Good Game (TV program)

Writing and filming Each episode of Good Game had a three-week production schedule. Week one was pre-production, where games were played and reviewed, and any segments appearing in the episode are written. A rundown was made, allocating the minutes of the episode to each review and segment. Filming occurred early in week two, as well as collation of any gameplay capture necessary for the episode. The episode was then edited throughout week two, for finalisation early week three. After airing in week three, post-production involves putting the episode online, finalising copyright information, etc. The weeks overlap for consecutive episodes (i.e. post-production for episode 1, filming for episode 2, and pre-production for episode 3 all occur in the same week). The show was shot and edited in standard def 576i PAL, as "all of ABC2 (and most other free to air channels) are transmitting in Standard Def." Episodes are then dubbed onto Betacam tape for transmission and the ABC Tape Library and uploaded onto Good Game's YouTube channel in upscaled 720p. Both Good Game and Good Game: Spawn Point are filmed in the ABC building located in Ultimo, Sydney. Since 2009, there were at least 43 episodes each series, lasting from approximately February to December. Series 4 had 32 episodes, while series 1–3 had around 13 each, and series 10 had 45. In 2014, the show updated its logo and opening credits. Hex said, "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." Bajo described the editing process as "a bit like Machinima". Hex said that during the playing of games and filming she became quite attached to her avatars and wanted to show off what her own character did. Bajo has said, "There's lots of late nights for all of us, so the show receiving these awards has been really uplifting." Both shows aimed to be inclusive, with Hex stating that while the team tended to aim for a gaming audience, "there's something about videogames that's just really compelling to watch, and people who aren't even involved in games or who don't understand half the jargon" get really involved. The individual personalities of the hosts was regarded as important to contextualising their reviews. Hex explained that by observing her and Bajo's passion for games they enjoy and fanboy/girl over, viewers can build an attachment to them as people and know what new releases will excite them. Bajo and Hex stressed that there is no such thing as a "boy's game" or a "girl's game", and that one should decide to play a game merely based on how good it is. ==Presenters==

The show's hosts went by their gamertags on the show as opposed to their real names. Both Bajo and Hex were involved in a number of shows and events outside Good Game, including hosting an episode of the ABC music video show Rage on 19 June 2010. In 2013, the two hosts became ambassadors for the national schools filmmaking competition "Screen It". In 2014, they spoke at the Perth Writers Festival at the University of Western Australia, with the creators behind the hottest games in a series of talks entitled "The Game Changers". They also hosted the 2014 MCV Pacific Awards for gaming. Main hosts Bajo Steven "Bajo" '''O'Donnell''' (Series 2–12) took on the role as host following the resignation of Mike Makowski. On 9 March 2007, it was announced that he would be the new co-host. He later described the experience of joining the show as "a dream come true. It felt perfect for me. It had all my interests in one little basket, creative control in a collaborative team, and also I was getting to the point of giving up. The timing was perfect and unbelievably lucky." When explaining to other what he does for a living, Bajo feels the need to defend it, explaining that "it's actually really hard work". However, it was revealed on the show's official forum that Bendixsen would replace existing host Jeremy Ray 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. 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 saying, "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." after a callout via a Facebook post on 21 March 2011. He worked as a freelance video editor in Melbourne before joining the show, and edits some segments for the show. Goose added that he's "been a gamer [his] whole life and a big fan of the show." He has also had supporting role appearances on the main show since series 7—mostly in the season finales, but also as a cameo in various episodes. D.A.R.R.E.N. was announced via a Facebook video post made on 19 February 2010. When asked about the voice over artist for D.A.R.R.E.N., Bajo simply replied "Darren is eternal". P_Nutz P_Nutz was a yellow puppet introduced during the 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 and animator Ross O'Donovan, known as "RubberRoss" – was aired in the final episode of series one. 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. Other supporting hosts Miles "Dr. Daneel" Tulett appeared in the first 2 seasons of the show as an expert on technical issues, and had various computer-related segments. 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. 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,. 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 occasionally 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 series 6. There are also a series of freelance animators who work on the show; a job opportunity was sent out in 2011. Michael "Hingers" Hing was the first host of Good Game Pocket; his involvement as the host was announced on 4 February 2015. Following his departure from Pocket, he began hosting Good Game Well Played; his final episode was in July 2016. Nich "NichBoy"" Richardson was the host of Good Game Pocket. Janet Carr, creator of Good Game, approached Richardson while he was still working on The Roast, created and co-produced by himself. He has also guest starred on Good Game occasionally. Guest hosts Andrew "Bindi" Hansen guest hosted in three episodes from 2010–2012 while either Bajo or Hex were at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. He originally guest appeared on 6 October 2008 in series 4, episode 25. Comedian Dave Callan has continued involvement with Good Game, doing segments and reviews since 2012. This includes reviews for Kid Icarus: Uprising, Heroes of Ruin and various dancing games including Just Dance 4 and Dance Central 3 among others. He also is the host of a 2013 segment called Laying Down the Lore with Dave Callan where he talked about The Elder Scrolls, Resident Evil and ''Assassin's Creed'' as well as later hosting an episode alongside Bajo while Hex was at E3 in 2013. He appeared in the 2014 Christmas special episode, writing a letter to Santa requesting more dancing in video games. ==Format==

Game reviews In early series, reviews were primarily conducted by one host, with the other not required to play the game. In more recent series, both of the hosts equally present the review, with certain games being reviewed by only one host – such as Bajo's review of Dark Souls II or Goose's review of Fract OSC. Gameplay footage is shown while the game is discussed, and is used to illustrate points as well as provide humorous punchlines. The crew are often sent games by developers or studios ahead of their release date for them to play and review. The date they arrive comes down to the platform, game, publisher, and how persistent the show is with their requests. Bajo explains, "We never review the game unless we're told it's 'review code'." A whiteboard grid is used to plan episodes a few weeks in advance, based on release schedules, events like E3, interviews, and other segments. They try to time reviews so they occur before or in the week the game is released, however, being a television show with a longer production period than most online content, this is not always possible. One challenge is having publishers provide games early enough to be reviewed and filmed in time. Often they receive debug code which can only be played on debug consoles, and developers are usually still working out kinks, so will provide a list of bugs for the team to take into account. Good Game also have to be wary of embargo dates as reviews can't be broadcast before then. Even if the embargo ends a few hours after a Good game episode, the review must be held back for a week. Sometimes, Good Game can only get a copy of the game after it is released, and Bajo points out that while this is sometimes due to random factors it can also be a sign that the game is bad. They try to avoid having too many of the same type of game in each week, and try to include games on all consoles. They hope that all this will ensure there is something for everyone. Batman: Arkham City, Mass Effect 3, Black Mesa, Halo 4, Tomb Raider, The Last of Us, Grand Theft Auto V, Dragon Age: Inquisition, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Batman: Arkham Knight, ''The Beginner's Guide, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. The Stanley Parable is also notable for receiving 10 out of 10 rubber chickens from Goose, who reviewed the game independently. The lowest rated games include: Doctor Who: Return to Earth (Bajo – 1; Hex – 1.5), Naughty Bear (Bajo – 1.5; Hex – 1), Muscle March (Bajo – 1; Hex – 0), when Bajo gave a "wispy breeze" and Hex gave a "picture of a tree" for Dear Esther, and when DayZ (a Mod for ARMA 2'') was not rated and the score screen at the end of the episode showed the death screen from game. In February 2015, the scoring system was changed from a 10 Rubber Chicken variation, to a five-star system, with the Rubber Chicken still being referred to, via the "Golden Rubber Chicken" award, given to games receiving perfect five-out-of-five scores from both presenters. The establishment of this new scoring system differs between classic Good Game and Good Game Spawn Point. The former implies that the new method is derived from the now-concluded "At the Movies" scoring system, also based around five star ratings, while the latter attributes the updated scoring system to DARREN taking a symposium on scoring methods. Other segments There have been a variety of other segments that pad out episodes and explore the wider gaming world. These include: • News – Video game culture related news. • Name the Game – A gaming trivia segment where footage of a game is shown and the audience is asked to guess what it is. • Equip This – Hosted by Goose. Explores various objects across numerous video games. • Postcards From – Goose sends viewers a postcard from a particular video game locale. • Industry Interviews – Interviews with games developers. • Backwards Compatible – Started in series 4. Explores the best and worst of gaming history, and how this has helped shape the future of gaming. • Evolution of a Genre – A series 3 segment similar to Backwards Compatible. • Ask Good Game – Started in series 5. Q&A with the hosts answering community submitted questions. • Great Gaming Moments – Displays and analyses a 'classic gaming moment'. • Pile of Shame – Started in series 6. Asks developers what game they still haven't finished playing. • My First Love – Started in series 7. Asks developers what is the first game they fell in love with. • Gamer Tonight – 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 series 2 with another eight aired in series 4. • Tiny Power – An animation by Australian animation studio Studio Joho based on the mobile game Tiny Tower. Began in series 7 with a season parodying popular media. From series 8 onward the plot followed group of game developers. The Tiny Power ran for five seasons, and was voiced by members of the Good Game team. • Roffle Cup – 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 – A series 1 specific segments, replaced by Gamer Tonight in series 2. • Build a Machine – Hosted by Miles "Dr. Daneel" Tulett, he explained how to install computer hardware. • Ask the Doc – ReplacedBuild a Computer, and saw Daneel helping with technical issues. • MeatSpace – Started in series 2. A Lego stop animation created by community member Nate "Blunty" Burr, revolving around two friends and their gaming related incidents. • Ultimate Showdown – 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? – Hosted by Matthew "Aiyiah" Lee divulge hints and tips for specific games, and set a challenge for the featured game. • Quarter Circle + A – Started series 3. A series of primarily animated video game parodies created by Rob Moffett and Benjamin Baker. • 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 – An animation set in a 2D side-scrolling fighting game. • WTF? (What Were They Thinking?) – Started in series 5 as a platform for Bajo and Junglist to criticise a game and question its existence. • 5-Up – Started in series 6. Counted down the top five in gaming related subjects, including top five weapons or RTS strategies. • The Game Dev. Story – Started in series 7. A short look at the history of a successful game developer. • Fanboys vs Haters – A segment where viewer responses to a game are discussed by the hosts. • Deep Space Discs – Asked developers what three games they would take with them if they were to go on a deep space adventure. • My Gaming Hero – Started in series 8. Asked developers who their hero in the gaming industry is. • My First Gig in Gaming – Started in series 9. Asked developers what their first job in the gaming industry was. • This is Your EXTRA Life – Hosted by Goose. Character studies of someone featured in a game reviewed in the episode. • IMO – Started in series 12. A segment where Goose shares his opinion on a variety of aspects of the gaming world (e.g. Early Access games, movies based on games). Special episodes Good Game occasionally airs themed episodes. Good Game in Space, which aired on 23 August 2010, was an episode dedicated to Space-themed games and sci-fi references. Decades in Gaming looked at the '80s, '90s and '00s to try to find the best decade for gaming. Survival Special reviewed various zombie related games, and included an extended Goose feature story about survival games. Mental Health Special aired in 2014 as part of Mental Health Week, and featured reviews of games that deal with mental health issues, as well as feature stories on gamers with mental illnesses. There have also been various Christmas specials, which often include a blooper reel. In 2012, Good Game held a special 'up late' episode, which aired at 11:00pm due to the live coverage of the 2012 Summer Paralympics. In 2014, both Bajo and Hex presented their own special episodes in addition to regular programming, providing insight into each host. This was followed by The Good Game Top 100 – a viewer voted countdown of the top 100 games of all time. ==Relationship with audience==

As well as providing audience participation opportunities for its viewership, Good Game maintains a uniquely open relationship with them. Good Game explains that they "take all suggestions & feedback seriously and, in fact, base the show around it." Upon learning of the show's 2008 Lizzie award wins, Amanda Duthie, Head of Arts, Entertainment and Comedy at ABC TV said, "The success of this breakout ABC2 program needs to be shared with our die-hard user-audience who are a significant part of the creative and editorial process – active on posting boards, contributors of video segments and accepting of experimental programming styles such as machinima – the audience is a true collaborator and unsung hero". Janet Carr told News.com.au, "When we first started [Good Game] we knew there was nothing out there in mainstream media that satisfied us as gamers, and so we made the show from within the community... The TV show is just part of this community and there is really no screen between us and them." News.com.au said, "Good Game thrives from online interaction with its viewers, offering free episodes and even gaming sessions with the team", citing Carr's explanation: "Our forums are incredibly active, we play games regularly with people who watch the show, and the emails they send are like, 'Hey Jungy (co-host Junglist), thanks for knifing me last night!'" Good Game has overflow extending to the show's website, a Facebook account, a Twitter account, a YouTube account, forums and more. The show is active on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, posting weekly about recent episodes or behind the scenes content. Bajo, Hex and Goose also have their own social media accounts, which are frequently updated with both show-related and personal content. In 2011, the show achieved a five city metro average audience of 99,000, and an increase of 11% viewership over its 2010 results. In 2011, the show recorded 572,000 views via ABC iview. Its website is available over several platforms, including web-browser, and even direct via the Xbox 360 dashboard. The series recorded over 3 million vodcast downloads, the most by any ABC TV program. The series had around 3.4 million viewings of streamed "extra" video content. The forums "are...used by [both] fans and the production team". Girl.com.au said the Good Game forums are the most active of all communication streams between the production team and fans, "with well over a million individual posts". The Good Game forum is the largest ABC television forum with other 14,000 contributors, 300 topics and 430,000 messages. Unregistered users' posts are pre-moderated before they are published to the Good Game forum, while registered users may post instantly, therefore causing some time delay between post and upload for unregistered users. The initiative was announced on 21 December 2007 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." 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". Zac Duff, who worked on the project, described it as "frantic" due to the multitasking involved. 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 for their efforts. Timothy Randall, one of the 6 winners, was named the winner of the 2nd internship for Infinite Interactive in this phase. Phase 3 involved coming up with the company logo design, the company's corporate website design, the title music track for the game, and the game's backstory: the history of Wagglemax company & the corporate profiles of the characters. Good Game added a series of "great exercises and tips taken from the Creativity Boot Camp session at the 2008 Game Developers Conference" in order to encourage creativity and inspiration. The entire 90-page Game Design word document is available on the show's website, as is both the game's trailer and a download link for the prototype. 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, and DARREN's role was quizmaster. Good Game Live The Roffle Cup was replaced by Good Game Live from 2013 on, with the title encompassing all of Good Game's live shows. This has included live quiz shows in which teams play for the Roffle Cup as a trophy, and Spawn Point shows which include Ask Good Game and a quiz component. ==Tie-in media==

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 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 On 1 December 2009, the companion book ''The Good Game Gamer's Guide to Good Gaming'' () 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". 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". ==Critical reception==

Good Game constantly receives generally positive feedback. 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. 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'". When asked if they are pro gamers, Bajo and Hex explained that in truth they aren't, as "a pro gamer is someone who plays games professionally at the highest competitive levels in tournaments... so we don't really fit that description, and pro gamers around the world would scoff if we ever said we were "pro"." They added that their job as game critics is not to be the best of the best at any one particular game, but to "be ok at all types of games so we can review and compare them to help you decide if you want to play them." They said they review bad games along with good games as they can't know what quality the game will be until they've actually played it, and also if all the reviewed games were given highly positive reviews, they reviews would be redundant and their rating system meaningless. Also, as games are expensive, the team want to warn viewers about what games they should avoid. They have also stated they make an effort to review games on all consoles. Steve Molks, who interviewed them, said, "Speaking with them you learn very quickly that they aren't just 'presenters' who turn up for filming and that's it; they're gamers of note in their own right and spend hours playing to review games thoroughly and log footage for the show, as well as editing and pre-recording for the show". Invalid Channel said "you can really tell that they've taken all of the footage themselves, it's not one-sided stock footage from the developing company. The hosts really play the games themselves and it shows, but you know that you're getting a real opinion from someone who played the game and know exactly how it handles and how annoying all those bugs are, not two people reading straight from some sort of rigid script." He adds that "being on a non-commercial network helps too" as if the show was on a commercial network it may be more successful, but its credibility would be lost as "once the game companies start paying sponsorship, you'd be seeing a lot of 10/10's and a whole lot of kiss-ass". In regard to being asked if she is putting on a geeky and gaming persona for the cameras, Hex explains that it "would be so impossible to manufacture a whole persona" across all the different platforms that she uses to interact with people. Hex said the capture and logging is the most challenging part of the job, but it is also unique as if she is referencing a particular part of the game, she can show her own personal experience rather than rolling stock footage. Bajo says this is also for editorial reasons in that, "We need to defend our point by showing the footage to satisfy the ABC's charter." Bajo notes that in the show's early days, there were some intense forum flames over things like missing a detail out, or not agreeing with the general consensus among viewers. He also says that if there is a genre of games that he and Hex don't like or aren't very good at, such as sports games, they won't ignore it and will try to be as honest as possible with their reviews. Bajo says that as people invest so many hours into a game, it is justified to feel a sense of ownership over it and feel defensive if someone doesn't feel the same way. For this reason he loves "getting to the bottom of" why certain games are liked by some and disliked by others. Bajo says you can't speak with conviction if you haven't done something, especially "[played] something as involving as games". Bajo explains "[we do receive negative feedback from] the odd publisher/developer who wasn't happy with our review [but] we try to be fair, honest, and listen to all feedback we get to make sure we're not ever crossing any lines." ==Awards and achievements==

At the sixth annual Sun Microsystems IT Journalism Awards, held on 1 April 2008, Good Game won two 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 "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)". Good Game was the most downloaded ABCTV show in 2009 and 2010. 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. ==Spin-off shows==

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. The show started in 2010. 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." They can also be download from the main page, or streamed on iview. Episodes Series 1 (2013) Series 2 (2014) Good Game Pocket Good Game Pocket is a daily online show hosted by Nich "NichBoy" Richardson. Announced on 2 February 2015, and released on 16 February 2015, Pocket focused on News and a first look at games, hosted by Michael "Hingers" Hing, In the episode published on 27 April 2015, it was announced that NichBoy would be taking over the role of host, as he had been filling in for Hingers, and Hingers would be hosting a new show titled "Good Game Well Played" which would focus on eSports and the eSport community. In 2015, Good Game Pocket's schedule released two videos every weekday on ABC iView and YouTube, featuring News at approximately 12:30pm Sydney Time, and at approximately 3:45pm Sydney Time, "Pocket Prime", Nich hosts a First Play, an Interview or an "Ask Pocket", where he answers questions from the community on the topic of video games or Pocket itself. There's also a Livestream on the Good Game channel on Wednesdays at 3:00pm Sydney Time. On 5 November, it was officially announced by Good Game's Twitter that Pocket has been recommissioned for another year. On 4 January 2016, Good Game Pocket began their second year with a new format for their videos and schedule. Instead of their established "News" and "Prime" videos, they've adopted a "Vodcast" format for the news, where NichBoy discusses news headlines within the industry with guests, as well as a Let's Play format for gameplay. Originally, NichBoy would play an hour of uninterrupted gameplay with a discussion on the game at the end of the video, however after criticism for its "non-pocket like" formatting, they reduced it to 10–20 minutes per video, and opted to do Live Streams every Tuesday and Thursday at 3:00PM Sydney Time. The News is published at 5:00PM Sydney Time, while Prime is usually released sometime after. Good Game Well Played Good Game Well Played is a weekly online show hosted by Angharad "Rad" Yeo, formerly hosted by Michael "Hingers" Hing. The show releases every Wednesday on ABC iview and YouTube, featuring eSports news and discussion. Good Game: Grandstand Good Game: Grandstand was a monthly podcast hosted by Bajo, based around sport-related video gaming such as the title Grand Slam Tennis 2, and it featured 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 be accessed at the Grandstand and Good Game websites. Two episodes were aired: on 17 February and 30 March 2012. ==References==