Is g4 even a real opening?

g4 is good move sometimes, wait for the suitable moment to play it and it works.... ;-)

@shadow1414 said ^

C) 'There are master level players who use it' ~ That does not mean that it is good; it just means that they play it. Why might they play it? They like it, they lost a bet, they want to put themselves at a disadvantage...

Nope, they use because they score well enough with it. Refuting such an opening is not easy. I don't think there GM level practitioners but NM level just fine. And obviously opening must varied playing always the same opening to keep opponent guessing. Though the one I know personally has used in lichess 99% and having a win rate of 59.

given that about 1-2 % player reach his level I would say it is good enough

A major idea of the opening is the 'trap' 1.g4 d5 2.Bg2 Bxg4 3.c4 with pressure on the long diagonal.
But in fact 3... dxc4 4.Bxb7 Nd7 5.Bxa8 Qxa8 6. f3 e5 gives Black good play as the engines will tell you.

Very popular on Russian chess youtube these days

@petri999 said:

I don't think there GM level practitioners but NM level just fine.

Some NMs are weaker than others, since the path to receiving the title varies by country.

Well true but in most they are about FIDE CM