VideoGaiden
Encyclopedia
VideoGaiden is a Scottish
computer games television
show broadcast by BBC Scotland
. Its creators and presenters, Robert Florence
("Rab") and Ryan Macleod, are responsible for the internet-distributed videogaming show Consolevania
, upon which the show is based. The show has now been axed by the BBC.
The show began as six ten minute episodes on BBC 2 Scotland, broadcast at around midnight on Fridays starting in December 2005. The episodes could also be viewed online from the BBC's web site. A second series, consisting of six half-hour episodes, was commissioned by popular demand http://thefraudcast.com/site/?p=163 and began broadcast on BBC2 Scotland on Sunday November 5, 2006 at 11:10pm, with episodes once again available on the BBC's website. A third series consisting of eighteen weekly 11-minute online episodes began in December 2007, with three half-hour TV specials episodes also being produced for BBC Scotland
. A Christmas special aired on the 23rd of December 2007.
Gaiden (外伝) is a Japanese
word meaning 'side-story'.
Somewhat in keeping with the way in which Consolevania
was shot on MiniDV, the majority of series was filmed on a Sony HVR-Z1U http://www.oxm.co.uk/__data/assets/image/329164/BBCShoot.JPG. This small scale camera made in possible to shoot series in 16:9
, but without an expensive DigiBeta
kit and crew; something that the small production budget would not allow.
Recurring features unique to the first series are sketches about terrible videogames pitches (for example "Black and White Minstrel Show 2006"), Glasgow hard-man Barry Anoki reporting on videogames news, and "Devco", a soap about videogames development. The "Gaiden Top 100" was ostensibly a series of talking-head interviews on the best games of all time, but in fact provided thinly veiled mockery or game-inspired jokes.
Each episode in this series ended with a brief sketch which ran over the end credits, featuring the fictional world-famous videogamer Legend (a carry-over from Consolevania) discussing his childhood.
and actor Colin Baker
appearing in character as the Sixth Doctor
.
Non-game reviews were featured in the style of a new games journalism panel discussion called "Eternal Pixel" (compare to Newsnight Review). More episodes of Eternal Pixel were filmed than aired, with plans to release these additional episodes online, however these did not come to fruition.http://thefraudcast.com/site/?p=271 In the first three episodes there was a "funeral" for a now-deceased console, followed by recommendations of notable games. Each episode included "A Warning From History", showcasing appalling old gaming action, followed by a game recommendation from Socrates, a "games criticism robot" made from cardboard. Of particular note was the "Gaiden Guide to..." series by Robert Florence, sternly calling for change in a particular aspect of gaming culture (for example standards of journalism). Each episode of the second series signed off with a song about the series' far-from-universal appeal.
The show also ran an (apparently BBC-sanctioned) campaign to have the Shenmue
series either continued or permanently consigned to history. Rab and Ryan called on gamers to produce Shenmue tributes or outright mockery, respectively.http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/tv/videogaiden/campaign/index.shtml Updates on the progress of the campaign including notable comments on the internet were included in each episode. Rab won overall, with the public favouring the return of Shenmue, however an unofficial statement from Sega warned them not to expect a new installment for some time.
The series ended with "The VideoGaiden Awards 2006" in which Rab and Ryan chose the best game of 2006. The winner of this award was Hitman: Blood Money
. It was also in this episode that Rab fell on Socrates, crushing him beyond repair in the process.
An ongoing serial called Hunter and Rayorg featuring a CGIed Rab and Ryan was one of only two recurring sketches. The other was VideoGaiden Worldwide News, which had Rab and Ryan interviewing a number of correspondents: a manager from an games store in Scotland (G-Force, Glasgow) who announced that week's top-selling titles; an English correspondent who is clearly Scottish; and a woman in Japan, who would always end up reviewing Japanese cuisine, despite claiming that she was talking about videogames. Each week would also see Rab and Ryan trying to contact a representative in the US, before announcing that they couldn't get the satellite link-up working and giving up. This was changed briefly in episodes four and five, when US comedians Tim Heidecker
and Eric Wareheim
(both of Tom Goes to the Mayor
fame) made guest appearances.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
computer games television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
show broadcast by BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
. Its creators and presenters, Robert Florence
Robert Florence
Robert Florence is a Scottish presenter, comedian and writer from Glasgow, Scotland, best known for starring in the popular BBC comedy sketch show Burnistoun, and the video-game review shows Consolevania and Videogaiden. He was a core writer of Chewin' the Fat and with Iain Connell wrote the...
("Rab") and Ryan Macleod, are responsible for the internet-distributed videogaming show Consolevania
Consolevania
Consolevania is a video games TV show filmed in and around Glasgow, Scotland. It is notable as one of very few online TV shows to make the leap onto broadcast TV as the show videoGaiden, which has had three series shown on BBC Scotland....
, upon which the show is based. The show has now been axed by the BBC.
The show began as six ten minute episodes on BBC 2 Scotland, broadcast at around midnight on Fridays starting in December 2005. The episodes could also be viewed online from the BBC's web site. A second series, consisting of six half-hour episodes, was commissioned by popular demand http://thefraudcast.com/site/?p=163 and began broadcast on BBC2 Scotland on Sunday November 5, 2006 at 11:10pm, with episodes once again available on the BBC's website. A third series consisting of eighteen weekly 11-minute online episodes began in December 2007, with three half-hour TV specials episodes also being produced for BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
. A Christmas special aired on the 23rd of December 2007.
Gaiden (外伝) is a Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
word meaning 'side-story'.
Series One (2005)
Each episode opened with a brief satirical mention of the show's status within the BBC and the feedback it has received. This was typically followed by the first of many discursive game reviews. These featured one of the two lead presenters walking around an indoor or outdoor setting discussing the game in question. Footage from the game was superimposed on background objects and occasionally cut to directly during the discussion.Somewhat in keeping with the way in which Consolevania
Consolevania
Consolevania is a video games TV show filmed in and around Glasgow, Scotland. It is notable as one of very few online TV shows to make the leap onto broadcast TV as the show videoGaiden, which has had three series shown on BBC Scotland....
was shot on MiniDV, the majority of series was filmed on a Sony HVR-Z1U http://www.oxm.co.uk/__data/assets/image/329164/BBCShoot.JPG. This small scale camera made in possible to shoot series in 16:9
16:9
16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...
, but without an expensive DigiBeta
Betacam
Betacam is family of half-inch professional videocassette products developed by Sony in 1982. In colloquial use, "Betacam" singly is often used to refer to a Betacam camcorder, a Betacam tape, a Betacam video recorder or the format itself....
kit and crew; something that the small production budget would not allow.
Recurring features unique to the first series are sketches about terrible videogames pitches (for example "Black and White Minstrel Show 2006"), Glasgow hard-man Barry Anoki reporting on videogames news, and "Devco", a soap about videogames development. The "Gaiden Top 100" was ostensibly a series of talking-head interviews on the best games of all time, but in fact provided thinly veiled mockery or game-inspired jokes.
Each episode in this series ended with a brief sketch which ran over the end credits, featuring the fictional world-famous videogamer Legend (a carry-over from Consolevania) discussing his childhood.
Series Two (2006)
The second series had less of a sketch basis. While the opening comments and the style of reviews were the same and the Top 100 returned, most of the comedy was changed. This series also included a wide range of special guests, such as journalist Charlie BrookerCharlie Brooker
Charlton "Charlie" Brooker is a British journalist, comic writer and broadcaster. His style of humour is savage and profane, with surreal elements and a consistent satirical pessimism...
and actor Colin Baker
Colin Baker
Colin Baker is a British actor who is known for playing Paul Merroney in The Brothers from 1974 to 1976 and as the sixth incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who, from 1984 to 1986.- Background:Colin Baker was born in London, but moved north to...
appearing in character as the Sixth Doctor
Sixth Doctor
The Sixth Doctor is the sixth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Colin Baker...
.
Non-game reviews were featured in the style of a new games journalism panel discussion called "Eternal Pixel" (compare to Newsnight Review). More episodes of Eternal Pixel were filmed than aired, with plans to release these additional episodes online, however these did not come to fruition.http://thefraudcast.com/site/?p=271 In the first three episodes there was a "funeral" for a now-deceased console, followed by recommendations of notable games. Each episode included "A Warning From History", showcasing appalling old gaming action, followed by a game recommendation from Socrates, a "games criticism robot" made from cardboard. Of particular note was the "Gaiden Guide to..." series by Robert Florence, sternly calling for change in a particular aspect of gaming culture (for example standards of journalism). Each episode of the second series signed off with a song about the series' far-from-universal appeal.
The show also ran an (apparently BBC-sanctioned) campaign to have the Shenmue
Shenmue
is a 1999 open-world adventure video game developed by Sega AM2 and published by Sega for the Dreamcast, produced and directed by Yu Suzuki. Suzuki coined a genre title, "FREE" , for the game, based on the interactivity and freedom he wanted to give to the player...
series either continued or permanently consigned to history. Rab and Ryan called on gamers to produce Shenmue tributes or outright mockery, respectively.http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/tv/videogaiden/campaign/index.shtml Updates on the progress of the campaign including notable comments on the internet were included in each episode. Rab won overall, with the public favouring the return of Shenmue, however an unofficial statement from Sega warned them not to expect a new installment for some time.
The series ended with "The VideoGaiden Awards 2006" in which Rab and Ryan chose the best game of 2006. The winner of this award was Hitman: Blood Money
Hitman: Blood Money
Hitman: Blood Money is a stealth game developed by IO Interactive and published by Eidos Interactive. It is the fourth entry in the Hitman game series....
. It was also in this episode that Rab fell on Socrates, crushing him beyond repair in the process.
Series Three (2007-2008)
Series three was broadcast online on the BBC's VideoGaiden website, with each weekly episode lasting around 11 to 13 minutes. The series generally contained two regular reviews lasting a couple of minutes each, and one shorter review comprising only videogame footage and voiceovers. These would be interspersed with short comedy sketches. Each episode would also have a bookending pair of sketches that would only rarely be returned to during the course of the series as a whole.An ongoing serial called Hunter and Rayorg featuring a CGIed Rab and Ryan was one of only two recurring sketches. The other was VideoGaiden Worldwide News, which had Rab and Ryan interviewing a number of correspondents: a manager from an games store in Scotland (G-Force, Glasgow) who announced that week's top-selling titles; an English correspondent who is clearly Scottish; and a woman in Japan, who would always end up reviewing Japanese cuisine, despite claiming that she was talking about videogames. Each week would also see Rab and Ryan trying to contact a representative in the US, before announcing that they couldn't get the satellite link-up working and giving up. This was changed briefly in episodes four and five, when US comedians Tim Heidecker
Tim Heidecker
Tim Heidecker is an American actor, comedian, musician, writer and director. He is one half of the comedy team of Tim and Eric...
and Eric Wareheim
Eric Wareheim
Eric Wareheim is an American actor, comedian, writer and director. He is one half of the comedy team of Tim and Eric. Wareheim, along with Tim Heidecker, created the television shows Tom Goes to the Mayor, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and Check It Out! with Dr...
(both of Tom Goes to the Mayor
Tom Goes to the Mayor
Tom Goes to the Mayor is an American animated television series created by Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim for Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim. It premiered on November 14, 2004 and ended on September 25, 2006, with a total of thirty episodes.-History:Tom Goes to the...
fame) made guest appearances.
VideoGaiden's 100 best games of all time
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