TV

Hex Has Spoken Out About The ABC’s Decision To Cancel ‘Good Game’

"As a woman in my 30s, I'll be honest — working in television is scary"

by Osman Faruqi  6 February 2017

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One week after the ABC announced it was cancelling its long-running show about video games, Good Game, one of the show’s co-hosts has taken to Facebook to slam the broadcaster’s decision and talk about her future.

Junkee broke the news that two of the show’s hosts, Stephanie “Hex” Bendixsen and Nich “NichBoy” Richardson, were leaving Good Game to work on a new gaming show for Seven. While Good Game staff were initially surprised by the move, they didn’t expect it would lead to the show’s cancellation.

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In a reflective Facebook post Hex has written about the decision to leave the ABC and why she felt the broadcaster no longer took gaming seriously.

“I recently received an email from a girl called Faith who was very upset and angry about my decision to leave Good Game and the subsequent cancellation of the show,” Hex wrote. “I won’t post her letter, but I have a feeling it probably echoes the thoughts of many of you. So, perhaps my response might serve useful to you as well.

“It may seem like I simply abandoned Good Game on a whim for the sake of a paycheck… however the reality is, when I was approached with the opportunity, I agonised over it for nearly six months. I understand you think I have a duty to non-commercial television, but please also understand that I had been doing the same job for seven years… I ask you, honestly: am I bound to stay in the same role for the rest of my life?”

Hex also talked about her experiences as a women in the entertainment industry and why she felt that was scary.

“As a woman in my 30s, I’ll be honest — working in television is scary,” she said. “Every year I wonder if I’ll soon be considered ‘too old’ to be able to forge a lasting career in television. If I lost my job suddenly — who would want to hire me? My decision to move on from the ABC was not only about starting something new, but also trying to make sure that I will be developing enough experience across different roles and networks to carve out a strong and varied career as a presenter.”

ABC staff previously told Junkee that the decision to cancel Good Game came from senior management and was driven by a desire to cut costs. According to Hex “the show’s cancellation is a direct reflection of the ABC’s feelings about the Good Game brand and for having gaming content on the ABC.”

“They no longer see a place for it. The Good Game team and I truly believe that even if I had stayed, the show would not have likely lasted more than 6-12 months. Faith in the brand seems to have disappeared — and my decision to leave, along with Nich, simply served as the catalyst for the ABC’s decision to let it go.”

Hex’s fans have responded positively on Facebook and supported her decision to leave the ABC. “Very excited to see your new project, Hex,” one wrote. “I’m sure everyone is feeling the same way like I am about the show, we are sad but definitely don’t blame you. Good luck with this next chapter.”

“Thanks for being such a great role model for my daughter Hex, and for my sons, they got to see you and Bajo, as well as the rest of the team see that gamers could be smart, fun, behave with respect to other gamers, and have other things in life other than games,” said another.

Good Game: Spawn Point, a version of the show aimed at younger audiences, will continue to be produced by the ABC. Hex also mentioned that she was working on a book series called Pixel Raiders with the show’s other main co-host, Bajo.