The Game Show FANS 50 Greatest List

[Matt Ottinger]

With just a few days left to get your ballot in, here's today's fun fact.  Of the fifty shows that are currently at the top of our list:

Shows that debuted on 1940s radio:  3
Shows that debuted in the 1950s: 11
Shows that debuted in the 1960s:  11
Shows that debuted in the 1970s: 14
Shows that debuted in the 1980s: 8
Shows that debuted in the 1990s: 2
Shows that debuted in the 2000s:  1

(And before you claim you know absolutely for sure which three modern shows made the list, four others are hovering just below the 50 line.)

Is this a little misleading?  Sure, the decade a show debuted isn't necessarily the decade it's best-known for.  Still, I think this shows two things.  One, it's awfully hard for a new game to become a classic, and two, we as a group have a pretty decent sense of the history of our genre.

[cweaver]

Matt, do you have a way of coming up with an average debut year?

[chad1m]

From the information Matt gaves up, the average year right now would be about 1964-1965.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'128913\' date=\'Aug 24 2006, 09:39 AM\']
From the information Matt gaves up, the average year right now would be about 1964-1965.
[/quote]
With 14 shows before the 60's and 25 of them after, I'd love to know where you draw that conclusion from.

[chad1m]

It's very well not statistically accurate, but I multiplied the year by how many shows were in that decade (1940 x 3=5280). Then, after taking the sums from each decade, I added them all up and divided them up by 50, which came out to 1964.6. Without actual years and having just a relative figure, I figured that this could give a quick answers to his question.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'128920\' date=\'Aug 24 2006, 09:53 AM\']
It's very well not statistically accurate, but I multiplied the year by how many shows were in that decade (1940 x 3=5280). Then, after taking the sums from each decaded, I added them all up and divided them up by 50, which came out to 1964.6. Without actual years and having just a relative figure, I figured that this could give a quick answers to his question.
[/quote]

Okay, and I think I see where your logic is wrong.

A show could have debuted in 1949 and still been in the 40's, so you're assuming the absolute minimum for each decade, which is gonna get you into trouble. Might make more sense to assign the middle of the era (for example, 1945) as a guesstimate, it'll certainly get you closer.

So, using that, I come up with 1969.6 (which makes sense considering I basically added five years to your numbers), which, considering there are 25 shows before 1970 and 25 after, seems like a much closer guess.

[SRIV94]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'128921\' date=\'Aug 24 2006, 12:00 PM\']
A show could have debuted in 1949 and still been in the 40's, so you're assuming the absolute minimum for each decade, which is gonna get you into trouble. Might make more sense to assign the middle of the era (for example, 1945) as a guesstimate, it'll certainly get you closer.
[/quote]
Which is almost exactly how I do it when number crunching at my day job.  Some times I'll add or subtract .5 as needed to make it as close to the middle as possible.

Doug -- and the countdown to 2200 continues (broadcasting remotely from NY)

[chad1m]

You guys are right. I wasn't trying to put much thought into it, it was just a rush-through job.

[Chuck Sutton]

Wondering if Lingo would count as debuting in 80's or 00's?

[Dbacksfan12]

[quote name=\'Chuck Sutton\' post=\'128929\' date=\'Aug 24 2006, 12:18 PM\']
Wondering if Lingo would count as debuting in 80's or 00's?
[/quote]
From August 9th...and the very first post in this thread:

For the purposes of this list, all versions of a given show should be considered together. In other words, do not give Cullen's TPIR one spot on your list and Barker's TPIR another. Consider TPIR as a whole. Likewise for any show that has had multiple versions and remakes

I think that would mean Lingo debuted in the 1980s...correct me if I'm wrong.

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'128930\' date=\'Aug 24 2006, 01:21 PM\']I think that would mean Lingo debuted in the 1980s...correct me if I'm wrong.[/quote]
You are correct.  And again, the debut years are wildly misleading in some cases.  The original Sale of the Century debuted in 1969, but I imagine even fans of the original consider it a seventies show, and most of you were thinking of the eighties one.

[Dbacksfan12]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'128936\' date=\'Aug 24 2006, 12:29 PM\']
[quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'128930\' date=\'Aug 24 2006, 01:21 PM\']I think that would mean Lingo debuted in the 1980s...correct me if I'm wrong.[/quote]
You are correct.  And again, the debut years are wildly misleading in some cases.  The original Sale of the Century debuted in 1969, but I imagine even fans of the original consider it a seventies show, and most of you were thinking of the eighties one.
[/quote]
How about Wheel of Fortune?  That started in the 1950s, riiggghhhhhttt?

[sshuffield70]

[quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'128950\' date=\'Aug 24 2006, 01:11 PM\']
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'128936\' date=\'Aug 24 2006, 12:29 PM\']
[quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'128930\' date=\'Aug 24 2006, 01:21 PM\']I think that would mean Lingo debuted in the 1980s...correct me if I'm wrong.[/quote]
You are correct.  And again, the debut years are wildly misleading in some cases.  The original Sale of the Century debuted in 1969, but I imagine even fans of the original consider it a seventies show, and most of you were thinking of the eighties one.
[/quote]
How about Wheel of Fortune?  That started in the 1950s, riiggghhhhhttt?
[/quote]

Using that logic, of course, you'd say Double Dare premiered in the '70s.

[PYLdude]

[quote name=\'sshuffield70\' post=\'129040\' date=\'Aug 24 2006, 11:22 PM\']
[quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'128950\' date=\'Aug 24 2006, 01:11 PM\']
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'128936\' date=\'Aug 24 2006, 12:29 PM\']
[quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'128930\' date=\'Aug 24 2006, 01:21 PM\']I think that would mean Lingo debuted in the 1980s...correct me if I'm wrong.[/quote]
You are correct.  And again, the debut years are wildly misleading in some cases.  The original Sale of the Century debuted in 1969, but I imagine even fans of the original consider it a seventies show, and most of you were thinking of the eighties one.
[/quote]
How about Wheel of Fortune?  That started in the 1950s, riiggghhhhhttt?
[/quote]

Using that logic, of course, you'd say Double Dare premiered in the '70s.
[/quote]

I think you:

a) missed the joke
b) didn't read earlier in the thread where Matt said they're two separate shows.

[sshuffield70]

[quote name=\'PYLdude\' post=\'129041\' date=\'Aug 24 2006, 10:31 PM\']
[quote name=\'sshuffield70\' post=\'129040\' date=\'Aug 24 2006, 11:22 PM\']
[quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'128950\' date=\'Aug 24 2006, 01:11 PM\']
How about Wheel of Fortune?  That started in the 1950s, riiggghhhhhttt?
[/quote]

Using that logic, of course, you'd say Double Dare premiered in the '70s.
[/quote]

I think you:

a) missed the joke
b) didn't read earlier in the thread where Matt said they're two separate shows.
[/quote]

Yep, I missed the