The entertainment world now spans a great many properties, platforms, and media, including the likes of blockbuster movies, Bollywood hits, manga, and must-watch shows. If there is one entertainment formula that has stood the test of time and continues to be a huge draw for TV audiences, though, it is that of the game show. Hinging on the belief that any member of the public can be plucked to play for huge prizes, the form of skill-based reality TV never fails to resonate. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that even when not scheduled for a TV showing, people crave game show action, and luckily, there are plenty of options for those who want to compete in trivia or luck-based game shows online.
The most famous name among non-TV game shows
Few gaming apps have taken the scene by storm quite live HQ Trivia – especially when you consider that it was a live game show with set times for games. With over five million downloads on the Play Store, it was a colossal success, offering as much as US$300,000 as a jackpot, with Dwayne Johnson presenting a show at one point. However, the rampant success of HQ Trivia wasn’t to go on forever, and in early 2020, it all came tumbling down – for a time, that is. What was to be the final game for $5 came out of the pocket of the host, split between 523 viewers. However, shortly after its demise, HQ Trivia was revived, ran with more structure, and still puts on real-money quiz shows each Thursday. Their social media presence – particularly on Twitter – remains active, and live trivia shows continue to air through the app, offering a fun way to test your knowledge with friends or on your own.
Apps derived from massive game shows
Easily the most popular form of gaming in the world, mobile gaming is perfect for quiz shows thanks to their inherently easy controls and simple formula. That is not to say that skill-based mobile games like PUBG don’t suit the platform, but simple taps on the screen to compete is how mobile gaming reaches the masses. On the Play Store, there are premium apps for British TV hits The Chase, Tipping Point, and a spin on the famous US show with Fun Feud Trivia. The big one, of course, is Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, which has been adapted in over 120 territories since its 1998 launch. Millionaire Trivia: TV Game from Sony Pictures Television is the official mobile version of the smash-hit show, already boasting over ten million downloads.
The new world of live game shows
While game shows, and particularly trivia shows, are very enjoyable offline or through a digital setup, nothing beats the live experience, the rush of being up against the clock, and having that one chance to get it right. This is what the new space of live game shows online seeks to tap into through a whole host of live games. It all started with a humble wheel game. The big wheel spin has been around since the 1950s in television shows, with the randomization of a spinning wheel awarding a prize being a huge anticipation-builder. It has proven to have staying power, too, both on TV and in the online live game Dream Catcher, in which players bet on a color and then watch the wheel spin to see if they win. There are several others on live casino platforms, too, like Deal or No Deal, Football Studio, Cricket Roulette, Crazy Coin Flip, Cash or Crash, and Money Drop, with each live real-money game offering the game show experience.
Beating your friends on your PC and mobile
Seen as the superior way to play, computer gaming is strangely lacking in-game show-type titles. Still, the ones that you can find on platforms like Steam are superb. Mixing up the traditional game show formula, the multiplayer party game sensation Jackbox Games continues to pump out new ways to compete. In Party Packs 3, 5, and 6, the quiz game Trivia Murder Party pits the party in a last-person-standing show to prove who is the best at trivia. In Party Pack 8, a new trivia game show, The Wheel of Enormous Proportions has you answering questions to get a better shot at the big final prize wheel.
Regardless of your platform or preference for live-streamed gaming, there is bound to be a game show creation above that fits your desire to be the headline contestant.
