lets pretend

[J.R.]

[quote name=\'Dan88\' post=\'236948\' date=\'Mar 5 2010, 02:59 PM\']That's not why I would pass on it -- I passed because certain aspects are cheap, fake, and unfair.[/quote]
Game Shows. Serious Business.

How exactly is it "unfair"?

[Adam Nedeff]

[quote name=\'Dan88\' post=\'236948\' date=\'Mar 5 2010, 04:59 PM\']That's not why I would pass on it -- I passed because certain aspects are cheap, fake, and unfair.[/quote]
Regarding unfair, it's hard to find very many successful game shows that were perfectly fair. If "Jeopardy!" was fair, there would be no Daily Doubles and every answer would have the same value. If "The Price is Right" & "Let's Make a Deal" were fair, they wouldn't be "The Price is Right" or "Let's Make a Deal" anymore.

[JasonA1]

[quote name=\'Adam Nedeff\' post=\'236968\' date=\'Mar 6 2010, 02:13 AM\']Regarding unfair, it's hard to find very many successful game shows that were perfectly fair.[/quote]

Nail --> head. This point took a heckuva long time to drill into my skull, but once I got it, the game show part of my brain got stronger. For instance: in the first "season" or so of my college show, I tried way too hard to make a fair game happen in the confines of one TV segment. After such considerations made us run long, my mind shifted to "what's fun in X minutes?" Which is what a good game show should be at the bare minimum.

Although there is a way to be "unfair" and still get my goat. The British version of Keynotes had a scoring system by which winning the third and final round was all one needed to do to win (scoring of £30, £60 and £120). That isn't "3rd game is worth $1000" on Hollywood Squares. That's "my two-year old son is wondering why the third round is worth so much damn money."

-Jason

[MikeK]

[quote name=\'J.R.\' post=\'236964\' date=\'Mar 5 2010, 08:02 PM\'][quote name=\'Dan88\' post=\'236948\' date=\'Mar 5 2010, 02:59 PM\']That's not why I would pass on it -- I passed because certain aspects are cheap, fake, and unfair.[/quote]
How exactly is it "unfair"?[/quote]
Rolf's reign as host lasted only a few months? ;-)

[Matt Ottinger]

Before we go too far down this "unfair" road, the producer of Words Have Meanings would like to remind everyone that there's a difference between "fair" and "equitable".  "Unfair" is a dangerous word to throw around game shows.

What Adam and Jason are referring to are the format elements common to all game shows (in varying degrees, of course) that make them entertaining television programs as opposed to standardized tests. Yes, when the first three rounds are all worth one point, and round four is worth four points, that's a stupid, lazy design, but nevertheless, it is "fair".  

I'm having a harder time understanding what Daniel thinks is "unfair" about Wheel of Fortune, but it seems to revolve around his problem with certain very specific rules (losing the Million Dollar Wedge when you hit a BANKRUPT) or game elements.  He's also insinuating some things about the difficult of the bonus puzzles that I do not believe are based on fact.

[Jay Temple]

[quote name=\'Adam Nedeff\' post=\'236968\' date=\'Mar 6 2010, 12:13 AM\']Regarding unfair, it's hard to find very many successful game shows that were perfectly fair. If "Jeopardy!" was fair, there would be no Daily Doubles and every answer would have the same value.[/quote]
I like to say that if J's tournaments were fair, they'd use one board for all five games the first week, and one board for all three semifinal games. That, if I may say, is the definitive example of the disconnect between "fair" and entertaining.

[TLEberle]

[quote name=\'Jay Temple\' post=\'236979\' date=\'Mar 6 2010, 07:56 AM\']I like to say that if J's tournaments were fair, they'd use one board for all five games the first week, and one board for all three semifinal games. That, if I may say, is the definitive example of the disconnect between "fair" and entertaining.[/quote]That's closer to balance than fairness. Unfair would be where one person's button was unplugged because a stagehand had money riding on the game.

[Neumms]

[quote name=\'Adam Nedeff\' post=\'236915\' date=\'Mar 4 2010, 11:36 PM\'][quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'236808\' date=\'Mar 3 2010, 11:22 PM\']Wow, you'd really pass on Wheel of Fortune.[/quote]
"I sat there, I watched it, and I thought to myself, 'they're spinning a wheel and playing Hangman...this must be a joke.'"
[/quote]

He missed the true brilliance of the idea--it's Hangman with entire phrases, not just single words.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'236997\' date=\'Mar 6 2010, 01:09 PM\'][quote name=\'Adam Nedeff\' post=\'236915\' date=\'Mar 4 2010, 11:36 PM\'][quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'236808\' date=\'Mar 3 2010, 11:22 PM\']Wow, you'd really pass on Wheel of Fortune.[/quote]
"I sat there, I watched it, and I thought to myself, 'they're spinning a wheel and playing Hangman...this must be a joke.'[/quote]
He missed the true brilliance of the idea--it's Hangman with entire phrases, not just single words.[/quote]
Actually he missed the obvious brilliance of the idea: everybody's played Hangman.

[saussage]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'237004\' date=\'Mar 6 2010, 04:45 PM\']Actually he missed the obvious brilliance of the idea: everybody's played Hangman.[/quote]
Yeah... but how about winning $$ for playing hangman? That's like winning a game of "go fish" and I get a boatload of cash for using a small % of cranium (and others, all of their cranium).

Do you have any 3's?

[Dbacksfan12]

[quote name=\'saussage\' post=\'237008\' date=\'Mar 6 2010, 07:02 PM\'][quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'237004\' date=\'Mar 6 2010, 04:45 PM\']Actually he missed the obvious brilliance of the idea: everybody's played Hangman.[/quote]
Yeah... but how about winning $$ for playing hangman? [/quote]Good job on missing the point entirely.

If someone could have made a decent gameshow around "Go Fish", I suspect it would have at least made it to air--everyone knows how to play it.  Same with hangman.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'saussage\' post=\'237008\' date=\'Mar 6 2010, 04:02 PM\']Yeah... but how about winning $$ for playing hangman?[/quote]
You're right, of course...a television program where people can win money for playing a relatively simple game? It would never work.

/really, have you learned nothing?

[J.R.]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'236977\' date=\'Mar 6 2010, 09:38 AM\']I'm having a harder time understanding what Daniel thinks is "unfair" about Wheel of Fortune, but it seems to revolve around his problem with certain very specific rules (losing the Million Dollar Wedge when you hit a BANKRUPT) or game elements.  He's also insinuating some things about the difficult of the bonus puzzles that I do not believe are based on fact.[/quote]
From my prospective, it seems Daniel's issue with WOF is the fact it isn't this button down, ultra-serious trial of competition discipline. He seems to be rather bothered by all the glitz and glamor of the game.

Has the show gone a bit overboard with it? Yeah. But it's still a pretty enjoyable game.

/It's also amusing to see someone, who I am assuming is 20 judging by their handle, talking like a middle aged seasoned veteran producer, complete with a "copyrighted" company.

[toetyper]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'236977\' date=\'Mar 6 2010, 10:38 AM\']He's also insinuating some things about the difficult of the bonus puzzles that I do not believe are based on fact.[/quote]

two words

UTAH JAZZ

my problem was the catergory; proper name

[TLEberle]

[quote name=\'toetyper\' post=\'237017\' date=\'Mar 6 2010, 06:26 PM\'][quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'236977\' date=\'Mar 6 2010, 10:38 AM\']He's also insinuating some things about the difficult of the bonus puzzles that I do not believe are based on fact.[/quote]two words

UTAH JAZZ

my problem was the catergory; proper name[/quote]I hate to make you bring out your Power Pad so soon, but what was improper about the name "Utah Jazz"?