... Michael Agbabian (Exec Producer), Joel Gourdin (Co-Host) - WCG Ultimate GamerIn a dark underground bunker on March 9th, 2009 the SciFi channel hosted a conference call to discuss the series WCG Ultimate Gamer. The contents of this discussion were strictly classified, but I, your faithful TTC staff writer have obtained the TwoCents. I expose for you now some of the questions and the answers given by Michael Agbabian (Executive Producer) and Joel Gourdin (Co-Host).
Ok, so I am embellishing a little about the secrecy, but seriously, it was a fun interview and there’s some great new information here about what to expect from this season of WCG Ultimate Gamer on the SciFi channel! Enjoy!
Q: I wanted to know, you know, all the contestants, you know, between the males and the females, do you see a different - I guess just a difference in their competitiveness based by their gender?
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... Michael Agbabian (Exec Producer), Joel Gourdin (Co-Host) - WCG Ultimate Gamer
ReplyDeleteIn a dark underground bunker on March 9th, 2009 the SciFi channel hosted a conference call to discuss the series WCG Ultimate Gamer. The contents of this discussion were strictly classified, but I, your faithful TTC staff writer have obtained the TwoCents. I expose for you now some of the questions and the answers given by Michael Agbabian (Executive Producer) and Joel Gourdin (Co-Host).
Ok, so I am embellishing a little about the secrecy, but seriously, it was a fun interview and there’s some great new information here about what to expect from this season of WCG Ultimate Gamer on the SciFi channel! Enjoy!
Q: I wanted to know, you know, all the contestants, you know, between the males and the females, do you see a different - I guess just a difference in their competitiveness based by their gender?
Michael Agbabian: Actually no. I actually think that the women on our show are quite competitive and in fact quite fierce in their wanting to win. A lot of them have that drive because I think the gaming community is predominately males so I think the fact that they are women and they’re sort of at the top of their game, no pun intended, I think that they really want to prove something.
And I think on this show they’re hoping to do that. So I actually think they have as much determination if not more so than the guys just because I think they want to prove themselves.
Q: I know we get a little glimpse in the first episode of everybody kind of in the house where they’re staying, how much of that is going to be a part of the show as far as some of the interaction because I know there’s a little tension between (CG) and (Dante) and if there’s more of that coming?
Michael Agbabian: Yeah, I think people are going to be surprised at how much reality plays out in this series. It is a show about gaming certainly but there’s a lot that happens on the reality side. And not only in terms of like strategy and alliances and love interests and all that stuff but it really starts playing into the game play itself in terms of like outcomes of certain episodes.
I think it was quite, for us as producers, it was quite eye-opening to see 12 gamers in a loft and literally by day three just stuff was happening. I mean, it was just like - it just blew up. And, you know, there’s a lot of producers who always, you know, go off about oh my god this happens and that happens but there was stuff we just were not expecting.
Joel Gourdin: The show is really - it has a huge human interest component. I mean these gamers, they have lives, they have full back stories, they’re really fascinating people. And they’re also really, really expressive as people, you know, these aren’t kids wearing black trench coats in a basement.
I think WCG Ultimate Gamer is really going to show everybody that gamers are not just that type of person anymore. This is kind of for everybody, you know, the show is for everyone to explore gaming, yes, but also to get an insight into this sort of community that revolves around this medium.
And I think the contestants that Dwight and Michael chose, they’re remarkable. I remember the first episode when we were out on the rooftop and all the contestants came out and I saw them for the first time. I remember taking Michael and Dwight aside and saying these people look phenomenal. I can’t wait to see the rest of the show. So it’s really, you know, I think that’s a key component of the show is the human interest.
Q: After watching the first episode and seeing the gamers tackle the real guitar I’m just curious about what you’re going to get them to do for Halo III and Virtua Fighter V, like, are they going to have to beat the crap out of each other?
Michael Agbabian: Well on Halo - I’ll take the Halo and Dwight can take Virtua. Halo we do a rather large, I would say large-scale paintball...
Q: What’s your favorite video game of all time?
Joel Gourdin: For me it’s a no-brainer - hello - for me it’s a no brainer, Street Fighter II and now Street Fighter IV without - it’s always been my favorite game, you know, since I was what, 11 or 12 and plunking quarters into an arcade machine in a pizza parlor in my hometown. It’s the Pac Man of my generation and it’s only gotten better with this new game. It’s my favorite game of all time; with a close second from Rock Band probably.