Game Shows and video games...
Raydad2002
answer is but hopefully you guys will know it and that is...
"What is the name of the first TV game show to be turned into a video
or computer game?"
Now, Iv'e tried to do some research on it and I believe the answer is
"Password Plus" but I think there is one earlier...well, is there?
Chris Lemon
"Raydad2002" <contes...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:3b74ede7.02043...@posting.google.com...
> "What is the name of the first TV game show to be turned into a video
> or computer game?"
By this I assume you mean "licenced", because I played a version of Tic Tac
Dough using math problems as questions on the Commodore PET.
> Now, Iv'e tried to do some research on it and I believe the answer is
> "Password Plus" but I think there is one earlier...well, is there?
Well, depends. How do you base your findings? I don't remember it but that
doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Near as my memory allows, the first licenced gameshow translation is
ShareData's "Jeopardy" in 1987.
Matt Ottinger could probably speak more intelligently on this topic...in
fact his site mentions Jeopardy and Password Plus for the Milton Bradley
Omni in 1981....I'd kill for a screenshot. :)
Zach Horan
>Near as my memory allows, the first licenced gameshow translation is
>ShareData's "Jeopardy" in 1987.
Sharedata had a WOF and a Feud(copyrighted 1984 the Family Company, Feud was
out of production at the time) game make their debuts at the same time as J!
>fact his site mentions Jeopardy and Password Plus for the Milton Bradley
>Omni in 1981....I'd kill for a screenshot. :)
The box of the Omni J! game was a smaller version of the front of the 1982 14th
edition box game, with three Question Marks inside orange/yellow circles IIRC.
lobster
does that count? :()
"Raydad2002" <contes...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:3b74ede7.02043...@posting.google.com...
Chris Lemon
PET when I was in junior high, which prolly predates yours. :)
tat wuld b a funi.
"lobster" <o...@swbell.net> wrote in message
news:icCz8.3050$F_1.18...@newssvr11.news.prodigy.com...
Seth Thrasher
Don't impersanate the trolls, not even for humor...
lol
"Chris Lemon" <clemon...@attbi.com> wrote in message
news:aams81$bmir2$1...@ID-127786.news.dfncis.de...
Raydad2002
> > "What is the name of the first TV game show to be turned into a video
> > or computer game?"
>
> By this I assume you mean "licenced"...
Yes I Do, Chris.
>
> > Now, Iv'e tried to do some research on it and I believe the answer is
> > "Password Plus" but I think there is one earlier...well, is there?
>
> Well, depends. How do you base your findings? I don't remember it but that
> doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
>
> Near as my memory allows, the first licenced gameshow translation is
> ShareData's "Jeopardy" in 1987.
>
> Matt Ottinger could probably speak more intelligently on this topic...in
> fact his site mentions Jeopardy and Password Plus for the Milton Bradley
> Omni in 1981....I'd kill for a screenshot. :)
Well, the website I went to was called "The Game Show Home Game Home
Page" or something to that extent which had a long yet catchy title.
Anyway, let me rephrase the question "What was the first game show to
be turned into a LICENCED video game?" from what I gathered on that
web site on there video game section there was a piece on the MB Omni
system (like you mentioned) and there was 2 games listed J! & P+, I'm
assuming these 2 would be the answer becuase of all the years
mentioned on when these games came out, these 2 were the earliest
(1981). Now assuming that these games came out at the same time (I'm
not real sure about this), I'd go alphabetically. J before P so,
Jeopardy! would hold the distinction to the answer in question,
right?...or was there someone before them?
Gene Platt
The Omni was about as much a computer as the Quiz Wiz was.
From a FAQ:
Made by Milton Bradley. This system was a dead arrival on the market. The
games came in 8-Track tapes format that you inserted in the game system.
Supposely they were at least a dozen games made. Users select various
answers via their touch pads, and then the score is racked up. Obviously
giving the linear nature of cassette tapes, the replay value of the Omni is
certainly limited to say the least.
A quick google search turned up this page with a couple of pictures (party
on, Chris)
http://www.8trackheaven.com/omni.html
Something for Matt Ottinger to note: according to that page, the reason that
Jeopardy (no !) had no box was because it came with the system.
As for the earliest games... I will concede that the Adam was a computer,
and so Family Feud wins out for that.
The arcade Name That Tune game from 1986 comes to mind as another favorite.
Mmmmm, MAME.
http://www.klov.com/N/Name_That_Tune.html
"Chris Lemon" <clemon...@attbi.com> wrote in message
news:aamn56$c091t$1...@ID-127786.news.dfncis.de...
>
>
> By this I assume you mean "licenced", because I played a version of Tic
Tac
> Dough using math problems as questions on the Commodore PET.
>
Matt Ottinger
From "Raydad2002":
> > "What is the name of the first TV game show to be turned into a video
> > or computer game?"
From Chris Lemon:
> Matt Ottinger could probably speak more intelligently on this topic...in
> fact his site mentions Jeopardy and Password Plus for the Milton Bradley
> Omni in 1981....I'd kill for a screenshot. :)
Me:
As Dana Carvey's George Bush would say, "Naah ganna happen." The Omni was
an aural experience only, with good old-fashioned 8-track tapes as its
"programming". Game play was unbelievably crude. The "Jeopardy" game was
essentially a twenty question multiple-choice or short-answer quiz, with all
players wagering between 0 and 4 points per question and answering each one
on their keypads. An occasional "Daily Bonus" question (yes, that's what
they called it) was worth double. "Password Plus" was better (basically,
the system gave everybody the same series of clues and you tried to solve
the Passwords, and eventually the Puzzles in as few clues as possible) but
they were both pretty lame.
From Gene Platt:
> http://www.8trackheaven.com/omni.html
> Something for Matt Ottinger to note: according to that page, the reason
that
> Jeopardy (no !) had no box was because it came with the system.
Me:
The Jeopardy (you're right, no "!") cartridge may have come with his system
when he bought it used off eBay or something, but it was not standard issue.
The game came with a variety pack of highlights from four of their games,
none of them Jeopardy. It was sold separately and did have a box.
From Gene Platt:
> As for the earliest games... I will concede that the Adam was a computer,
> and so Family Feud wins out for that.
Me:
Agreed. It would even be a stretch to call the Omni a videogame system
(though I did on my site) since it was all sounds. Family Feud for Coleco's
Adam would probably be your winner. I have software for it somewhere
(though not the original packaging) as well as the licensed but never
released Jeopardy! program.
Still, my favorite what-could-have-been comes from the Atari Gaming
Headquarters. Check these out:
http://www.atarihq.com/museum/2678/misc/greatco.jpg
http://www.atarihq.com/museum/2678/misc/greatco2.jpg
http://www.atarihq.com/2678/3party/greatgameco.html
And finally, if you broaden your question to what was the first game show
home game that needed a power supply of some sort to play, your answer would
be the Quiz Kids Electric Quizzer, a battery-operated game from around 1940.
From "Raydad2002":
> Well, the website I went to was called "The Game Show Home Game Home
> Page" or something to that extent which had a long yet catchy title.
Well, there's your problem. I wouldn't trust anything that guy says.
--Matt
otti...@acd.net
The Game Show Home Game Home Page
http://userdata.acd.net/ottinger/games.htm
Zach Horan
>Something for Matt Ottinger to note: according to that page, the reason that
>Jeopardy (no !) had no box was because it came with the system.
What came with the System I had in 1981 was an 8-track with channels 1-4 having
a different theme. One was Movie TV Trivia hosted by Vincent Price, one was
Sports quiz hosted by Pat Summerall, one was Music Quiz, and one was Reaction
Quiz.
Gene Platt
"Matt Ottinger" <otti...@acd.net> wrote in message
news:QYEz8.135$gc.7...@newsfeed.slurp.net...
> Still, my favorite what-could-have-been comes from the Atari Gaming
> Headquarters. Check these out:
> http://www.atarihq.com/museum/2678/misc/greatco.jpg
> http://www.atarihq.com/museum/2678/misc/greatco2.jpg
> http://www.atarihq.com/2678/3party/greatgameco.html
A number of them were, eventually -- this would later become the company
known to you and me as GameTek.
Chris Lemon
news:AgEz8.99082$tt4.6...@e3500-atl2.usenetserver.com...
> The Omni was about as much a computer as the Quiz Wiz was.
> on, Chris)
>
> http://www.8trackheaven.com/omni.html
OMG. I had it in my head that it hooked up to a TV somehow. How the HELL did
you play Password Plus on that thing? Amazing.
> As for the earliest games... I will concede that the Adam was a computer,
> and so Family Feud wins out for that.
I'd be inclined to agree, knowing what we know now.
Zach Horan
>known to you and me as GameTek.
TJW and TTD never were released unfortunately.
Zach Horan
>OMG. I had it in my head that it hooked up to a TV somehow. How the HELL did
>you play Password Plus on that thing? Amazing.
The host(a unnamed man's voice) gave all players clues to a Password. After the
Password was guessed, the contestants could then try to solve the Password
puzzle. Only three Passwords per Puzzle instead of five. Letters on the console
were laid out like numbers on a telephone keypad, except Q and Z were included.
If the Password Puzzle was guessed before the third clue, the remaining
Passwords would be played as "Extra Bonus Words".
lobster
"Chris Lemon" <clemon...@attbi.com> wrote in message
news:aams81$bmir2$1...@ID-127786.news.dfncis.de...
Chris Lemon
> haha.. oo, you had it on cassette, even?
No, we did in fact save to 5.25" floppy, but we had a total of TWO floppy
drives shared among a dozen PETs.
Now, the PET at my elementary school that popped up when I was in fourth
grade, that ran off of a cassette drive. :)
ITSBRY
> on, Chris)
>
> http://www.8trackheaven.com/omni.html
>
Thanks for posting that...I've never heard of this, but the picture is
great! God bless crappy 80's technology! ;)
ITSBRY
its...@juno.com
Richard Hudson
>out of production at the time) game make their debuts at the same time as J!
Feud lasted until '85.
There supposedly were versions of Tic Tac Dough, TJW and Password Plus for the
Atari 2600, but no one seems to have ever seen a copy of any of them. =(
Richard Hudson
Zach Horan
>>out of production at the time) game make their debuts at the same time as J!
>
>Feud lasted until '85.
>
Yes, Feud did end in 1985. The Sharedata Feud game came out in 1987, and was
copyrighted 1987 Sharedata and 1984 the Family Company. They used questions
from the Dawson run.
Chris Lemon
was
> >out of production at the time) game make their debuts at the same time as
J!
the WOF came out a little after Jeopardy and Feud did. Trust me on this.
Believe me, I remember the days I discovered that a company was making 1)
inexpensive 2) game-show 3) games for my Apple computer. :)
> There supposedly were versions of Tic Tac Dough, TJW and Password Plus for
the
> Atari 2600, but no one seems to have ever seen a copy of any of them. =(
Had you bothered to read the entire thread, you'd have seen the promotional
pamphlet from the Great Game Company, who was going to make those games and
others until they figured out the market wasn't there to support it.
Zach Horan
>pamphlet from the Great Game Company, who was going to make those games and
>others until they figured out the market wasn't there to support it.
Damn shame they came to that conclusion,
>the WOF came out a little after Jeopardy and Feud did. Trust me on this.
>Believe me, I remember the days I discovered that a company was making 1)
>inexpensive 2) game-show 3) games for my Apple computer. :)
>
they're all from 1987, I found them all that SUmmer IIRC.