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Good Game set and match

ABC2’s gaming show Good Game has taken out the Best Multimedia Coverage at the 6th annual IT Journalism Awards, dubbed The Lizzies.

Presenters Bajo (Steven O’Donnell) and Junglist (Jeremy Ray), researcher Maurice Branscombe, and series producer Janet Carr collected the award last Friday.

ABC exec Amanda Duthie 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.”

Press Release:

ABC TV’s Good Game has been awarded Best Multimedia Coverage and the top honour, Technology Title of the Year at the 6th annual IT Journalism Awards (The Lizzies).

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.”

“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” says Duthie.

The IT Journalism Awards recognise excellence in IT media and journalism. The awards are affectionately known as The Lizzies, in reference to the ‘Lizards’ nickname that has been adopted by the Australian IT media community.

The Good Game presenters Bajo (Steven O’Donnell) and Junglist (Jeremy Ray), researcher Maurice Branscombe, and series producer Janet Carr collected the Lizzies at the Awards ceremony on Friday, April 11.

Jeremy says “The Good Game team strive to marry the ABC’s strict journalistic practices with the extremely commercial gaming world. We feel it’s a match made in heaven.”

“It’s a complete joy to work in such a small, hardworking team where everyone loves what they do,” Steven says, “There’s lots of late nights for all of us, so the show receiving these awards has been really uplifting.”

The ABC2 program was a clear winner for the Best Multimedia Coverage award and became only the second non-print title to take home the top prize.

In a world first, Good Game and the Australian Film Commission are currently developing an audience-generated online game and offering two mentorships with Australia development company, Infinite Interactive for the best contributors. More information can be found at abc.net.au/goodgame

Good Game screens 9pm Mondays on ABC2, is repeated Fridays after triple j tv on ABC1, and is available for download at abc.net.au/goodgame

2 Responses

  1. Nice one, Good Game crew!

    I’ve been watching and enjoying this one since it started back in 2006 as an ABC2-only experiment, and it just gets better and better – not least because the show’s producers AND hosts listen to feedback from their audience, and actually communicate with them on forums. The show has made changes often at the behest of viewers – most memorably the “killing off” early on of their dreadful and annoying yellow-monkey “mascot”.

    A change of co-host (Bajo arrived in 2007) also helped a lot in making the show more accessible and professional.

    Commercial networks could never make a show like this. You only have to do a comparison between Good Game and Ten’s effort Cybershack.

    Good Game: independent, objective, unpatronising, informative and funny.

    Cybershack: advertorial, cash-for-comment, cliched, brainless and who on EARTH thought Erin McNaughty was a good choice of host for a gaming show? 🙂

    Good work, Good Game. Next year… the Logies! 😀

  2. The thing I love about this show is that it has done so well with very little marketing or PR behind it. And it doesn’t really need any of that anyway, it can survive perfectly well on its own merits.

    I think the Channel Nine marketing department could learn a lesson or two here! But, on the other hand, perhaps they think it’s cheaper to take ordinary shows and try to convince people to watch them, rather than start off with a good show and let it speak for itself.

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