The online casino market has become incredibly crowded. There are dozens of online casino platforms, thousands of slot machine games, and hundreds of table game varieties. In order to stand out from the crowd, game developers and casino platforms are looking for new themes and styles of games.
Game shows are a popular inspiration for online casino platforms and games. This is not surprising because, since the 1970s, game shows have had an almost constant presence on our television screens. They have evolved to fit the times and are probably responsible for the initial development of reality shows.
The early American game shows like Jeopardy, The Price Is Right and Wheel of Fortune have either remained on the air or have been rebooted frequently since the 1960s. The 1980s-90s introduced physical puzzle games like The Crystal Maze, Jungle Run, and Gladiators. Talent competition game shows have become international franchises, for example, Britain’s Pop Idol spawned Indian Idol, American Idol, Ídolos, and Popstars.
In this article, we’ll look at how online casino platforms have been inspired by game shows and the effects that game shows have had on these platforms. We’ll do this by talking about some of the most iconic game shows and examining their direct impacts.
1. Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune first appeared on American TV screens in 1973 and it has been aired (and now streamed) all over the world ever since. Its popularity led to over 40 adaptions for other international markets.
The premise of the show is fairly simple – contestants compete to solve word puzzles. At each turn, they spin a giant carnival prize wheel and then guess a consonant. If correct, the letter is revealed in the puzzle and they keep the prize they landed on. They can also buy vowels or guess the answer to the puzzle. One of the reasons for the show’s massive popularity is that audiences at home enjoy playing along.
Online casinos have embraced Wheel of Fortune as an inspiration for many live dealer games. For example, Crazy Time at Casino Days India takes the Wheel of Fortune concept and adds some bonus games to it to keep it exciting. Players watch the dealer spin the wheel and can place bets or play the bonus games.
There is also Wheel of Fortune slot games that are fully licensed and use the likenesses of Pat Sajak and Vanna White, the beloved hosts of the original show.
2. Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal is a more recent game show that also achieved international success. The original Dutch version first aired in 2000 and after audiences reacted positively, at least 50 international versions were created.
The game is fairly simple and designed to build tension, which played a big role in its success. To start the game, a contestant chooses one briefcase from the 26 presented. Each briefcase has a different amount of money in it. The contestant then has to eliminate briefcases from those remaining. At the end of each round, the contestant is given the chance to take a deal offered by the Banker or they can continue eliminating cases, hoping to keep those with the highest amount of money in them.
The game is a very basic form of gambling, so it’s an obvious choice for online casinos to convert into games. Some game developers have created live dealer versions of the game, which take the original format of the show and add a spinning reel for players to use to try to win extra prizes. The imagery of the mysterious, powerful Banker and the gorgeous models holding the briefcases has worked perfectly for creating slot machine games as well.
3. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is another iconic gameshow. It is a basic quiz show where the questions increase in difficulty as the rounds progress. Contestants have the option to leave with their winnings at various points and also had three Lifelines to get help on tricky questions. While many people’s memories of the show were coloured by the cheating scandal, it remains a favourite.
Online casinos have taken the striking visuals and the intense sound effects from the original game show set and used them to create multiple Who Wants to Be a Millionaire slot machine games. The winnings may not be as high as on the show, but the excitement certainly is.
