Since the advent of commercial network television on June 20, 1946, viewers have been entertained by many different forms of programs--talk shows, news shows, sitcoms, dramas. But over those 50 years, one form of show has remained enduringly popular--the game show.

The game show, at least on television, has been in decline during the 1990s as less expensive, ratings-grabbing talk shows have saturated the dial. But the game show is, in fact, enjoying a renaissance—on the Internet.

Called "'net games", these usually text-based games are faithfully based on their television counterparts. And anyone can play them--if they know where to find them.

Many of the more popular 'net games appear on the World Wide Web, the most popular (and second-oldest) being "'Net Price Is Right", hosted by Jay Lewis. As the name suggests, Lewis offers a graphical version of the CBS show of the same name. Players can submit bids on prizes, play pricing games, even win a Showcase—sort of. You see, there is an unwritten rule about 'net games: don't expect to get the prizes you win. The games are there strictly for entertainment value only. But, in spite of not being able to win anything, people still play, and play often.

But one of the questions people are quick to ask is: why? 'Net game show hosts had a variety of responses.

John Venturini, a junior at Penn State University majoring in mathematics and statistics, believes 'net game shows do two things for people. "They are game show fans themselves and playing them brings back memories of those shows to them, and people who play them do it for fun, and not for prizes. They do it for the sheer competition."

Troy N. Diggs, a radio/TV major at Arizona State University, had a more succinct explanation: "It’s something to do."

'Net game shows can be found on many places on the Internet, and aren’t limited to the World Wide Web. GS-L, the game show listserv, the official listserv devoted to 'net games (netgames@onelist.com) as well as alt.tv.game-shows (a.t.g-s), the game show newsgroup, are homes to many 'net games. The games run the gamut, from shows that have become immortalized in the game show pantheon ("The Price Is Right", "Match Game"), to those shows that are lesser-known (like "Face The Music").

On average, each 'net game averages 25-30 "contestants" per game, which can take a lot of time to complete, for example, a typical round of 'Net Match Game can last about a month or so before being completed. And a typical "episode" of 'Net Price Is Right can last longer than that--up to about a month and a half.

How A 'Net Game Works

But how does it all work? Let’s use 'Net Match Game as our example.

Subscribers to GS-L, Netgames, or a.t.g-s are eligible to play 'Net Match Game, which is based on the CBS television show of the same name that ran from 1973 to 1981.

Rounds usually begin with a post from coordinator Jay Lewis, asking for hosts. Each host handles one question in the round, which usually consists of seven questions.

The general idea of 'Net Match Game is to match as many of the other players as possible. Points are awarded to players who do match each other, up to a maximum of six points. (More than six players may match each other with the same answer, but they still get only six points.) Hosts automatically receive three points for the questions they host.

Each of the seven hosts is responsible for four things: coming up with a question, posting the question, scoring the results, and posting the results. This process is usually done within a couple days’ time, since the round must be kept moving in order to avoid confusion.

A typical question would go like this:

Questions can be just about anything, so long as there’s a <<BLANK>> in it somewhere. And questions should be designed so that there is more than one answer, which allows for a more diverse scoring distribution.

The player who has the most points at the end of the round plays the Super Match, which involves a more straightforward fill-in-the-blank question. After the Super Match, the round (and the process) restarts.

Who Is Involved

The majority of the people who host 'net game shows are college students, so they do have other commitments. But they all have one thing in common: a love for the game show genre--and some of them have been game show fans for as long as they can remember, and one, Tim Connolly, actually learned to count through game shows.

"Most four-year-olds learned to read and count with Sesame Street. I used Wheel of Fortune and The Price Is Right," Connolly said. Connolly is also a 'net game host: he hosts 'Net Pyramid, an adaptation of the long-running "Pyramid" series.

Not all 'net game shows are run by college students, however. Commercial firms have gotten into the act, including Sony, which, not coincidentally, owns both "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!" Sony offers both games online at its Web site, but both require players to join a service before anyone can play.

For a little more than a few minutes’ download time, surfers can play "You Don't Know Jack The 'netshow", an online version of Berkeley Systems’ wildly popular CD-ROM game, which itself is patterned in the style of a game show.

But for those who can't afford the download time or the fee for joining Sony's games, the game show newsgroup and the game show listserv provide the easiest and the cheapest way to play the games game show fans loved to watch on television years ago.

And the password is interactivity, as the players of these 'net games are really a part of the game, actually playing along instead of just watching, which is one reason that Lewis gives for the popularity of 'net shows.

"Most players live on the North American continent," Lewis said, himself a native of New Brunswick, Canada. "Not everyone can go to Los Angeles and for those who can, not everyone gets the call to 'come on down'. This way, I think people get excited at the prospect of ‘playing’ (participating) in the game and at the thought of 'winning'.

"Also, some of the other games are based on shows that are no longer on the air and people get to 'relive' those shows."

But a major reason, hosts say, is the camaraderie.

"I enjoy the fellowship I experience with friends I've met online throughout the U.S. and Canada," J. W. Justice, a graduate student from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, said.

Lewis had a different explanation.

"['Net games are] an interesting way to spread culture, meet people who have similar interests and have a little fun all at the same time," Lewis said.

Whatever the reasons why people play them, 'net games are becoming increasingly popular. It is truly becoming a place where the high culture of the Internet and the pop culture of television collide.

You too can join in on the fun. Just join GS-L, the Game Shows Listserv. In addition to rousing discussion of game shows and related topics, subscribers to GS-L can also play some of the most popular 'net games, including 'Net Price Is Right, now in its 16th episode! So what are you waiting for? Sign up for GS-L today!

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