G4 cancels ‘X-Play’ and Attack of the Show!,’ we now question G4’s existence

There are some shows that really help to define a generation (seriously), and for gamers who spent their teenage or college years in the 2000s, “Attack of the Show!” and “X-Play” were two on the top of the list. Even if you weren’t the kind of tech geek who sat down to watch every episode, they were the perfect shows to watch late at night when you were waiting for “Final Fantasy XII” to come out at midnight at your local GameStop. There hasn’t really been a network to define geek culture quite like G4, but it appears that we have now reached the end of what was a fun ride.

Over the past few years, the writing has been on the wall for a network that has slowly and drifted away from its roots. (Heck, we liked “X-Play” better back when it was on TechTV from 2003-05.) Now, G4 has made it official that they are canceling both of these shows at the end of the year; the official statement says that they will honor both shows in the best way that they can, and the buzz inside the industry is that they are doing this so that the network can shift more to a network that is more about an upscale male lifestyle than one strictly about gadgets or video games.

So where do we go for the latest gaming news now? There’s always the internet, which is easier to digest and much more readily available. However, it didn’t quite have the same sort of personalities on it, and these two shows were responsible for launching the careers of such people as Chris Hardwick, Olivia Munn, Adam Sessler, and Morgan Webb. In classic “X-Play” style, we have to say that we give this a 0 … out of 5. (And “X-Play” never really even gave zeros.)

What’s your reaction to this news, and do you feel that a major part of geek culture is being swiped away from you now?