The years from the late 1970s to the early 2000s reflected a golden age for TV game shows. Sure, they existed before then and there are still plenty of good ones on today, but this was an era when game shows topped the TV ratings. Even more to the point, families had a tendency to sit together and watch them in a way that just doesn’t happen today. Inevitably, it means that our memories of those shows are tinged with a sense of nostalgia for days gone by.
Some could argue that the internet, with online and social games, has contributed to the downfall of traditional TV game shows. They might have a point, too. But equally, the internet gives us a chance to reexperience the shows we loved in a new and more interactive way that we would have dreamed possible back in the day. Here are a few examples.
Family Feud
A true family TV show classic in every sense of the term, Family Feud was first broadcast in 1976. When Richard Dawson left the show in 1988, ratings dropped and four successive hosts tried and failed to recapture the magic.
Finally, Steve Harvey took over 2010 and everything clicked back into place. There have been three or four Family Feud-based games over the years, and again, it took a few wrong turns before the best of them was launched in 2020 by Arkadium.
Deal or No Deal
Try describing Deal or No Deal to someone who has never seen it and they will think you are mad. How can a game that involves opening briefcases one after another make for entertaining TV? But back in the early 00s, the game, which originated in the Netherlands, was a worldwide phenomenon, and there were versions made in more than 50 countries.
Looking back on it, this was always going to make a great casino game, and sure enough, the live dealer game that you can play at most online casinos has made it popular all over again. The casino format is slightly different from the TV version as it adds a qualifying round, but once you have negotiated that, it is conceptually the same game as ever. OnlineCasinoList can provide more information about live casino games like Deal or No Deal, and where to find them online.
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Another European import, Millionaire was first aired in the UK in 1998, and was an enormous ratings hit. Months later, the version that North American audiences would come to know and love launched, hosted by the inimitable and much missed Regis Philbin, who made the show his own.
Again, there are several online versions of the game, including a frighteningly realistic version on Steam. For quick and easy fun, however, the WWTBAM io game checks all the boxes and is available on half a dozen different free online game sites – just look it up on your search engine of choice.