Jason Hall and Jack Thompson
Surfing the web or through cable TV stations looking for entertaining content could be an arduous task. Sifting through the bleachers of crap-shoot reality TV shows, or wadding through the 'wanna-be' talk shows with host(s) that have no business advising guests on life matters is, for nothing else, drug-induced entertainment. Worse still, is the chance of finding decent programming on electronic entertainment, specifically video game culture. Sure you've got your G4's and X-plays of the world but they are all pretty much using the same formula, which almost always includes a hot female host. So where is one to go for compelling, uniquely entertaining content, who's focus is on gaming culture with a 'Saturday Night Live' (SNL) delivery style?
The "Jace Hall Show" attempts to fill that void and does a surprisingly good job at it thus far. This isn't your typical "game" show, for lack of a better term. While you might find comedic yet informative commentary on video games (reviews, previews, etc.) this is not the focal point of the show. After speaking with the enigmatic host, Jason 'Jace' Hall, he informed me that the show, in a nutshell, is about people and how the gaming culture has, in some degree, been influential in their lives. In-fact Jason has been a long-standing monument in the video game industry. Many gamers might remember him as the founder and CEO of Monolith Productions.
The company was founded in the mid 90's and was eventually swallowed up the corporate giant, Warner Bros. Entertainment. Monolith is probably best known for games like "F.E.A.R", "The Matrix Online" and one of my favorites from back-in-the-day, "Shogo: Mobile Armor Division". I'm a huge 'mech' fan, so anything that even closely resembles giant robots, I'm very much in like with. He eventually left Monolith to head up Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment where's he founded HDFILMS which also produces his program, "The Jace Hall Show", amongst a growing number of other shows for both TV and online consumption.
In speaking with Jason, the first thing you realize is his overwhelming silver tongue coupled with his massive charisma and seemingly blunt honesty. This is a microcosms of how is show is produced. It's 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' meets 'X-Play' meets 'SNL' in a short (less than) 5 minute episode. The reason for the shortness is largely due to the common ideology that people simply don't want to watch long-form video content repetitively.
His show has a wide variety of people celebs, editors, etc., to politicians all of which have been somehow influenced by the 10+ billion dollar gaming industry in some capacity. It's currently available online through www.jacehallshow.com through Crackle as well as on XBOX Live and on the PlayStation Network. Today Jason released his most recent production, an interview with the infamous Jack Thompson.
Born John Bruce "Jack" Thompson, Jack is an attorney who has actively spoken out against games like "Grand Theft Auto" claiming that the alleged violent content of these types of games could have a serious impact on the behavior of those who consume them. The Florida Supreme Court has also allegedly recommended him for disbarment in recent months. Jack hasn't exactly made many friends in the gaming industry and today Jason Hall has released a very uniquely satirical style interview with the infamous lawyer and his quest against mature content in video games.
Go to www.jacehallshow.com to see the interview.
Chad Chamberlain