Chuck E. Cheese game show (for adults) in the works

[That Don Guy]

Question: did Chuck E. Cheeses have Skee-Ball?

Absolutely yes.  I am willing to wager hard earned money on "alley roller" in the article is the trademark-free equivalent of Skee-Ball.

Looks like you're right, based on a quick Internet search. Strange - I don't think I have heard the term "alley roller" used as a generic for Skee-Ball before now.

[clemon79]

Where I come from, a Chuck E. Cheese game show would have been Starcade.

Of course, I'm also old, and remember back before CECs turned into Redemption Hellscapes.

/the ballpits in the Kiddie Zone were still splashy though

[Mr. Matté]

Where I come from, a Chuck E. Cheese game show would have been Starcade.

Of course, I'm also old, and remember back before CECs turned into Redemption Hellscapes.

/the ballpits in the Kiddie Zone were still splashy though

It was rough hearing Mark Richards trying to do the play-by-play on the ball pit bodily fluid cleanup for the first few weeks though.

[Jeremy Nelson]

Supersized pinball - because that idea worked so well the first time. How many times did that show change its end game format? I can think of five different versions, and who knows how many I missed while I was at school on those mornings.'

...because not trying something because it didn't work for a blip in the 1970s that nobody remembers is also a great plan too. I'm sure they'll do something fun with the concept.

I can see Fremantle suing, claiming it's too close to the The Price is Right "Super Ball" game that was retired in the 1990s.

Fremantle aren't the owners of the Skee Ball concept, nor are they they only game show that's had a Skee Ball element. Why would they su- you know what? It's not even worth it.

[Joe Mello]

...because not trying something because it didn't work for a blip in the 1970s that nobody remembers is also a great plan too. I'm sure they'll do something fun with the concept.

Even if they don't do something fun, the tech needed to make it work has advanced enough that fabricating something robust would be a lot easier.

[clemon79]

Even if they don't do something fun, the tech needed to make it work has advanced enough that fabricating something robust would be a lot easier.

You're never gonna get a flipper coil that actually works effectively at scale, though. At least not without triggering someone's pacemaker.

[Neumms]

Is "human claw" what we used to call skill cranes but with humans among the teddy bears and toy aliens? On the seedier side of the Minnesota State Fair, prizes included Jack Daniels cigarette lighters and the game was analog, which somehow feels more on the level.

Did Chuck E. have coin pushers? Gosh, add a pub quiz and that could make a game on its own.

If the physical stuff isn't too stupid, this could be fun. Top Chef from which the producers come isn't a bad show. I'd love to see WoF shopping brought into the 2020s, especially since whenever my daughter or I have spent arcade tickets, I've had the Wheel music in my head.

[MSTieScott]

I fully expect that rather than Wheel of Fortune–style shopping, the ticket redemption will be treated like a stereotypical money ladder. "If you can win 150 tickets in this last game, instead of going on the European tour, you'll be able to buy the BMW!"

[MikeK]

Is "human claw" what we used to call skill cranes but with humans among the teddy bears and toy aliens?

What I am hoping the human claw game is.  Starts at 1:36.

[rebelwrest]

Is "human claw" what we used to call skill cranes but with humans among the teddy bears and toy aliens?

A "human claw" game was used as the bonus round on BBC's "Families at War" starring Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer.  Don't ask what the show was about, you'll get a headache.

[Neumms]

Ah, thanks. Gosh, I love British game show prizes, or are they giving away foot baths as a joke?

[Neumms]

I fully expect that rather than Wheel of Fortune–style shopping, the ticket redemption will be treated like a stereotypical money ladder. "If you can win 150 tickets in this last game, instead of going on the European tour, you'll be able to buy the BMW!"

Maybe. Then it'll be essentially Sale of the Century.

[chris319]

Shenanigans had a game based on skee-ball.

It's probably a safe bet that many games that have been adapted to television are in the public domain: Skee-Ball, Shut the Box, Tic Tac Toe, Twenty One/Blackjack, Concentration, Hangman, Poker and others.

Scrabble was an exception and was copyrighted/trademarked.

[DoItRockapella]

I guess while we're talking about game shows based on nostalgic video game brands:

https://deadline.com/2024/02/atari-game-show-jay-blumenfield-tony-marsh-development-1235819462/

[clemon79]

I guess while we're talking about game shows based on nostalgic video game brands:

https://deadline.com/2024/02/atari-game-show-jay-blumenfield-tony-marsh-development-1235819462/

Knowing how much Infogrames has bastardized the Atari brand since they bought it when I worked there:

I cannot BELIEVE it has taken them this long to do this.