Game shows have been a staple of early afternoon TV and even prime-time TV for decades. Charismatic hosts, easy-to-grasp games, and big prizes for those with the skill or luck to win it all are a formula that never fails to intrigue audiences at home. If nothing else, watching these shows can offer a welcomed little ego boost, getting the decisions correct while those on-screen get it wrong or even completely fail on national TV.
Now, there’s a new age of game shows upon us. So popular is the formula of a whole host of these programmes that another line of entertainment has worked to adapt them for its players. Game shows now take up their own section of online casino gaming platforms, with familiar formats of the games taking centre stage and playing through round-by-round betting.
The online real money game shows aren’t exactly the same as the TV shows we know so well, more inspired by them and draw on the fundamental elements of what makes the programmes so popular. So, what is it about so many games shows that make them must-watch TV, despite the very simple premise, and how do online game shows differ in their play?
Rise of game shows as a television staple
For over 80 years, game shows have been aired on TV. It all started on 31 May 1938 with the BBC’s showing of Spelling Bee. Put out live from Alexandra Palace at 10 pm for five episodes once per month, it was based on the radio show version of the game, which itself replicated the format popularised in the US. Contestants would be asked to spell out selected words letter by letter, with the difficulty and obscurity of the words gradually getting more challenging as the programme went on.
Spelling Bee isn’t around anymore, but in its place, there’s a whole host of riveting and challenging game shows. There have been huge hits on both sides of the Atlantic, but it’s tough to deny the draw as game shows in the US boast. A core part of pop culture and water cooler chats, one of the biggest US game shows was and is Family Feud. In fact, in 1979, the show hosted both sides of the infamous feud between the Hatfield and McCoy families that spanned over a century.
Quizzes take hold on TV, luck-based shows move on
In the UK, game shows regularly rotate on and off of the schedule, but there are a few big hitters that never fail to draw in thousands of viewers whenever they air. It’s been found, per a search analysis, that Countdown is the UK’s favourite with 996,000 annual searches, followed by The Chase (840,000), Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (456,000), Catchphrase (360,000), and then Tenable (336,000). These are all quiz, knowledge, and skill-based shows, rather than luck-based ones that have generally faded from TV in recent years.
It’s these luck-based games that have found their resurgence online. The real money game shows are completely randomised and luck-based, as they need to be in the realms of gambling. As they’ve sunk from programming, those randomised games online don’t tend to compete with the on-TV versions, and the focus on them being gambling for the many has allowed studios to expand further into new ideas that don’t need to abide by TV requirements and demands.
Game shows become hot picks online
From the well-known format of spinning wheels to crafty new creations, game shows have become incredibly prominent at the live casino. Standing alongside classic table games, the game shows feature human hosts being live-streamed to your devices so that you can play the games in the studio in real-time. Through clever manipulation of live streaming technology and platform UI, anyone who boots up a live game show gets to sit in the hot seat and bet on games that are happening in that moment. Just as quiz shows shot up through 2020, so have games of chance online in 2022.
One of the favourite formats is the wheel spin, with Live Mega Wheel, Monopoly Live, and Live Adventures Beyond Wonderland consistently drawing in large audiences. Showcasing the expanded range, you can also find Live Boom City, Live Cash or Crash, Live Gonzo’s Treasure Hunt, Live Lightning Dice, Live Crazy Coin Flip, and Live Deal or No Deal The Big Draw.
So, while some will wonder what classic TV game show they’d win based on their general knowledge, others will play the real money game shows online to test their luck in the hot seat. TV gave rise to game shows, with the genre-expanding greatly on the box. However, online game shows are proving to be the future for those who dabble in luck-based entertainment.