10 Moments Of Genius From Charlie Brooker

4. Gameswipe

gameswipe A one-off version of Screenwipe/Newswipe from 2009, Gameswipe deserves calling out on its own out for its staunch defence of the place of gaming in the face of media prejudice. Brooker's obvious love and knowledge of the subject, he was a console mag writer early on in his career, is in sharp contrast to the way that mainstream TV treats games (e.g. as a waste of time, a bad influence on the youth). Running through the basics of the genre with typical honesty: "First person shooters: shooting people in the face is something that never truly loses it's magic," Gameswipe is a great introduction to the world of gaming for noobs, and a celebration that goes back to the days of the ZX Spectrum for us olde generation (this also remains the only TV show to reference the joy that is Turbo Esprit). Peppered with some nice celebrity whinges, including Dara O'Brian on ridiculous boss levels, it's a funny and well thought-out hour celebrating an often mocked past-time. Oh, and you'll never play a World War II game the same again once Brooker has shown you how to make up backstories for all the nazis you kill. Genius Moment: Tvgohome-style fictional Wii games they've mocked up include "Pleasant Neighbour Simulator," where you use the Wii remote to tip your hat or wave nicely to people, or the game where you have to continually push Myleene Klass into a canal, are just aching to be made.
Contributor
Contributor

I'm a Westcountry exile now living in Yorkshire with lovely wife and cats (also lovely). I'm a big fan of films, robots, timetravel, and films about timetravelling robots, as well as lots of other action, sci-fi and comedy. I'm currently trying to write a sitcom that doesn't involve robots, and I also blog nonsense on timolsky.blogspot.com. Thanks for taking the time to read my stuff, and feel free to comment.