix together. Over the weekend we tend to play a bit more and capture any additional footage needed — then the whole process starts again on Monday.

Hex's interpretation of the production schedule, interviewed by Kamidogu, 12th March 2011

Hex says, "It takes a week of long hours and hard work to put together a review on the show. Gaming, capturing all the game footage, logging all the footage, writing the review, re-writing, editing, filming, re-editing… the finished product is something I’m really proud of". Everyone on the Good Game team is considered very passionate about what they do and are all gamers, so there communication is considered to flow very smoothly when describing things like possible montages. Bajo described the editing process as "a bit like Machinima". Both he and Hex check edits remotely, during the period of the week when they have finished their filming and the rest of the crew "shoot field stories and finish off the rest of the show". MolksTVTalk1 notes that the use of clips from games has become more sophisticated over time, initially only being used to highlight what was being discussed in the review, but recently also serving as comedic punchlines. Hex says that during the playing of games and filming of footage, she becomes quite attached to her avatars, she wants to show off what her own character did. Hex says, "We’ve tried our best on the show to present both sides of the argument in any stories we’ve done". The production process involves no physical tapes. Syd explains that the camera records onto a hard drive, which then gets transferred to the editing program (Final Cut Pro was used as of December 2012). The final timeline then gets put onto a Betacam tape for transmission and then the ABC Library. Jedi, a Good Game video editor explained that while the team would love to make the show in HD, "all of ABC2 (and most other free to air channels) are transmitting in Standard Def". He also stated that while Good Game wants to have high quality videos on its site, "[the mp4s] are obviously more compressed (lower quality) video than what we broadcast on ABC2 [and] is the [...] standard set by the ABC for all it's web content." He adds that "to up that quality across the board means greatly increasing the cost of having all this online content," something they don't want to do.

Presenters

All of the hosts go by their gamer tags on the show as opposed to their real names. Some are based on childhood nicknames while others were created just for Good Game.

Current hosts and supporting hosts

Bajo

Steven "Bajo" O'Donnell (series 2–present) took on the role of after auditions were held to find a replacement host for series 2 following the resignation of Mike Makowski. He had been trying to get a job in film and TV for about 7 or 8 years, and had seen the show before, so accepted the open call-out which involved "writing a review and doing a DVD presentation". He said he got his "dream job" due to "luck and persistence". On 9 March 2007, it was announced that he would be the new co-host.

Hex

Stephanie "Hex" Bendixsen (series 5–present) is the newest host of Good Game, having controversially taken over the role from Junglist in time for series 5. Bendixsen had also auditioned for ABC3, but won the role on Good Game, replacing Ray. She had approached Bajo at Supanova as a fan, and had been told Good Game was looking for someone, so she sent in a series of reviews, the style of which she said she already knew how to do, having already watched the show for a couple of years. She later did a screen test and ended up getting the job "quite quickly". Her first episode was on 26 October 2009. Hex got into games relatively late as she did not have a gaming household.

Goose

Gus "Goose" Ronald (series 7–present), is the show's current field reporter. He has had this role since series 7 of the program. His addition to the team was announced via Facebook on 17 June 2011. The callout was announced on 21 March 2011, with: "Good Game [...] is looking for a new Field Reporter! Can you fill the shoes of Ajax and Rei? Find out how to apply by watching tomorrow nights show". Before he joined the show, he was "in Melbourne working as a freelance video editor". Goose added that he's "been a gamer [his] whole life and a big fan of the show". He described his job thus: "I do all the stories that are NOT in the studio. While Bajo and Hex prepare and present all the reviews and news, they send me out to do the topical stories out on location."

D.A.R.R.E.N

D.A.R.R.E.N - an acronym for Data Analysing Robot for the Ruthless Extermination of Noobs (series 7–present), is the robot co-host for the show's subsidiary programme for all ages, Good Game: Spawn Point. However, he has had supporting role appearances on the main show since series 7 - mostly in the season finales but often as a cameo in various episodes. DARREN was announced via a Facebook video post made on 19 February 2010. Due to the fanbase of the show, an official Twitter account was even created on Twitter. When asked about the voice over artist for D.A.R.R.E.N, Bajo simply replied "Darren is eternal".

Former hosts and supporting hosts

There have been many hosts and co-hosts throughout the show's long history that are not currently in those roles. Jeremy "Junglist" Ray is the co-creator of Good Game and co-hosted the show from 19 September 2006 to 19 October 2009 - series 1–5 - until he was controversially fired. Michael "Kapowski" Makowski was the inaugural co-host of the show, and left the role at the end of series 1 after announcing his resignation via Good Game's online forum on 14 February 2007; he returned for an interview for the 100th episode on 24 August 2009. P_Nutz was a yellow puppet introduced during Good Game's pilot episode in May 2006; this supporting host of season 1 drew a lot of criticism and debate from viewers over its antics, seemingly aimed at a younger demographic. Some likened it to a monkey modeled on Agro of Agro's Cartoon Connection, some believed P_Nutz's presence would prevent the show from being taken seriously, and others were simply annoyed by its presence. A poll was conducted on the official Good Game website regarding his appropriateness in the programme, and the results suggested he was inappropriate. It was decided he should die while defusing a bomb in Counter Strike, and a Flash animation of this - made by community member "RubberRoss" (Ross O'Donovan, better known as RubberNinja by the Newgrounds community) - was aired in the final episode of series one. When answering a question on Good Game regarding his whereabouts, Bajo and Hex point out he was on the show before both of them joined. Hex described him as "kind of terrifying", and Bajo admitted he "wasn't very popular". Bajo said he left the show because "viewers demanded that he met a rather explosive demise", referring to the bomb defusal. He has still remained on the show as a running gag, such as in the reviews of Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure, Killing Floor and Ghostbusters: The Video Game. One of the variants of the "technical difficulties" screen includes his face. The role of Miles "Dr. Daneel" Tulett on the first 2 seasons of the show was as an expert on technical issues, and he had various computer-related segments on Good Game. He left the show to pursue his studies at university and because he felt that his segment was no longer hardware-oriented, and returned for an interview for the 100th episode on 24 August 2009. Matthew "Aiyiah" Lee ran the So You Think You Can Game segment on series 2 of Good Game. As of series 3, he is now a researcher for the team. Sheridan "Lux" Leanda had segments on topics such as cyber bullying and girls in gaming throughout series 3. Tracey "Rei" Lien was first introduced in Series 5, Episode 3 as the show's field reporter. She was already a practicing journalist and games writer prior to taking up the role of field reporter, and currently contributes stories on gaming culture to the show. On the series 5 Christmas special in 2009, she announced she'd be leaving to France to further her studies. Her role was passed down to Ajax in 2010. She returned to do reports from European countries such as Gamescom 2010 in Cologne, Germany. She was also seen during Series 7, Episode 20 in the E3 special. Jackson "Ajax" Gothe-Snape was a field reporter introduced for the sixth season.

Guest hosts

Andrew "Bindi" Hansen guest hosted on 21 June 2010 in Series 6 (Episode 19), on 14 June 2011 in Series 7 (Episode 19), and on 12 June 2012 in Series 8 (Episode 18). He replaced Bajo as he was at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 2010 and 2012, and Hex when she was there in 2011. He originally guest appeared on 6 October 2008 in Series 4, Episode 25. Dave Callan guest hosted for three episodes during the 2012 season and did reviews for Kid Icarus: Uprising, Heroes of Ruin and various dancing games (Just Dance 4, Dance Central 3, etc.). He also came back in 2013 with a segment called Laying Down the Lore with Dave Callan where he talked about The Elder Scrolls, Resident Evil and Assassin's Creed as well later hosting an episode alongside Bajo while Hex was at E3 in 2013.

Segments

Former Segments:

• 5up: A countdown of the best 5 things of a subject or game. Also shown in Good Game: Spawn Point
• Ask Good Game: A section of the show introduced in series 5 that was eventually dropped in 2009. It lives on in Good Game: Spawn Point and Good Game: Pocket Addition.
• My First Love: A segment in which game developers are asked about their introduction to gaming.
• Greatest Gaming Moments: Displays and analyses a "classic moment" in a video game.
• Backwards Compatible: Introduced in series 4 where the best and worst of gaming history is shown. Also shown in Good Game: Spawn Point.
• This is your Extra Life: A section of the shown narrated by Goose. Details a video game characters history.

Game Reviews

The shows rating system in the form of Rubber Chickens, with each number representing the quality of the game. 10 is the highest of the rating system while the lowest is 0. The highest score with two reviewers is 20.

Games with ratings of 20

Black Mesa Batman Arkham City [[

Other segments

There have been a variety of other segments that pad out episodes and explore the wider gaming world. Many segments were introduced in a later season. Gamer News - a segment on game announcements, major updates and patches etc., Name the game - a 'guess that retro game' trivia segment, and Industry Interviews - interviews with people related to the game industry, have been featured in each of the 9 series. The Goodbye segment always ends with "may all your games be good ones", and then Bajo and Hex both signing off with "[insert name] out". Backwards Compatible started in Series 4, and goes over the best and worst of gaming history, and how this has helped shape the future of gaming. This segment was preceded by Series 3's Evolution of a Genre. Ask Good Game is a segment where Good Game are asked questions from the Good Game community, and was first seen from Series Five. Good Game points out in their F.A.Q that when asked "When does [insert name of game here] come out?" questions, all the team does is do an internet search, something also available to the audience. Also starting in series 5, Great Gaming Moments displays and analyses a 'classic moment' in a particular game. Pile of Shame is a segment interviews game developers asking what games haven't they completed, and was first seen from Series Six. My First Love involves interviews with game developers, asking what was the first game they fell in love with, and began in series 7. Other segments are season-specific, arbitrarily come and go from season to season. Gamer Tonight was a fictional flash animated talk show starring Richard Farkas from the "Win the Beast" entry "The Pitch", involving interviews with a different genre of gamer each segment. Six segments aired in Season 2 with another eight aired in Season 4. Outside of Good Game, a live action episode was released in July 2008 whilst a special episode was made for Machinima in December 2010. The show was created and animated by Ross "Rubber Ninja" O'Donovan, who came to this position after years of animation experience on online sources such as Newgrounds, and features the voice talents of Arin "Egoraptor" Hanson, Faye Mata and Kira Buckland. Tiny Power is an animation by Australian animation studio, Studio Joho, and is based on the mobile game Tiny Tower, and started in Series 7. The first season (Series 7) was parodies of popular media. Tiny Power was carried over to Series 8 with a plot about a group of game developers. The animation had recently ended with its fifth and final season. Roffle Cup is a multiplayer match of a specific game (past cups have featured Counter-Strike, Age of Empires and even Wii Bowling) with commentary usually done by commentators from gaming SHOUTcast organisation Gamestah.

The Team – Machinima - duck Australian machinima video segments - was one of the season one-specific segments. They were highly criticized by fans on the forums, and in series 2 the segment was replaced by Gamer Tonight. At the end of each episode, Miles "Dr. Daneel" Tulett explained how to install parts of a compute among other things in Build a Machine, tying into a promotional competition involving winning a computer. Season 2 introduced new segments such as MeatSpace, a Lego stop pause animation created by community member Blunty (Nate Burr), revolving around two friends and their gaming related incidents. Ask the Doc, a replacement to Build a Computer, saw Daneel helping with technical issues. Ultimate Showdown was a 'best of' style segment related to games, which looked at specific features like boss fights and opening sequences, and encouraged forum participation. So you think you can game? saw Matthew "Aiyiah" Lee divulge hints and tips for specific games, and set a challenge for the featured game. Season 3's Quarter Circle + A was a series of primarily animated video game parodies created by Rob Moffett and Benjamin Baker. Replacing Gamer Tonight and MeatSpace, the show's presentation varied each week with formats ranging from machinima, fictional in-game footage, satirical video game reviews to lampooning 1950 educational films. A Cartridge Affair, a parody of the show A Current Affair, was a humorous news spin-off about a different game subjects. Fatal Rage of Conflict was an animation, set in a 2D side-scrolling fighting game. WTF? (What Were They Thinking?) was introduced in series 5 as a platform for Bajo and Junglist to criticize a game and question its existence. With the Good Game game, Office Wars released, Bajo and Junglist announced on episode 4 of series 5 that a serious game (a game designed for a purpose rather than amusement) would be developed in a segment entitled Good Game "Serious Game". Series 6's 5-Up counted down the top five in gaming related subjects, including top five weapons or RTS strategies. Similar top-ten countdowns would take place in later series end-of-the-year specials. Series 7 brought with it The Game Dev. Story, featuring a short look at the history of a successful game developer. Fanboys vs Haters was a segment involving debating over a particular game or series. Bajo and Hex each imitated fanboy/hater responses. Online polls asked viewers if they were a fanboy/hater/neither, and the best forum posts and video responses are discussed in a later episode. The "Fanboys Vs. Haters" of the show's website said: "Welcome Fanboy or Hater, here's where you can submit your reasoned arguments/emotional tirades. Use the form below to submit your p.o.v in 300 words or less, the better your argument, the more chance it has of being shown to the world and lorded over other peoples lesser opinions". Deep Space Discs involved asking game developers what three games they would take with them if they were to go on a deep space adventure. My Gaming Hero came onto the show in season 8, and involved asking game developers who their hero in the gaming industry is. Series 9 introduced My First Gig in Gaming, a segment which asked game developers what their first job in the gaming industry was. This Is Your EXTRA Life, narrated by Goose, involved character studies of someone featured in a reviewed game of that episode.

Relationship with audience

As well as providing many audience participation opportunities for its viewership, Good Game maintains a uniquely open relationship with its viewers. As such they have appeared at special events to greet fans and many of the segments on the show often rely on fan support such as the "Ask Good Game" section and the "Tiny Power" series. The show has a forum on its website where fans can talk about the latest shows and video games and is frequently updated. Registered users can post instantly while other unregistered users can only post with moderator approval. The shows website also contains polls where users can vote on a particular subject.

Good Game "Game"

Good Game "Game" was a competition for series 4 where viewers were asked to give suggestions and ideas for a crowdsourced playable game prototype, to be officially released on 17 November 2008. If "there [was] much popularity within the community" it was a possibility for "the game [to be taken] further and produce[d] for PC, XBLA and PSN". The Good Game website explains that "In an Australian first, Good Game and the Australian Film Commission, invited the Good Game audience to bring their creative ideas together to help build their own playable online game. As well as giving the audience a chance to develop a 'crowd sourced' game of their choice, the most innovative contributors have been rewarded with prizes, including two mentorships with Infinite Interactive", developer of Puzzle Quest. The Australian Film Commission and ABC TV announced the initiative on 21 December 2007, and applications closed on 15 February 2008. Lori Flekser, Director of Film Development at the AFC said, "We are all very excited about Good Game as it provides a terrific opportunity within a reasonable budget for a games developer to have this exposure through a television program and to create a game which they can exploit in the future". The competition was set up in 3 phases. Janet Carr said "We're going to have input at every single stage so by the end of it, hopefully, anyone who's really interested in being part of it will feel like they have been." In Phase 1, Good Game asked their viewers for ideas for a "game they would want to play & build". Entrants were aged from years 10 to 54, and game ideas ranged from Outback Rescue (rescuing lost tourists) to Full Turtle Racket (about baby sea turtles), and two entries suggested a game based around then-Prime Minister John Howard. Troy's Office Wars idea was chosen from over 800 entries, after being chosen as the top choice for each judge in a panel of industry experts. The panel included Janet Carr, "as well as representatives from the AFC and the game developer". The game "involve[d] the player trying to manage a series of basic office tasks whilst fighting against the clock, their co-workers and many other hazards." Zac Duff, who worked on the project, described it as "frantic" due to the multitasking involved. The premise, according to Troy, was as follows:

He was announced as the winner of Good Game's game design competition on the 21 April 2008 episode. Due to the "quality of entries", 20 entries were deemed winners in the end, and their creators received a "Good Game T-Shirt for their outstanding efforts and unique ideas". However, Troy received a gaming console as his prize. As part of the Good Game Game competition, two internships at Infinite Interactive were offered to the entrants. The 20 winners were interviewed by the panel for one of the internships, with Zac Duff being named the final winner of the prize. He started at the company in August that year and worked on Office Wars. Phase 2 involved Good Game setting up 4 tasks, which sought viewers' "ideas on how we should start to shape the game". Tasks included things like naming the corporation and its type of business, and naming the 5 statistics and skills of the player. The top ideas were chosen by the GG team, and voted on in the Good Game forum. Six people were awarded console prizes.

Roffle Cup

The show itself was simply fun. Conversational in tone, jovial in presentation, it felt more like a casual trivia night between friends than a serious competition, and for an audience with such variety I consider that a success. There were a few organisational hiccups – contestants talking over DARREN as he asked a question, then making him repeat it because they didn’t hear it, and a charades-esque round was cut short due to some confusion – but they were forgivable for a first time effort, and somehow they added to the charm of the show. Everyone involved should be proud of what they accomplished: an immensely enjoyable afternoon of gaming trivia with an audience who shared a passion for gaming.

AlexPants, Good Game’s Roffle Cup and the Audience That Surprised Me

The Roffle Cup is an annual live gaming panel quiz, held for the first time in 2012. It took place on Sunday 11 November at the Sydney Opera House, and was 120 minutes long without an interval. The event had Bajo and Hex as team leaders, with Mark Serrels and Maude Garrett completing Team Bajo, and Joab Gilroy and Jimmy Rees completing Team Hex. Goose served as the roaming audience interactor - "frantically running back and forth across the theatre with his microphone", and DARREN's role was quizmaster. The show started off with "a round of general gaming trivia questions started the show, easy questions about particularly well-known games", yet later in the day "became more difficult, [and] the teams frequently turned to the audience for help"., and the questions spanned multiple decades. While it featured questions about games rated M and MA15+, the actual content was censored and suitable for ages 8 and up. Reviewer AlexPants noted the show "seemed like it would be geared toward the Spawn Point audience...and while the majority of the audience was composed of children and their parents, it was interesting to see the content being more inclusive of a wider audience". He also noted "interaction was encouraged, and seeing so many eager hands go up was great". While he thought "Kids will never get that question!" many times throughout the night, he was surprised by how much gaming culture the spawnlings were exposed to. For example, a "surprisingly large amount of the audience sang along [to] ‘Still Alive’". He notes "after the show, the line to meet the hosts and guests numbered well over half of the audience", something he had "only ever seen at Supanova or the EB Expo", and added "it fascinates and excites me that... Good Game can draw crowds of all ages and create such an experience for them. A small show on the ABC has grown so much, into something so big, and it’s simply amazing seeing what effect that has had on the younger gaming audience". Highlights from the show were featured in the Good Game's finale episode of series 8, which aired on 4 December 2012.

Awards and achievements

At the sixth annual Sun Microsystems IT Journalism Awards, held on 1 April 2008, Good Game won 2 gold Lizzie awards, including one for the most prestigious category, Technology Title of the Year, becoming only the second non-print title to "take home the top prize". The show also won the award for Best Multimedia Coverage of 2007 after "scoring through the roof". A special mention was made that Good Game won the Gold "Lizzie" by the most votes in the awards history. Good Game was also Commended in the Best Gaming Title of 2007 category and Good Game's researcher Maurice Branscombe was also highly commended in the Best Gaming Journalist of 2007 category. Amanda Duthie, Head Arts, Entertainment and Comedy, ABC TV said "We are thrilled that Good Game has been recognised for both editorial coverage and technological innovation at the Lizzie Awards".

At the seventh annual Sun Microsystems IT Journalism Awards, Good Game won the award for Best Video Production of 2008. According to ABCYou, "the judging panel's final comments included nothing but praise for the show, including commendations that Good Game is an 'an excellent all-round production', and that the show has a lot of 'street cred'. One judge even went so far as to compare Good Game with the UK's most popular auto program, Top Gear, by saying 'these guys love games the way Jeremy Clarkson loves cars'". "Junglist" and "Bajo" accepted the award on the night. Maurice Branscombe was Highly Commended in the category of Best Gaming Journalist for the second year running. Jeremy Ray was highly commended in the Best Gaming Journalist category, and nominated in the Best Reviewer category.

In a review of the 2009 book The Good Game Gamer's Guide to Good Gaming, Girl.com.au mentioned that "Good Game is now the number-one downloadable show across all of ABC Television (almost one million downloads this year alone)". Interviewer SteveMolk said, "They’ve worked hard to gain the support of the Australian gaming community and this is reflected in the show – it’s one of the strongest shows on ABC2 evenings and the show is the most downloaded/watched show via the ABC’s iview service".

In 2010, Good Game picked up a "Lizzie", for "Best Video Production". Good Game was the most downloaded ABCTV show in 2009 and 2010. The show won the iTunes Rewind award for Best Video Podcast in 2011. In 2012, Good Game was Highly Commended as Best Video Program at the tenth annual Sun Microsystems IT Journalism Awards. Good Game was nominated for Australian Gaming Entertainer of the Year at the AGGN 2012 Gaming Awards.

In 2013, Good Game won Best Video Production at the MCV Awards, where Bajo and Hex hosted. In the same year, the show was also highly commended for best video program at the 2013 Lizzies.

Critical reception

Good Game constantly receives generally positive feedback. The show has a user rating of 8.1 on the site Tv.com based on 25 votes. In a "Good, Alright, Bad Or Ugly?" rating system, Change the Channel gave Good Game a score of "Alright". Invalid Channel gave the show a 7.5 out of 10. The show also got a score of 7.5/10 from 98 user ratings on imdb.

Jasonb, when interviewing Bajo, noted that in his opinion "A lot of the success of Good Game is from your own style, sense of humour and presentation". In 2010, Change The Channel said "as is expected...game reviewers Hex and Bajo bounce about delivering sometimes funny, sometimes forced, commentary on the world of gaming" from a set that "looks rejected from CheeseTV" due to its tight budget. The site adds that despite this, "Good Game makes for a refreshing addition to the game criticism conversation". It described their chemistry as not "at a Margaret and David level yet", but put that down to the recent changeover, and said Bajo had much better chemistry with Hex than with Junglist. The site added that "they both feel like they’re occasionally reading, and Bajo sometimes hams it up so much he comes across as though he’s auditioning for a kids afternoon program". It said the various segments throughout the show's history from different reporters have mostly been hit and miss, adding that "Why Gamers Cheat" was better than a recent segment "which was too silly to be worth paying much attention to". It compared the show positively to video game review series Zero Punctuation, and added that excluding Charlie Brooker's Gameswipe one-off special, it is "the best television based gaming alternative out there" due to being both funny and optimistic about the state of the gaming industry.

Hope 103.2 describes the show as "it’s light-hearted, easy to watch and strangely informative". Reviewer Mark Hadley said he enjoyed the "cheeky and full of quirky sideline segments, naming ‘Fanboys vs. Haters’ as his favourite, due to its demonstration that "one man’s chalk is another man’s cheese". Despite the widely varying opinions of games, he stresses "the joy of video games is their ability to test our physical, mental, even spiritual limits by taking us outside of ourselves". He has praised the inclusion of "sensitive segments on cyber bullying within the gaming community and girls in games". He argues that as Good Game Spawn Point is "particularly aimed at G and PG gamers", (meaning everyone - as all people can play G or PG games), he can watch the show with his children, allowing him the "opportunity to connect" part of the gaming conversation. Interviewer SteveMolk said, "not only are Bajo & Hex becoming great story tellers in their own right, but Janet has drawn to the show a wider crew who are all gamers and skilled producers, editors, and special-effects wizards in their own right. All this for a ‘little gaming show’".

Junglist and Hex controversy

In 2009, the ABC decided to run auditions for new hosts on ABC3. Stephanie "Hex" Bendixsen was announced with other hosts for ABC3, and was thought to be hosting Good Game: Spawn Point. However it was revealed on the show's official forum that Bendixsen would in fact be replacing existing host Jeremy Ray entirely on both the original and new programme.

Ray claimed the dismissal was because "they wanted a girl on the show", and stated that "mass appeal" was a direct quote from that meeting. However fellow co-creator Janet Carr of the show replied back on that statement saying "Regardless of what Jung might say GG will NOT be dumbed down and I state again, the decision was nothing to do with bringing in a girl… I'm a girl and I started this show - I don’t care about the gender of the presenters - I just care about having the best people working on it." The network first claimed Jeremy would stay behind the scenes in a writing capacity, then stated he would not be working on the show due to holiday travel plans that conflicted with the show's schedule. It then made the statement: "The reason for replacing Jeremy Ray was ongoing behind-the-scenes performance based issues."

In response to questions regarding tweaks made to the show due to the changeover, Bajo replied: "We haven’t changed anything in particular since Hex joined us- the feel of the show is obviously quite different with a new host but we’ve always mixed up segments and tried different ideas on a regular basis to keep things fresh. This year we’ve had much more time to review games than before, and more of the team are getting involved in other segments and trying their skills at different jobs which is wonderful to see". When asked about Junglist, Hex replied "we're cool."

Mobile application

In 2012, Good Game released an app that is the self-proclaimed "ultimate tool for staying on top of the latest game reviews and Good Game news while on the go". It has a bank of game reviews from the show, full episodes, the ability to make profiles, user reviews, sharing, and achievements. The iPhone version was released first, and the Android one was developed for a released later that year. The Android version began Beta testing in August 2012, and users could test out the beta by sending Good Game an email with a request. The average rating for the Android version is 4.7 out of 5 based on 351 user ratings.

Book

In 1 December 2009, the companion book The Good Game Gamer's Guide to Good Gaming (ISBN 978-0-7333-2560-1) was released. The premise is that due to statistics like the Australian gaming industry profiting over $1 billion and in profit and 95% of Australian youth calling themselves gamers, "the chances are that someone close to you cares a bit about videogames and also knows a bit about...Good Game". Therefore, this "guide to videogaming", designed to cater to the spectrum of gamers from "hardcore pros to excitable newbies", includes information on things like: "the best games of all time, the main genres of gaming, gaming trends, the key developers whose work you need to know about, how to get into the industry, how games evolved and where things are headed" was conceived. The book also helps readers to "understand developments, get good ideas, learn about ratings, make connections...find out what makes gamers tick...[and learn] tips on improving [their] gaming skills". Just like the show, it features descriptions of games which should be played, history about game development in Australia and other general video game related discussions. It was co-written by hosts Steven O'Donnell and Jeremy Ray and show producers Janet Carr and Maurice Branscombe, and was published by ABC Books. Girl.com.au described the book as a "fantastic guide" and "brilliantly packaged", and added it is "not only a great insight into the gaming world, but also helpful for those in the know and those just getting a taste for gaming". At the ABC shop, the book was given a rating of 4/5 based on 3 customer reviews.

Spin-offs and other hosting gigs

Good Game: Spawn Point

Good Game: Spawn Point is a version of Good Game aimed at spawnlings (younger gamers), though Bajo and Hex have stressed in the past that the show is for gamers of all ages. The show is hosted by Bajo, Hex, and a robot named DARREN. Part of the reason for its creation is because "some of the content in the games isn't necessarily appropriate for a younger player". MolksTVTalk1 explains that the show is one of a few on TV that doesn't dumb it down for kids, and is genuinely enjoyable content for all ages. Hex said that they made a conscious effort not to be condescending as the younger gamers see right through it and get offended by it, and that they are game-savvy anyway. For this reason, only a few minor differences needed to be made, for the format's transition to a younger audience. Bajo explained that it was Janet Carr's idea to do a kids show, and the team was like "yeah, of course we have to". The audience interactivity spreads to Good Game: Spawn Point as well. One of the segments introduced in this spin-off is Ask Good Game, where the hosts answer gaming questions by the viewers. Bajo said "we get something like 3 emails a minute from kids", and Hex said "the letters and mail we get from kids are awesome". Janet Carr said around 50% of Spawn Point's audience are female, and MolksTVTalk1 said the show has given many young female gamers a role model in Hex. So many questions were asked regarding Minecraft that the team put a special F.A.Q. related to the game on the GG: SP website. The show started in 2009, the same year that Hex joined the Good Game team.

Good Game: Pocket Edition

Good Game describes Good Game: Pocket Edition as an "add-on pack" and "our concise edition - a weekly accessory to our regular shows, Good Game and Spawn Point". The episodes are around 10 minutes long, and aim to "give busy gamers a handy round-up of all that's been good in gaming". The Pocket Edition tab of the main page explains that the show is "our chance to chat a bit more about the games we’re currently playing, round up the week’s reviews, and even spend a bit more time answering your gaming queries at the GG desk." It acts as an "accessory" to both parent shows, Good Game and Spawn Point, and as such often takes bits of reviews from them, but sometimes has original content as well. The show rarely has any other segments than the main game reviews (due to being about a third the length of a normal show), besides Ask Good Game and the P.E.-exclusive You Review - where Bajo and Hex read out user reviews of a reviewed game from one of the parent shows' previous episode. The show is currently in its second season after first being aired in February 2013. All the episodes are available as a playlist on Good Game's YouTube channel. They can also be download from the main page, or streamed iView. In the first season and the start of the second the show aired from 8:15 (or 8:20) to 8:30 pm on Saturdays on ABC2. In the sixth episode of the second series the time slot was moved to 8:15 on Sundays which the show currently occupies.

Episodes

Series overview

Series		Episodes	Originally aired
			Series premiere	Series finale
	1	43	16 February 2013 (2013-02-16)	7 December 2013 (2013-12-07)
	2	TBA	22 February 2014 (2014-02-22)	TBA

Series 2 (2014)

Date	№	Reviews
22 February	1	Risk of Rain, Peggle 2, Nidhogg, Octodad, Broken Age: Act 1
1 March	2	Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z, Strike Vector, Thief
8 March	3	AC4: Freedom Cry (DLC), TLoU: Left Behind (DLC), World of Tanks, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
15 March	4	Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, TxK, Banished, Dark Souls II, South Park: The Stick of Truth
22 March	5	Strider, Drox Operative, Starbound, Lightning Returns: FFXIII
30 March	6	MGSV: Ground Zeros, Rambo: The Video Game, The Powerpuff Girls: Defenders of Townsville, Smash Hit, Titanfall
6 April	7	Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, Infested Planet, Angry Birds Epic, Yoshi's New Island, inFAMOUS Second Son
13 April	8	Luftrausers, NaissanceE, Constant C, The Lego Movie Videogame, Diablo III: Reaper of Souls
20 April	9	BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea (DLC), Star Wars: Assault Team, Cloudbuilt, The Elder Scrolls Online
27 April	10	Goat Simulator, Escape Goat 2, Don Bradman Cricket 14, Kinect Sports Rivals, Age of Wonders III
4 May	11	Dead Nation: Apocalypse Edition, Clash of Clans, Trials Fusion, The Walking Dead: Season Two, Ep. 1-2

Good Game: Grandstand

Good Game: Grandstand is a monthly podcast hosted by Bajo, based around sport-related video gaming such as the title Grand Slam Tennis 2, and interviews with game-featured sports figures such as Pat Cash. It was broadcast on Grandstand Digital in Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, and can still be accessed at the Grandstand and Good Game websites. So far, two episodes have aired - on 17 February, and 30 March 2012 respectively. Bajo has been joined by games journalist Joab Gilroy in both shows.

Rage

Bajo and Hex hosted an episode of the music video show Rage on 19 June 2010. As "music is...an integral part in video games, be it the music in the games, music based games, or games based on musicians", the duo aimed to combine their gaming and music expertise by "giv[ing] a sneak peek into their musical world, playing a mix of music from games, video clips inspired by games, songs about games, as well as a few of their own personal favourites".

References

Further reading

• Branscombe, Maurice; Carr, Janet; O'Donnell, Steven; Ray, Jeremy (2009). The Good Game Gamer's Guide to Good Gaming. HarperCollins Australia. ISBN 978-0-7333-2560-1.

External links

• Official website
• Good Game on Facebook
• Good Game on YouTube
• Good Game on Twitter
• Good Game at IMDb

Category:Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming Category:Australian non-fiction television series Category:Television shows about video games Category:2006 Australian television series debuts Category:2000s Australian television series Category:2010s Australian television series