Over a decade ago I discovered G4 TV. It was on one cable channel or another, and as a format dedicated to video games and other pop culture I was on board. It didn't hurt that I was an almost immediate fan of the top two male personalities of the channel. Kevin Pereira, a former producer at the channel, and Adam Sessler, a video game genre journalist.
Pereira was installed as host of flagship program Attack of The Show!, focusing on all things geek culture, and Sessler hosted XPLAY, a video game review show. Morgan Webb co-hosted with Sessler, while the soon to be famous Olivia Munn (known best for her role in one of the worst X-Men films, and as a hootchie who Robert Downey Jr. taps in Iron Man 3 - a part that was ultimately actually cut from the film).
Kevin and Olivia
Adam and Morgan
For a 24 hour channel, these shows for sure did not fill up the schedule. So various syndicated series were shown at night, such as Cops and Cheaters (as depressing a duo as you can find).
I found the male hosts funny, and their co-hosts were capable, so I was a daily viewer until a year or two later when the channel became tied to Esquire Magazine, and the personalities were let go. Ah well, you get over it.
But then Pluto TV, a collection of specific genre streaming channels, suddenly had a G4 channel! I was gob smacked. I mean, it seemed improbable. It turns out that G4 was relaunched in late 2021, and Sessler and Periera were once again hosts of their respective classic shows.
There was no more Webb and Munn, and I assume they decided to pass for various reasons. In their place was a host of unknowns (to me) who seemed to be youtube and Twitch streamers of dubious popularity. Such as The Completionist, who apparently had a Youtube channel where he... Completed video games. Others included Kassim G, a streamer and stand up, D&D streamer Gina Darling, The Black Hokage (Hokage is apparently a Naruto character), Austin Creed, an upbeat wrestler for WWE (who I assume is involved in video games somehow), Will Neff, and others. A veritable "Who's That" of video game culture. Equally divided by male and female genders, and heavy on the non-Caucasian casting that was largely absent from the original G4, the wokeism seems extremely forced. But whatever. These younger folk were probably brought on for that streamer appeal. The original G4 was undone in part do to the type of content they were involved in starting to pop up on Youtube more and more. So hey, get some fresh faces and some streamers on camera.
In doing some online research on behind the scenes, there are some controversies with the new G4. Having been installed in an expensive studio campus in Burbank, a lot of faith was put into the new channel, especially since the return of Attack and XPLAY was largely in demand by old fans. But in doing that research, it seems it was not doing as well as planned. Though it has this TV element (not sure what cable systems its available on besides Pluto, which essentially shows a lot of the same repeats of shows), all content is also released on Youtube, where apparently it doesn't get outstanding viewership compared to other popular streamers.
It might not help that, to me anyway, the hosts outside of Pereira and Sessler (why don't seem to have missed a stride in a decade) aren't especially compelling or funny. The writing seems solid, but the delivery is usually forced in a way that screams "Hey! We're funny! Love us! Subscribe!"
Will Neff, athletic and almost an anti-geek, has a Groundling background so he comes off amusing in most cases, often shaking his head at the attempts at antics by the rest of the cast. Black Hokage seems to try and come off too "gangsta" for a guy who streams video game plays. But the worst of them, to me, is Indiana "Frosk" Black, known for Esports commentary prior to joining this crew. . When she and Hokage are trying to be funny in a mini-segment, its like a clinic in forced personality. They could use a little Groundlings spiffing up. Everything seems awkward, though maybe that's how the young folk roll these days.
And then there is the biggest controversy of the modern G4. Now in a famous clip you can easily find online, Frosk hijacks a review segment with several of her mates and Sessler (who lives in San Francisco and appears on a screen. Apparently part of his deal is to not have to travel to LA) to take the chat feed to task for treating her as "unbangable" compared to former hosts Munn and Webb. Her fellow hosts who are present seem to catch on and try to come off supportive with clapping and head nodding, as she declares "Me, Munn, and Webb aren't here to be attractive for you yada yada." Typical toxic femininity vs. perceived toxic masculinity that we are all getting used to, and sure, you go girl. Personally, I wasn't really drooling for the hosts of the old channel. Morgan Webb is pretty, but I was a bit of a fan back in the day because she was a legit childhood gamer whose parents forbid her to watch TV, so she grew up playing games enough to lead to a career in them. And yeah, Munn was eye candy, and she happily played it up in segments such as when she put on a french maid outfit and dove into a tub of pudding. But honestly, my true crush was Kristin Holt, the underutilized host of lesser shows who had a knock out smile that does not seem to be possible outside of heaven.
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| NOT there to be considered "bangable" by me or anyone else |
Frosk's fellow hosts were supportive in that moment. Sessler, a well-documented super liberal , could be seen on his TV screen doing an odd, hyper applause towards the camera that comes off almost like an exaggerated golf clap. Its a weird moment. Black Hokage's support seems especially odd and insincere when you go look at some of his old streams before joining G4, where many of his comments about women are sexist and tasteless to a large degree. And I mean to a "women say they don't swallow but I always make them swallow" degree. A wanna be "pimp daddy" who, you know, is actually a video game geek. Has Frosk seen some of his former posts? Is it all good because he is a person of color?
Anyway, Frosk lays the smack down and takes we male fans to task. Interestingly enough, some of my research has shown some people looking back at the chat threads Frosk claims there is all this sexism in, and can't seem to find what she is talking about. I'm sure some is there, but do you really want to alienate your viewers who have buying power over what may well mostly be 14 year old boys? The collateral damage of those like me who are just "um, I just wanna see Adam review Dark Souls, OK?" seems a bit extreme, considering how angry she seems.
Another point of contentions is aimed at what seems to be a level of cluelessness by Frosk in some group segments about game news and culture. She has made a certain amount of downright wrong comments such as the PlayStation being unpopular currently (its actually very huge right now), while her more knowledgeable cohosts seem to be visibly holding themselves back from correcting her (anybody with a TV career fears being cancelled these days).
And as far as Munn goes, well, she has had plenty of post G4 appearances she seems to find it important to be nice on the eyes for the weird dudes Frosk is calling out.
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| Yeah, bangable is a word that suddenly pops up, among other things. |
And you can find plenty of content on youtube where Frosk is taken to task as more or less an attention hound and using sexism to propel herself. Although that is not what happened. From what I gather, the views of G4 content plummeted after this rant. I can't tell for sure if Frosk has been cancelled as many youtube posts suggest, but its interesting to note that in following weeks the channel upped the ante on hot chicks. In Austinshow's amusing Name Your Price gameshow segment, where the streamer gathers fellow popular streamers to compete in a 70's themed game show, twitch streamer Amouranth, known for purposefully under dressing and chubbing up her viewership, appears in a high profile segment doing very sexy stuff. Almost as if to give the finger to the accusatory Frosk.
OK, big whoop. We live in a time where we gotta let the sisters speak out on how horrible we men are. Even though, um, Johnny Depp just won his trial and Amber goes down in history as a literal bed shitter. But what does this have to do with D&D.
Well, a majorly promoted show on G4 is D&D's invitation to party. And Frosk features heavily in it.
In the show, its mostly G4 "B squad" hosts (ie NOT Kevin or Adam) playing D&D. I mean, I guess you can call it that. At times they are all at work stations rolling dice and such, but most often than not they come out to the "acting" area to do some community theater level "role play" with DM B. Dave Walters.
Walters actually does a good job portraying various characters, and is the one person on the show who seems to have an acting background. It seems a given he has probably portrayed Othello in a thousand Shakespeare in the park productions.
Everybody gets into it and tries their best. The only time I ever saw a lack of verisimilitude was when Kassim G, who seems the least likely to have every played the game in real life, is seen walking around in the background in character pretending to talk on his cellphone.
I have always found watching D&D be played to be quite boring, but as this is a fairly well produced acting exercised it is entertaining enough. I'm not sure if it will ever be Critical Role in popularity level, its fine enough. Buuuuut...
This show went on during the height of the Frosk controversy. As I'm sure G4 isn't all that happy with the loss of viewers she cost them, they may have downplayed this show, where she seems to be a major star, on their channels. I dunno. The Pluto TV channel shows the hell out of it, but they show content that is not exactly up to date. But that they seem to be upping the sexiness with the inclusion of ladies like Amouranth making jokes about how they got rich from the "blue balls of fans," they for sure aren't exactly being there for Frosk and her peccadillos. There is so much info out there that I can't be sure if her participation has been decreased in things. But she keeps doubling down on her comments in her streams, and that can't be making the powers that be happy if they are indeed losing viewership due to her.
Hey, these days I'm fairly live and let live. I'm not offended by Frosk calling us male viewers wank-happy sexists. I may or may not be. And hell, again, despite her attempts to downplay her looks I find her fairly attractive even with the piercings and terrible hair. But really, I'm a G4 fan because I am a pop culture nut and I love game reviews, not for the girlies.
Though damn, Amouranth can really put a spring in a mans stride.
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| Bangable or not bangable. YOU make the call.. |
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