The subject of Bits has kept the Feedback section buzzing for a while now, with many people despising it and not many coming to its defence. But is the state of games programmes on TV so bad? We put our feet up and do some channel hopping...
Andrew Adam

Leisure pursuits are fairly well represented on TV. From music to gardening, through to DIY and cooking, everyone's interests are comprehensively covered. Why then are gamers being shunned? The situation has always been bleak, with gamers labelled as geeks at the very birth of gaming. No-one wanted to sacrifice TV time to such a 'cult' hobby. But then two shows, Bad Influence and GamesMaster, sprang from nowhere and brought the world of gaming to television. But once GamesMaster finally died there was scant gaming coverage at all. Recently though, following a general change of opinion amongst the media that maybe gaming isn't so geeky after all, a few new shows have popped up, but at unearthly times. I ask if these shows are any good and compare TV's gaming output with that of its output for music and movies.

GamesMaster was first to come along, unsurprisingly on Channel 4, the channel that's rightly praised for often pioneering new and untested programmes and formats. Fronted by unknown Scotsman Dominik Diamond, it was set in a variety of dubious locales, like Hell, Atlantis and an oil rig. Consisting of a format of reviews, tips, news and challenges, it went out in the 6.00-6.30pm, or the 6.30-7.00pm slot. GamesMaster quickly gained a following of young teens, mainly male, as they were primarily the only people playing games around this time.