Earlier this month, the BBC broadcast its own gaming show from Confetti X in Nottingham: Game On! For BBC Children in Need. Reece Barrett reviews the TV show.
In a year where esports coverage on UK television took a major hit, when Ginx Esports TV was pulled from satellite broadcast, the presentation of Game On! hinted that there could be a space for esports on the small screen in the future, but only if the correct titles are chosen to be played.
Game On! explored elements of the industry on prime-time television, doing so in surprisingly deep detail.
Game On was first announced last month, along with a Just Dance for Pudsey initiative. The programme was the first edition of Children in Need’s latest fundraiser and the success of the show did not go unnoticed, with the two-hour broadcast being repeated on BBC One five days later.
What happened in the Game On! For Children in Need show?
The BBC Three show was broadcast on Friday November 10th 2023 as an early supplement to the traditional Children in Need live show, with a huge range of content creators, Twitch streamers and mainstream celebrities participating in different competitions.
Former BBC Gaming correspodent Steffan Powell and Radio 1 host Vick Hope presented the show from Nottingham Trent University’s Confetti X esports complex, which hosted the University Esports Masters 2023 finals a few months ago.
Guild Racing members Seb Hawkins and Remy Gilbert competed alongside British racer Nic Hamilton and influencers Harry Pinero, Yung Filly and Elz the Witch in F1 23 races, where competition winners also joined for one final race to headline the show’s in-studio content.
This live gaming content gave Nottingham Trent University students the chance to help out at Confetti X too, with more than 60 aspiring professionals getting to flex their production muscles behind the scenes (and 200 more made up the studio audience too).
A national tournament for Augmented Reality game Hado also concluded after touring the UK in eight different locations in October, with the winning team playing live against two teams of celebrities.
Pre-recorded vignettes featuring the likes of Spencer FC and Lauren Layfield (of the ‘We’re Just Innocent Men’ meme) and in-studio interviews also supported the live gaming content. However, these in-studio interviews and random content away from gaming jarred the pace and slowed the show down.
A Children in Need exclusive performance of Uptown Funk by social media stars The Famileigh was fun but felt out of place being sandwiched between two interviews.
It should be said that at no point did the BBC promise an esports show, and that Game On! was always marketed to be more a love letter to gaming rather than a night of intense, competitive action.
But this still felt like a missed opportunity for the world of esports to be presented to a prime-time audience, because when the games were given centre-stage, they did not disappoint.
The F1 23 segments featured live races, and these were captivating, especially when aided by Harry Benjamin‘s energetic commentary – even if his flow was tarnished by the constant EA Sports product placement.
These races were limited to just three-laps, meaning that the professional Guild Esports drivers did not have enough time to pull away from the influencers too dramatically which kept the action dramatic throughout.
These segments and Hado matches were where the show excelled, as they allowed the games to talk for themselves rather than just being described by influencers. The appearances of these celebrities did not feel forced when they were competing in live matches but interest dipped during their interviews.
The enjoyment and crowd involvement in these live segments seemed to suggest that the viewers were most interested in the gaming too, and it begs how much fun a two-hour showcase of other major esports titles like League of Legends and Dota 2 could be if given prime-time production and celebrity backing.
It was an undoubted success for both the people it raised money for, and for the students it gave an opportunity to too.
With a strong foundation being laid by this first instalment, Game On! For Children in Need was a solid start for a new fundraiser that could allow the charity to tap into a whole new ball game – although more focus on the games themselves would have kept the pace consistent throughout.
In other UK esports and gaming news, it was confirmed that the League of Legends Worlds 2024 finals are coming to London.
Reece is a sports journalist who has previously worked with the likes of BBC Radio Solent, Southern Daily Echo, Salisbury Radio, VAVEL and many more. He is currently studying a degree in Sports Journalism at Solent University.
