WCG Ultimate Gamer First Gaming Reality TV

Starting in March 2009, 12 gamers will compete both in games and in the real world in the Sci-Fi Channel's World Cyber Games: Ultimate Gamer - and if the new promo video is any indication, it will at least be entertaining.

Given that there are reality TV shows about everything under the sun, it's surprising that there hasn't really been one about games and gamers - until now. From the recently-released promo video available on the official site, WCG Ultimate Gamer feels somewhat like a cross between The Real World and American Idol (only with no voting and presumably a less arbitrary judging system). The 12 contestants will live together in one house (12 gamers in one house? Let's hope someone else is cleaning up, eh?) and will compete weekly with a different game per installment: some of the titles we see include Halo 3, Virtua Fighter 5, and Rock Band 2.

Interestingly enough, it looks like the contestants will be required to tackle real-world challenges as well, like playing a real guitar for Rock Band or playing a round of paintball for Halo. Am I wrong for thinking that these tasks are the one with the highest potential for entertainment? I mean, don't get me wrong, it's cool to see gaming - potentially professional gaming at that - consistently edging closer to the social mainstream in this way, but we know these guys are good at videogames. That's the entire premise. We don't know if they can drive stunt cars.

Honestly, now I'm just wondering what sort of real-life challenge they could possibly give them for a game like StarCraft. Somehow, though, I can't see a show like this that's apparently going for flash and glitter taking the time to play a game any older than four or so years.

But it would be awesome to watch a face-off in Super Mario Bros. 3, if only as a tip of the hat to The Wizard.

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"This weeks game is the Sims! Not only will you play the game, but you will then be sent to spy on people and control their actions without telling them"

Is it me or would this be hilarious?

Anyway, I'm pretty bored of reality tv to be honest. The fact its related to games doesn't automatically make it awesome.

Why do I have a mental image of the entire group beating the shit outa each other with GH controllers.

ScrewAttack had a great parody on this:

http://www.screwattack.com/Clip/UltimateGamer

In my opinion, it looks terrible, they are only playing very recent mainstream games and... well... it's reality tv, and that usually makes me puke.

Oh, I'm so there. Not because I expect this to be good - quite the opposite. Oh, what a glorious trainwreck of a show this shall be.

I give it four episodes before it's canceled.

epic.

I have great faith in the direction that this show will take.
It'll be interesting seeing how these contestants fare against my own gaming skills, and it'll at least make games look better/more mainstream in general.

the guys above are so... negative and faithless about this show.
That's why we can't have anything nice in the house.

Susan Arendt:
Oh, I'm so there. Not because I expect this to be good - quite the opposite. Oh, what a glorious trainwreck of a show this shall be.

I give it four episodes before it's canceled.

This, but watching TV means I have to stop playing Super Robot Wars Alpha Gaiden... So no, I won't be watching.

I can not convey how mind bogglingly shit a concept this is.

They got all the wrong games here!

Where's Quake III? Hell even Counter-Strike would be better.

If there is no Ms. Pac-Man challenge, can we really declare an ultimate gamer?

Susan Arendt:
Oh, I'm so there. Not because I expect this to be good - quite the opposite. Oh, what a glorious trainwreck of a show this shall be.

I give it four episodes before it's canceled.

It's Sci-Fi Network. They didn't cancel Sanctuary, they didn't cancel Stargate Atlantis. This will go at least a full season.

Ok I just watched the first episode without knowing what it was.

I'm suprised, I actually enjoyed it.
I hate reality TV, liked it when it was still a fresh idea but its been overdone to the point where we dont need it.
But some of the people in WCG are cool, they all have real skills (oddly though, I think I would be a good competitor for most of them), only a small section of episode is used for the RL challenges and the entire latter half is about the games.

I have high hopes for the programme, could actually get me watching TV again.

Susan Arendt:
Oh, I'm so there. Not because I expect this to be good - quite the opposite. Oh, what a glorious trainwreck of a show this shall be.

I give it four episodes before it's canceled.

glad to see im not the only one who will watch train wrecks waiting to happen

These aren't real gamers. Real gamers wouldn't bother going on tv, they'd stay at home and beat the crap out of these guys via internets.

Cpt_Oblivious:
These aren't real gamers. Real gamers wouldn't bother going on tv, they'd stay at home and beat the crap out of these guys via internets.

True true, to think about it though, a lot of their screennames looked familiar when I watched the pilot, here's hoping that they got beat by my mighty gaming powers lol.

Oh dear

Chances are if they announced a new reality show the contest is already recorded, produced and done or near done. So expect at the very least one season.

I will say this is pretty sad on how they determine a "Hardcore" gamer. They don't even respect their roots. Where is the tetris, pac-man, space invaders arcade games. Where are the FPS games? Or how about an RPG? So many game genres are probably going to be missing.

Has anyone actually watched this? I was just watching the first episode and its so fake its appalling. They gave them a 'Rock Band' challenge where they had to practice and perform ONE SONG on real instruments, and you can see them like pointing into the crowd and putting their hands in the air while the guitar and bass continue to play somehow. As a musician I was horrified, is it really so hard to tell if people are faking? I mean if their hands are not on the guitar, and you hear guitar... like... what the hell were they thinking!

I wish this show was a little more real, I was actually enjoying it in some weird way. I thought they would actually be challenged but apparently its fake as hell. I suggest people watch it anyways though for sheer hilarity through its blatant fakeness.

Comic that relates to this.