Game Shows...

[Steve Gavazzi]

[quote name=\'Dsmith\' date=\'Nov 9 2004, 03:46 AM\'][quote name=\'dzinkin\' date=\'Nov 8 2004, 08:47 PM\']Mark: Two people do not constitute a "general consensus."
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Poor choice of words on my part.  Original post edited.
Hopefully I didn't offend anyone out there with this topic.  I felt that it was appropriate for discussion; at least; moreso in the grand scheme of things.

Steve--Is this TPiR FAQ you mentioned avaiable online?  If so, where?

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Yeah -- it's the site FAQ at www.golden-road.net.  It's pretty much a compilation of all confirmable Price information I've ever run across (as well as some that I can't confirm but that came from folks I consider reliable).

[MikeK]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Nov 8 2004, 09:06 PM\'][quote name=\'hmtriplecrown\' date=\'Nov 8 2004, 07:04 PM\']When I get home this evening, I'll send an e-mail to my special needs professor about this topic.  If she isn't terribly busy, I'd like to hear her professional opinion on this question.  I'll post her reply, given that both she replies and she gives me permission to post her thoughts in a public forum.[/quote]You all realize that the joke here is if he forgets to do it, right? [/quote]You win a cookie, one laced with laxatives in place of chocolate chips. :-P

I forgot to do it last night, as I was out of the house for approximately 14 hours yesterday, plus I had to be out of the house by 7 AM this morning due to work, and to perform some observations and research for the aforementioned special needs class.

Anyhoo, I just sent my professor the e-mail.  If or when I get a reply, I'll post it.

[tvwxman]

[quote name=\'hmtriplecrown\' date=\'Nov 9 2004, 01:46 PM\'][quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Nov 8 2004, 09:06 PM\'][quote name=\'hmtriplecrown\' date=\'Nov 8 2004, 07:04 PM\']When I get home this evening, I'll send an e-mail to my special needs professor about this topic.  If she isn't terribly busy, I'd like to hear her professional opinion on this question.  I'll post her reply, given that both she replies and she gives me permission to post her thoughts in a public forum.[/quote]You all realize that the joke here is if he forgets to do it, right? [/quote]You win a cookie, one laced with laxatives in place of chocolate chips. :-P

I forgot to do it last night, as I was out of the house for approximately 14 hours yesterday, plus I had to be out of the house by 7 AM this morning due to work, and to perform some observations and research for the aforementioned special needs class.

Anyhoo, I just sent my professor the e-mail.  If or when I get a reply, I'll post it.

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No need. I believe Adam. Everything else is just window-dressing.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'hmtriplecrown\' date=\'Nov 8 2004, 09:04 PM\']Two characteristics of autism are finding comfort in repetitive, non-changing situations (which Dave mentioned) and being obsessive about a particular topic.  On a day-to-day basis, very little changes on a game show.  Outside of a drastic rule change or a makeover of the set, the game's played the same way every day, except that you'd likely see new people on each episode.

On game shows, there are no deep plots which might last a year or two, multiple plots going on at once, or dozens of characters and personalities.  All one needs to know about a game show is the basic rules, and most rules could be understood after watching a single episode.  In most cases, there are 5 episodes per week, compared to one time a week for most primetime shows.  In addition, usually in half an hour or less, you know who wins, who lost, and why. 

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This could explain the antipathy of some--granted, not all--towards reality competitions like "Survivor"--it may be game-show based, but there are many more people to get to know, you're not going to find out how it ends in a half-hour or less and--most importantly--the format and show is in a constant flux, with all of those "surprises" and "twists," even if you know that there'll usually be a reward and an immunity challenge and that the show will generally end with Jeff Probst snuffing out the torch and saying "...the tribe has spoken--it's time for you to go."

Once again, nothing scientifically verifiable, since I'm not a scientist, but something to think about.

[TonicBH]

I will say definitely for the record that I might have been attracted to game shows due to my autistic disorder. (I have Asperger's Syndrome.)

Some people speculate that an autistic child who gets into a certain item/subject in their early life will eventually carry that to their future.

So, it's unlikely but entirely possible that in five years, I could be the next Todd Newton.

[chris319]

I was out of the house for approximately 14 hours yesterday, plus I had to be out of the house by 7 AM this morning due to work, and to perform some observations and research for the aforementioned special needs class.

I never gave you permission to have a life :-P

You win a cookie, one laced with laxatives in place of chocolate chips. :-P

You're so kind.

But seriously, I have to wonder if PYL/Second Chance has a special appeal to persons with ADD due to the stimuli of the flashing lights, motion, sound effects, excitable contestants and Peter Tomarken. PYL/Second Chance has very little actual game going for it, a criticism I've maintained for a long time.

[tyshaun1]

I consider myself a PYL fan (can't say much for Second Chance, since I didn't see it, save for the pilot), and I don't have any disorders. You're right Chris,  PYL, on paper, really isn't that much of a game, hit the button, win/lose money, but the way it was executed for its CBS version, the same reasons you listed, drew me in. OTOH, witness its revival, which generally came across to me as forced and contrived, and IMO, was MUCH slower paced, did in this version.
Another show with similar aspects of PYL is Card Sharks. If you notice, most people like both or neither.

Tyshaun

[Dbacksfan12]

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Nov 10 2004, 01:37 AM\']But seriously, I have to wonder if PYL/Second Chance has a special appeal to persons with ADD due to the stimuli of the flashing lights, motion, sound effects, excitable contestants and Peter Tomarken. PYL/Second Chance has very little actual game going for it, a criticism I've maintained for a long time.
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I spoke today with an individual with ADD.  Your assessment was right on the money.  Without telling her about the thread, I asked her why she liked "Press Your Luck" so much. Her resposne was "the lights".   While this may be true in this situation, I wonder if it holds true for others.

[mystery7]

A lot of us on the autistic spectrum, me included, have an affinity for patterns. Game shows have plenty: the rhythmic flashing of the chaser lights, the geometric repetition in the set (Ed Flesh's sets were always good for that), and for some, the music. Those patterns are what got me to watch game shows, and that's the sole reason why some autistics like certain shows. Some will never be able to grasp the conept behind their favorite shows; others will catch on eventually but it won't matter to them since they're still tuning in strictly for stimulation. As my condition has improved and my sense of the world has deepened, I've come to appreciate all aspects of game shows, but now the atmosphere is just icing for the rest of the cake.

Remember, it's only a disability if you allow it to be one.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'mystery7\' date=\'Nov 10 2004, 05:18 PM\']Remember, it's only a disability if you allow it to be one.

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Ay-men, well told, good for you, and there are a few people here who could stand to learn something from this last line.

[GS Warehouse]

[quote name=\'mystery7\' date=\'Nov 10 2004, 05:18 PM\']Remember, it's only a disability if you allow it to be one.

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Nobody has to tell me that because I've been there.  Yes, I'm autistic as well.  When I was originally diagnosed, experts said I'd never be good with numbers, but from high school on I aced every math class I took (except calculus).  I had been fascinated with numbers at an early age, and believe it or not, that's where I got my interest in game shows from.  I graduated high school with a 3.05 GPA and made the Dean's list three times in college.  In recent years even people I hadn't met have told me they have seen me as an inspiration, because I have proven that disabililty and inability are not the same word.

Edit: One woman I went to high school with, the first new friend I made in ninth grade, e-mailed me a couple of months ago and said one of her children was diagnosed with autism last winter.  It's a small world after all.

[ChuckNet]

Add me to the list as well...I have generalized high-functioning autism, and I'm now (at age 25) producing one of the top rated morning radio shows on eastern LI...I've made great progress, but never thought I'd achieve anything like that.

But I digress...I think there may be a link between autism/ADD/etc. and game shows...the bright colors, flashing lights, etc. can grab the attention of a young child w/one of these disorders, more so than a "normal" child. And since fixation is not uncommon in these cases, it sets the stage for a lifelong devotion to the genre, much like my own.

Finally, there's the added bonus of knowledge...be it in picking up trivia, music, prices of products, solving riddles, etc, you can't watch a show w/out absorbing some knowledge in the area which a particular GS is about, and sometimes, that can make all the difference.

Chuck Donegan (The Analytic "Chuckie Baby")

[TPiR1701]

Add the forum rookie (me) to that list, too. I've struggled with ADD all my life, but have managed to survive. Game shows have had a significant impact on my life.

From TonicBH:

I will say definitely for the record that I might have been attracted to game shows due to my autistic disorder. (I have Asperger's Syndrome.)

Some people speculate that an autistic child who gets into a certain item/subject in their early life will eventually carry that to their future.

Similar to our fellow loyal friend and true, I also suffer from OCD, and I have been pursuing admission to Columbia College in Chicago, which I should add, is Pat Sajak's alma mater.

So, it's unlikely but entirely possible that in five years, I could be the next Todd Newton.

Well, I want Bob Barker's job, and that will happen only if he wishes to retire and if he gives his blessing for me to succeed him. (That will probably happen in 10-15 years, minimum.)

[Jay Temple]

Now I'm trying to picture a 95-year-old Bob Barker.  Thank you so much.

[gsnstooge]

I have both Aspeger's Syndrome, and ADHD.