G4 to examine Sex In Games @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on August 18, 2005

News: The "video game channel" might be good for something after all.

If you've been watching G4 recently (go on, you can admit it), you may have seen ads for their new special "Sex In Games: A G4 Special Report". The special purports to be a history of sex in video games from the Atari 2600 (Custer's Revenge!) all the way up to the latest news on the Hot Coffee scandal. The special will premiere next Tuesday, August 23 at 11 PM.

The special looks like it may be the kind of programming we all hoped G4 would be showing all along. In addition to the history lesson, the show promises two in-depth commentaries on the state of sex in games today. The first comes from Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, who you'll recall was immortalized in gamedom earlier this year in Playboy: The Mansion.

The second will be a hosted forum that includes several of the big players in the video game debate. The panel will include Ed Fries (co-creator of the Xbox), Seth Schiesel (Technology Culture writer for the New York Times), Melissa Caldwell (of the Parents Television Council) and Leland Yee (California Assemblyman and major proponent of anti-video game legislation), and representatives from the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association (IEMA) and the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB).

While G4 isn't particularly known for their hard hitting video game journalism, this sounds like it could be a real, informed look at the subject.

Of course, I do wonder how seriously they'll handle the subject when the show's web listing includes links to buy games featured on the program including The Sims 2, Playboy: The Mansion and Leisure Suit Larry.

For more on the Sex In Games special, you can keep watching G4 or hit up Kyle Orland's recently relaunched Video Game Media Watch for a link to an extended trailer.

Once again, Sex in Games: A G4 Special Report premieres Tuesday, August 23 at 11 PM.