Level 3 (TV series)

Level 3
Created by	Dale Robinson
Starring	Jason O'Callaghan (2006–) Jamie McDonald (2006–2008) Mick Levacsics (2009–2010) Kirsty Sculler (2010-)
Country of origin	Australien
No. of episodes	216 (As of 9 May 2011)
Production
Running time	approximately 25 minutes (without commercials)
Original release
Network	C31 Melbourne and TVS
Release	2006 – present

Level 3 is an Australian television show that focuses on video games and gaming culture. The program has aired on C31 Melbourne on Monday nights, and on TVS on Tuesday nights. Past episodes are available for viewing at the Level 3 website, as well as Level 3 links in YouTube, Blip.tv or Livestream channels.

Show Format

The show began, and continues to be made by gamers, for gamers. While this statement has been cheapened by obvious commercial interests using the same catchphrase, it was started as a purely community-produced program, funded by the efforts and enthusiasm of its contributors. The opinions offered on the show are unhindered by editorial bias (although the editor would like to, particularly in reference to his beloved Amigas) and is 100% independent of industry influence.

Each episode of Level 3 will usually contain two to three reviews of games based around the current generation of consoles, handhelds and recently, PC games. Sometimes, episodes will contain interviews with members of the local and international gaming industry (such as middleware developers Emergent Game Technologies, developers of the Gamebyro game engine). The show also includes people somewhat related to the industry (such as Stephen Conroy, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy).

As well as this, other features include a focus on a specific gaming-related topic (such as the Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death) or trailers for upcoming games (such as Bioshock 2 or Modern Warfare 2). There have also been episodes dedicated to a specific gaming-related event (such as the E3 Media and Business Summit or Melbourne's eGames & Entertainment Expo).

What is unique about Level 3, compared to similar shows such as X-Play or Good Game, is that most of the reviews are filmed in front of a green screen, with the reviewer giving their take on the game while footage plays in the background. This has been used to create some interesting reviews. For instance, during a comparison review between Rock Band and Guitar Hero World Tour, it was reviewed via the perspectives of four people – Johnny Cash, a member of Devo, a Chav and the reviewer himself.

Aside from the reviews, other popular segments on the show include "Weird & Retro", a look back at some of the more weird or older aspects of gaming history.

History

2006

Level 3 was created by Dale Robinson (affectionately known as the Drunken Editor) and premiered in 2006. Dale, who had worked on a number of shows with Channel 31 prior to the creation of Level 3, created the show due to his long time passion for video games. Three hosts were chosen – Jason O'Callaghan (who originally covered Nintendo and Microsoft consoles), Jamie McDonald (who covered Sony consoles) and Nick (who covered PC gaming on the show).

Earlier episodes of the show featured a segment known as "Red Pill", where the hosts would compare and contrast an activity to its video game counterpart. It's been dropped in recent years due to the idea being done badly by other TV shows.

2007

2007 saw a number of huge events to happen to Level 3. Nick left the show for undisclosed reasons (and since has not been heard from again), leaving little to no PC coverage on the show throughout the year. While a female host was introduced to cover PC gaming, she only had two appearances from the show and has not since appeared to date.

However, the biggest loss was a temporary one. Jamie left the show to participate in that years Big Brother competition. After he was evicted from the house, Jamie returned to the show. As well as that, the then Young Jamie (Jamie Galea) joined the team shortly before the year ended.

2008

The big focus for 2008 was to expand online. While a website had been created at the end of the previous year, Jason, Dale, Mark Szilli and Young Jamie took huge strides in expanding the online presence of Level 3. This was accomplished via the creation of a forum and a weekly audio podcast. Episodes of the show were also made available on the show's site – including one that was not aired on Channel 31.

2009

Where 2008 saw an expansion online, 2009 is seeing a major expansion for the show. During Episode 32 of the Level 3 Podcast, Jason quickly outlined some of the changes and additions that would be made to Level 3. These changes included more hosts to focus on more specific topics – such as gaming culture and non-gaming related topics (such as anime/manga or technology). A new PC reviewer was also being looked at. Finally, Jason confirmed that the shows opening is being tinkered around with – with new music possibly on the way and an updated intro.

Some of these newer hosts are popular enough in their own right. The first confirmed guest host is Ash from TekTime Radio, a popular gaming and technology based show in Melbourne. He made his debut on the episode for 11 December 2008. The second guest host to be confirmed is Anna Dunne from Australian Gamer, who debuted on the 22 January 2009 episode of the show – to talk about some of best hidden gaming gems of 2008.

Recent developments for the show also have included uploading the show onto various other channels. Following the cancellation of a Friday spot, the latest episode of the show can be found on Channel 31's site days after it airs, rather than two weeks – this being due to contractual agreements between Level 3 and Channel 31. Following the release of episodes onto Channel 31's site, the show is uploaded onto Young Jamie's and the official Level 3 YouTube Accounts. The official account hosts full episodes, while Young Jamie's hosts edited reviews or segments. As of June 2009, the move is slowly being made towards Level 3 being hosted on Blip.tv, with the collective response of Level 3 being unsatisfied with uploading to YouTube. However, this policy was reversed in 2010 with a review of Bioshock 2 going online under a new Level 3 account.

On 10 April 2009, Jamie announced he was leaving the show to be a radio host for Hype FM in Broken Hill. The next week debuted Anna in a much larger role, as well as a new PC reviewer debuted on the show – Timmay, who was one of the more prominent members of the Level 3 forums. Speaking specifically on the shows future on the 44th episode of the Level 3 Podcast, Jason mentioned how hosts such as Anna and Ash will reappear in larger roles, and the show is looking at picking up another PC reviewer, which was later revealed to be Tim Forster – best known as Level 3 forumite "Timmay".

In June 2009, some of the biggest changes occurred for Level 3. The first big change was that Level 3 would be adhering to a more 'brand'-like strategy, wherein all of the different elements of the show (such as the forums and podcast) would be much more tightly integrated within the show and would link with one another. This was confirmed on the 52nd episode of the Level 3 Podcast, in which Dale talked about and confirmed some of these elements, as well as begun linking in a discussion on E3 2009, which was alluded to in the show. Furthermore, the format of the podcast changed where instead of being a Skype conversation between Jason and Young Jamie, the format would become an in-studio recording with whomever was filming on that particular day.

As well as that, a brand-new 'alpha' version of the Level 3 website was unveiled on 6 June 2009, with confirmation of a replacement co-host, Mick Levacsics, formerly of OzBoxLive Radio and currently host of Thumbpad Radio. Mick also provides the show with reviews of sports games. On 19 June, fellow Thumbpad contributor "Serblander" debuted on Level 3, serving as the show's new retro host. The following week, fellow Thumbpad contributor Kane joined Serblander in delivering that weeks retro segment.

2009 also saw the release of the show's 150th episode – which aired on 20 November 2009. With the release of this episode, Level 3 became the longest-running television show about video games to be created and aired in Australia.

2010

2010 has seen some huge changes happen to the show, as well as everything else surrounding the show. Following the announcement of Channel 31's acquisition of a digital license, production on Level 3 has ramped up to take advantage of the benefits of the new broadcasting standard. For starters – four new additions to the Level 3 were added during this time, Philby – who brings experience working with Channel 31 as well as other television shows; Donald, to help with the podcast; Megan, another member of Thumbpad to help cover PC & Wii titles – as well as any other titles; and Kirsty – to cover eSports, elements of gaming culture (such as Cosplay) and much more.

Most of the major developments of 2010 came between the halfway and closing points of the year. The cast and crew took part in Monash University's Computer Games Boot Camp event from the 3–9 July, experimenting with livestreaming - to which the entire event was livestreamed. This would later help fuel the successor to the audio podcast - a weekly video livestream, which started on the 19th of September, 2010. Since then, the livestream has become a weekly staple for the Level 3 team, allowing for greater and much looser discussion than what the show could allow. In addition, it's been an avenue to livestream games of unique or unreleased nature. Several games that were played on the livestream before their official Australian releases were Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow; and has also been host to the earliest Australian footage of Rock Band 3 keytar playing.

2011

For the year 2011, the goal of the team behind Level 3 was to continue to provide some of the best independent coverage of the Australian and international videogame industry, better utilizing the technology and experiences at their disposal. The year so far involved the team branching out to more events, covering local events such as the inaugural Melbourne Global Game Jam and LEGO convention Brickvention.

The team also debuted a brand-new Livestream channel, powered by website Livestream, which debuted proper with a live broadcast on ANZAC Day. The team has intended to use this new channel to not only provide more live original content, but also livestreaming of local events and as a video on demand service.

Hosts & Crew

Jason O'Callaghan

Jason O'Callaghan was "discovered" behind the counter of the Sleazy Producer's favourite video store. Upon asking for an armful of "art films", he sensed the inner nerd that lay inside Jason. And a star was born. Jason's been in the industry in various forms for over 8 years, not to mention played games for 20 years. So his passion for the art has certainly been there.

Jason O'Callaghan has remained one of the more prolific members of the Level 3 community, as known to post on a variety of popular messages boards, as well as the official Level 3 boards.

Mick Levacsics

While Mick Levacsics might not exactly be known to a television audience, he has been well-regarded as a long established member of the Australian podcasting scene. He made his podcasting debut on the Oz Box Live podcast, before leaving that in 2009 to start a brand-new general gaming podcast known as Thumbpad – which has become one of the more popular Australian gaming podcasts out there.

On the show though, Mick has best described himself as "The Sam Newman" to Jason's Eddie McGuire, providing great commentary as the co-host of the show. When not co-hosting, though, Mick has also provided Level 3 viewers with reviews of sports games.

Dale Robinson

The creator of Level 3, Dale Robinson has been in the television industry for many years. It shows – he has handled a lot of the audio and video aspects of the show, filming, editing and delivering the show to Channel 31.

Robinson best known as "The Drunken Editor", a reference to his love of drinking that somewhat does not affect his ability to cut together the show.

Jamie Galea

Before Jamie Galea made his television debut in late 2008, he was best known for more behind-the-scenes-type work. In this regard, he created the Level 3 forum, as well as created the Level 3 podcast, which has taken on a life on its own from there. Since September 2009 onwards, Jamie has made a much more frequent appearance on the show – most notably under the name of "Darth" – referring to his online handle "DarthHomer".

Anna Dunne

Dunne made her first steps into the world of gaming by the green glow of an old Compaq and was initiated by the Scumm engine's adventures. Blessed by the powers of real time and the turn-based strategies of the late nineties, she has always had a soft spot for these two genres. Yet her true love is that of the RPG, specifically anything under the name of Bioware. She harbours a secret addiction to puzzle games, which began with Tetris and since has not stopped her from investing thousands of hours in matching shapes and colours. She also cannot coordinate a controller well, so seeing Anna Dunne online is rare sight indeed.

Specifically, Anna Dunne has remained consistent in pursuing what she likes rather than what would make her specifically employable. Since leaving school, she had insisted on studying history and the Indonesian language and working in a variety of workplaces. But by far her work at Australian Gamer and now Level 3 have fulfilled her life to the point of happiness.

Tim Forster

The start of gaming for Tim Forster was his first game console at the age of 6, the SNES. Never playing anything more than Yoshi's Island on the SNES, he moved onto the N64, where he started to play more often, starting with Goldeneye. Soon after that, moving away from Nintendo, he purchased a PlayStation 2, along with a copy of Grand Theft Auto 3. About 40 PS2 games later and playing Half Life 2 on the family PC, he was shown a marvelous piece of hardware by his cousin. Through the clear side panel of this beast of a machine, he saw the fluorescent coloured water flowing through the liquid cooling, the LED lights flashing and the glorious view of what PC gaming could achieve. Needless to say, Tim was in love, around a year later, on 9 January 2007, Tim had his very own, custom built PC. From that moment on, Tim has been a PC gamer, even though he still owns a PS3 and a 360. His only regret is not being a PC gamer in the glory days of PC gaming.

When Forster saw his first episode of Level 3, he saw Jason standing in a shower talking about Bioshock. After purchasing Bioshock on Jason's advice, he never missed another episode. Tim got very involved with the Level 3 community after winning tickets to the eGames expo, being the 4th person to sign up to the forums. When the call went out that Level 3 was looking for a PC games reviewer, Tim put his hand up, having no previous experience whatsoever. After a controversial first review of Dawn of War 2, Tim continues to strive to improve his reviewing skills.

Mark Szili

While Mark has not appeared on camera very much, he has played a huge role in the behind the scenes aspect of Level 3. He maintains the Level 3 website, ensures that episodes are uploaded to the Blip or YouTube accounts in a timely fashion (sometimes earlier than the actual broadcast!), and created and moderates on the Level 3 IRC channel – the only real form of communication between fans and the show before the forum was created. He's best known online as "Assimilator", a reference to the Borg from various Star Trek series.

Kane Taylor

Much like with Mick, Kane Taylor is better known from the world of podcasting – having worked with Mick on the Oz Box Live podcast. Not too long after Mick left Oz Box Live, Kane joined, forming yet another part of Thumbpad. On the show, Kane provides one half of the Weird & Retro team, yet there's still some deliberation as to whether or not he's either Weird or Retro.

Taylor is also a huge retro gamer, famously declaring that he won't play anything made this century – exceptions being games like Forza Motorsport 3 or Mass Effect. He also used to run a Gametraders store in the suburbs of Victoria, furthering his retro love. Some say he is at his most entertaining when you speak to him after he has been awake for over 24hrs

Aleksander "Serblander" Svetislav

Much like with Kane Taylor, Aleks Svetislav is not only a member of Thumbpad, but was brought to Level 3 thanks to Mick. Much like with Kane – Aleks is a huge retro gamer, with a passionate love of Atari – specifically old Atari. He also co-hosts the Weird & Retro segment of Level 3, and again, there's still some deliberation as to whether or not Aleks is either Weird or Retro.

Another fact about Aleks Svetislav is that he is also the number one Xbox Live Arcade gamer in Australia – having the most Gamescore points from downloaded Xbox Live Arcade titles.

Donald Duong

Also a graduate of a SYN FM production, Donald Duong previously hosted a radio show about video games known as "Single Player". After hearing his talents (as well as being interviewed by him), he began to help out with the show. Don's contributions are currently helping out with the podcast, as well as providing feature articles for the site.

Megan Webber

Much like with Kane Taylor and Aleks Svetislav, Megan Webber also joined Level 3 via Mick. She's not only one of the latest members of Thumbpad, but also one of the latest reviewers on the show – debuting with a review of New Super Mario Bros. Megan aims to bring in more focus on the Wii and PC in any future reviews and segments.

Kirsty Sculler

The latest addition to Level 3 is a well-known entity to Melbourne gamers alike – cosplaying as Princess Daisy, and appearing at various Nintendo Australia promotional events. Kirsty Sculler will be delivering eSports updates to the Level 3 audience, as well as provide pieces on gaming culture, and maybe even a review or two.

Former Hosts

Jamie McDonald

One of three debuting hosts, Jamie McDonald made his mark as the shows resident "Sony fanboy", loving each and everything Sony did, even if it was for the best or worst. But by the end of his run on the show, Jamie made it known that he owned all three major consoles – even reviewing a few Xbox 360 and Wii exclusive games.

Jamie McDonald has been probably best known for his appearance on the 2007 season of Big Brother Australia, allowing the entire nation to fall in love with the former singing waiter from Ballarat.

The Weird Kidd (Keith Murray)

The Weird Kidd...the most mysterious member of the Level 3 crew, shows up in the most random and surprising locations...and that's about all that anyone really knows about him...except for his freakish gaming skills (such as killing the Licker from Resident Evil 2 with only a knife.)

But in reality, Keith Murray helps out behind the scenes by either appearing in reviews, or acquiring game footage played during reviews, and much more... and he has a Working with Children certificate.

External links

• Official Website
• Official Facebook Page
• Level 3 on Blip
• Level 3 (video) on iTunes
• Level 3 Audio Podcast iTunes Music Store Link
• Official Level 3 YouTube Channel
• Level 3 Livestream Page