What to Watch (30/11/13): Charlie Brooker’s How Video Games Changed the World. Also Videos

On Channel 4 (UK) at 9:00pm tonight they are showing the latest masterpiece by Charlie Brooker and its called “How Video Games Changed the World“. Charlie Brooker will be joined by Jonathan Ross, Dara O’Briain and various gaming icons like Will Wright that will help him go through about twenty games that they believed made a difference to the world.

Not all the games people like will be on the list obviously and many games people may feel don’t need to be on the list but a list is a list, you can’t have it all.

People may have seen Charlie Brooker’s previous work in PC Zone, The Guardian, Screenwipe, Newswipe, Gameswipe and more but even if you don’t always agree with he’s views you are guaranteed that anything he touches will be well writing, amusing and well produced.

With the recent release of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One Charlie Brooker has been talking about the show and gaming in general on various media outlets with mixed results but it’s entertaining regardless (watch the Channel 4 video below).

Videos:

Charlie Brooker to Jon Snow: ‘You’re like a dog at the controls of a helicopter’.

(Click image for larger version)

How Video Games Changed the World Trailer.

How Video Games Changed the World Preview.

Articles:

• Charlie Brooker on How Video games Changed The World.
• Charlie Brooker on why video game television is so hard to make.

“It’s massively defensive. Gamers are used to hearing their entire interest being disparaged as pointless and childish. So if you ask, ‘is it really on to have S&M nuns being slaughtered by a man in an advert for a game?’ some tend to react as though you’re calling all games disgusting. You don’t get that with cinema. If you criticise the Human Centipede 2, everyone knows you’re not suggesting that Wall:E should be banned. So yes, gamers are defensive and insular, and games are locked in a terrible cycle from which they can never escape.”

The Channel 4 news discussion about video games is pretty interesting in the way that Charlie Brooker tries to champion video games (if somewhat overwhelmed) and how arguably they are a more positive and progressive medium than film, music and art. However John Snow who I admire greatly can’t seem to get pass the tabloid and right-wing news headlines. It’s similar to trying to have a discussion about the German olympic team and all the other person can talk and refer to is the Nazis, World War II and therefore thinks it’s all pointless.

Anyway I am looking forward to the programme and hope to see more gaming related stuff from Charlie Brooker or at the very least more Guardian articles in the future.

Maybe one day gaming will be taken more serious from the mainstream media and people in general but until then the gaming industry needs to grow up quicker. It is still uncool, mostly inward looking and niece.