If someone had told me 15 years ago that there would be real, proper television shows about video games, I would have told them “Please don’t bully me, I already gave you all the lunch money I had.” I think a lot of people had a pretty similar experience and were similarly gutted when it was announced that ABC‘s ‘Good Game‘ would be hanging up its controllers after a formidable 10-year run.
A statement from the ABC said that the show was coming to a close thanks to a conjunction of “changes in the way audiences are choosing to get their information about gaming” and two of the show’s “key presenters” heading off to other roles.
Understandably, some people weren’t all that happy to see the show go and needed to know why the presenters would abandon them so, and it appears that some people took those concerns directly to the people in question, with former host Stephanie ‘Hex’ Bendixsen posting to Facebook that she’d received a letter from just such a person:
“I recently received an email from a girl called Faith who was very upset and angry about my decision to leave Good Game and the subsequent cancellation of the show. I won’t post her letter, but I have a feeling it probably echoes the thoughts of many of you. So, perhaps my response will serve useful to you as well.”
She goes on to explain that it’s actually pretty reasonable that someone would leave a job after having done it for seven entire years:
“First of all, as someone looking from the outside in, you can only make judgments based on your own assumptions. It may seem like I simply abandoned Good Game on a whim for the sake of a paycheck… however the reality is, when I was approached with the opportunity, I agonised over it for nearly six months. I understand you think I have a duty to non-commercial television, but please also understand that I had been doing the same job for seven years!“It was a wonderful, glorious time in my life and I will be grateful for that experience – and the people I shared it with – forever and always. But I ask you, honestly: Am I bound to stay in the same role for the rest of my life? As a nineteen-year-old, I’m not sure what career you are considering pursuing – but I don’t think it’s fair that whatever job you choose, you should be bound to stay with that same employer, in that same role, for the rest of your life. Or at least, until it abruptly ends.“I had seven, incredible years on Good Game. So, when I was offered a new opportunity I had to really think about what leaving would mean for me: Saying goodbye to the ABC, to my partnership with Bajo, to the identity that comes with being ‘Hex from Good Game’. I had to accept that those things don’t define me, and that even if this new project failed – I could at least say that I took a huge leap and tried to build something new.“Because that’s what I’ll be doing in my new job, building something completely new – and that for me is not only an exciting prospect – but an incredible opportunity for my career as a producer and television presenter.”
She also says the blame for the show shutting down does not fall solely on her, nor did she see it coming:
“When I made this decision however, I was also confident in the knowledge that the team I would be leaving have wonderful talent that would of course easily continue the show’s legacy without me. Never, in a million years did I think the ABC would cancel the show after it had already been commissioned.“A show does not hinge on one person. I know you blame me for Good Game’s cancellation. But is that really fair? The show could easily have continued without me. Bajo, Goose and Rad sill remained and were excited to make the show – and I could have been replaced. I know this, because I myself replaced someone when I started on the show! Someone with a HUGE fan-following. However, the show recovered and in fact, only continued to grow.“The show’s cancellation is a direct reflection of the ABC’s feelings about the Good Game brand and for having gaming content on the ABC. They no longer see a place for it. The Good Game team and I truly believe that even if I had stayed, the show would not have likely lasted more than 6-12 months. Faith in the brand seems to have disappeared – and my decision to leave, along with Nich, simply served as the catalyst for the ABC’s decision to let it go.”
Fair cop, hey.
You can read the statement in full below:
Source: Facebook.
Photo: Facebook / Good Game.
