Steph “Hex” Bendixsen and Stephen “Bajo” O’Donnell – host of ABC2’s Good Game and ABC3’s Good Game SP (Spawn Point) – are passionate people. Speaking with them you learn very quickly that they aren’t just “presenters” who turn up for filming and that’s it; they’re gamers of note in their own right and spend hours playing to review games thoroughly and log footage for the show, as well as editing and pre-recording for the show.

Bajo & Hex have become a very popular team, inundated with fans when they attended the EB Games Expo on the Gold Coast in 2011. They’ve worked hard to gain the support of the Australian gaming community and this is reflected in the show – it’s one of the strongest shows on ABC2 evenings and the show is the most downloaded/watched show via the ABC’s iview service.

The news sensibilities of Good Game executive producer Janet “Syd” Carr from years of producing news and current affairs for the ABC are paying off with the team – not only are Bajo & Hex becoming great story tellers in their own right, but Janet has drawn to the show a wider crew who are all gamers and skilled producers, editors, and special-effects wizards in their own right. All this for a ‘little gaming show’. I have to tell you, though – the set is tiny. Ahh, the magic of television.

With Good Game clicking over 200 episodes last week – no mean feat in itself – I was lucky enough to grab a few precious minutes with Bajo & Hex (and Janet, off camera), and we discussed the rise of gaming within the wider community, the product that is Good Game, the importance of Good Game SP, and how they both scored roles on Australia’s only television show solely dedicated to gaming. They’re very honest and open, and it led to a great interview.


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Good Game – Tue 8:30pm, ABC2.
Good Game Spawn Point (SP) – Sat 9:05am, ABC3.