As far back as my not-altogether-that-old mind can trace back there have been several attempts by the world of TV to unite itself with the not-too-similar world of videogames. In the UK alone there’s been TV shows based around videogames in their entirety with contests taking place between players live on air and, through channels like G4, there’s even been attempts at creating entire channels based around gamers and gaming.

They’ve not all been what I’d call a “success”. G4 only took 4 years to make the move from wall-to-wall gaming coverage to “lifestyle” content with bits of gaming sandwiched in between programming here and there (and, admittedly, big coverage of the events that matter such as E3).

Here in the UK, we’ve not even attempted something as ambitious as our own version of G4 and won’t be until a couple of months down the line – but even then it’s obvious that gaming and TV are linked in a far more intimate way than they ever have been before both on and off of the screen, as I learned at Edinburgh Interactive yesterday.

Grab yourself a drink and something to eat for this monster of a 3-parter on how your TV’s becoming more than just something to see your games on.

Ginx TV, as Europe’s answer to the original format of G4 will be called when it launches in the UK in November, is being promoted as a channel that gamers both hardcore and casual have been yearning for. It’s the brainchild of former MTV executive Michiel Bakker, who oversaw the launch of the music network in Europe back in 1987. He is, based on his past experience, pretty media savvy, and he’s done his homework in order to bring about a channel such as Ginx, as he showed today at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival.

43% of Britain’s telly owners (going on trends following a smaller sample, that’s about 15 million people, math fans) are apparently pretty surprised at there being no such thing as a “videogame TV channel” before now and plenty of them would apparently watch such a channel if it existed. Ginx, then, will attempt to cater for gamers both large and small with both the potential for competitive broadcasts, like those witnessed in South Korea between professional Starcraft players, and more lighthearted programming with a greater focus on laughs but still a crucial link to gaming content.

Not sure what the Na'vi here has to do with anything, but you can't blame them for trying I suppose.

Examples? The obvious concepts of televised review programmes and gaming-themed round tables were tossed around by Bakker, as well as a series which could focus on a different branch of career’s gaming habits from Army soldiers to touring bands who game to relax between shows. How about giving a Ginx TV host a makeover to look like Bayonetta? And yes, they were female, before you ask.

Ginx could be a way forward for presenting gaming programming to an audience perhaps feeling deprived of such a thing in their daily schedule. What worries me is that, despite having done his homework, Bakker could be creating a channel for an audience that doesn’t really exist. Sure, in our heads watching two gamers go head to head on Modern Warfare 2 might sound awesome but if in reality will entertain for only a few minutes before we reach for the joypad itself.

Bakker might have preached that Ginx would strive for a balance between casual gamers and the hardcore, but at this rate I’m worried that if the channel doesn’t get off on the right foot from the word go the concept of “TV for gamers” will continue to be nothing more than a G4-shaped pipe dream.

Hop on over the page for Part 2: Mix, don’t seperate.

CONTINUE TO PAGE: 1 2 3 4