Gaming’s most dangerous duo: How X-Play Shaped a Generation of Gamers

Before Youtube and Twitch, gamers had G4. G4 was a cable TV network dedicated to video games, tech, and nerd culture, launched in 2002 during the early days of mainstream gaming media. 

X-Play was one of G4’s flagship shows and arguably the most influential video game review program of the early 2000s. Hosted most famously by Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb, the show combined sharp, no-nonsense game reviews with a sarcastic, fast-paced tone that set it apart from more promotional gaming coverage of the era.

The show was known for its 1–5 rating system, brutal honesty, skits and willingness to call out broken games, bad design, and industry hype. Beyond reviews, X-Play covered gaming news, hardware, and broader pop culture, helping legitimize critical games journalism on television.

X-Play’s influence extended far beyond its time slot, shaping how games were discussed, critiqued, and taken seriously as a medium. At a time when most coverage leaned heavily promotional, the show normalized skepticism, accountability, and critical language around game design, performance, and player experience. For many viewers, it served as a first exposure to the idea that games could, and should, be evaluated with the same rigor as film or television. Its tone, pacing, and editorial independence became a template later echoed by YouTube reviewers, podcasts, and Twitch personalities, while its hosts helped establish trust as a core currency in games media. In an era before algorithm-driven discovery, X-Play helped define a shared critical vocabulary for an entire generation of gamers.