Game Changing GS Computer/Video Games

[Jeremy Nelson]

EDIT: I couldn’t stop myself. Giving Jellyvision the license to make Millionaire games was a masterstroke and it is a shame and a half that no other developer sought to use them to make other home  games.

But I disagree fairly strongly with you about Millionaire. The adaptation of Fastest Finger was clever, but enough other aspects missed the mark that it didn't feel enough like playing the show. (I acknowledge they were probably under a tight deadline to capitalize on the show's popularity.)

My fault for not providing clarity- My claim was directed towards the atmosphere/presentation more than the gameplay itself. Truth be told, I couldn't pick up on the issues you pointed out at 13, but they definitely make sense. Now knowing the deadline they were under, I'm actually more impressed and wondered what they could've done with more time.

[pds319]

The two games I hold in high regard are specifically the 1998 PC versions of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! Both were very true to their shows while also running great on even lower end machines. FMV Vanna and Alex, along with Charlie and Johnny, elevated what was mind-blowing in the 1995 PC games. It really felt like they were made by a team (Artech Studios) that understood the source material, seen previous games, and knew how to make new ones sing. My high school buddies and I played the hell out of J!. To this day, when someone is taking too long for anything, we will hand wave them and say, "...Pick again" in our best Alex voice. And did I mention you had to type in the response? It seems a robust game material database in 2025 only needs include multiple choice Q&A...

Unfortunately, the Playstation versions, the 2nd and 2003 editions didn't keep everything as smooth as the 1st. The Playstation would have to stop to load the video and it made for a disjointed experience. The later PC editions tried to be bigger with more video and features but at the cost of smoothness and optimization (even on beefier comps). The 2003 versions were just reskinned 2nd editions with new videos, but they were just a little sloppier than the previous outing.

[aaron sica]

The one to me that was game-changing was the first one I ever played and knew about - the original WoF computer game in 1987. I spent literally hours the first night playing it. At the age of 12, I had a few board games, but that was the first computer game I ever had that was based on a game show.

[Joe Mello]

EDIT: I couldn’t stop myself. Giving Jellyvision the license to make Millionaire games was a masterstroke and it is a shame and a half that no other developer sought to use them to make other home  games.

It's funny... as I read the first part of your post, my immediate thought was You Don't Know Jack, but that's just an example of a well-executed computer game, not a game show home game.

I had the package that came with the slam buzzers (and also Jeopardy??) so I feel that was particularly revelatory.

The peripherals for Buzz and its offshoots still feel like the gold standard for hobbyist game show hosts.

[aaron sica]

Additionally, I'm honestly surprised, back in the '90s, that the longest-running daytime game show never got little more than a piss-poor GameTek version (that couldn't even get the pricing game names right). In the mid to late '90s, I always envisioned a version with the real pricing games and computer graphics superimposed over certain spots in the game when needed.

Arguably the best version was the unofficial one that BugJon made.

[TLEberle]

Instead of giving plaudits to someone who wrecked more computers than a live reenactment of Office Space, I would rather give my backing to Travis Griffin and his game controls. Yes you have to have someone write materials, but you can hook up buzzers at a convention or sleepover weekend, or have somebody running everything behind the curtain and play via voice chat.

I think that is the paradigm shift. No poorly designed NPCs and no million bucks but it is the closest thing to being on stage under the lights.

[Jeremy Nelson]

Additionally, I'm honestly surprised, back in the '90s, that the longest-running daytime game show never got little more than a piss-poor GameTek version (that couldn't even get the pricing game names right). In the mid to late '90s, I always envisioned a version with the real pricing games and computer graphics superimposed over certain spots in the game when needed.

I always thought this was more due to licensing than anything else. Easiest thing to do would have been to sign deals with Unilever or some other big conglomerate so you wouldn't have to do a ton of legwork, but that still would've required a handful of those deals to span all the different prize types.

Arguably the best version was the unofficial one that BugJon made.

Instead of giving plaudits to someone who wrecked more computers than a live reenactment of Office Space, I would rather give my backing to Travis Griffin and his game controls. Yes you have to have someone write materials, but you can hook up buzzers at a convention or sleepover weekend, or have somebody running everything behind the curtain and play via voice chat.

I think that is the paradigm shift. No poorly designed NPCs and no million bucks but it is the closest thing to being on stage under the lights.

Por que no las dos?

There was a pretty dry spell between 2003 ish and 2008, when Ludia came on the scene. We got (semi)annual Wheel and Jeopardy, and not much else. Jon's home versions weren't perfect, but I give him a TON of credit for his releases, especially as a one man operation. I would have rather he spent more time smoothing out the top quartile of his offerings than creating shovelware that didn't make it past v1.02, but I can't fault him for trying, and some of his higher end stuff still holds up to this day. Travis's software is par excellence from a presentation and usability standpoint, but requires someone to write, stack, program, and run the games; sometimes you just want to play.

Both are great in their own right.