The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: Jeremy Nelson on September 28, 2011, 01:51:46 PM
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So posting in another thread about crazy game show fans and whatnot got me thinking: as far as the entire fan base is concerned, where do we rank as far as fandom? I mean, there are some areas (Comic Books, Star Wars, Star Trek) whose hardcore fan bases will always outnumber and out"fanatic" us, but what else is out there in the mass media world as far as tested, long standing fan bases? Are we comparatively small when standing next to just about every other pop culture fan base?
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Are we comparatively small when standing next to just about every other pop culture fan base?
I think we're definitely on the small side. This forum is the biggest one on the internet devoted to game shows in general, and we only have a couple hundred regular readers/posters. Sociology studies could be done (and some of us have done some amateur theorizing) about what draws certain people to game show fandom, but the truth is that there really aren't all that many of us.
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What is odd about the game show fanbase is that it is almost exclusively male--of a genre that, for daytime shows anyway, is meant for the enjoyment of women. I'm a fan because I wanted to work in the industry at one time and the history of television of all genres is of interest to me.
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What is odd about the game show fanbase on the Internet is that it is almost exclusively male
Both fixed and explained that for you.
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Another of my long-standing interests is silent film and as improbable as it may seem, there are some parallels between these two areas:
--silent films and game shows have suffered extensive losses, either from neglect or deliberate destruction. As such, the question of exactly what survives is a common question in both groups of fans. Queries as to why and when these destructions took place are another frequent topic.
--both areas are fairly marginal in the public arena, aside from certain personalities & films/programs. More people will always know and care about "Jeopardy!" and Charles Chaplin than will ever be interested in "Now You See It" and Constance Talmadge.
--the economics of availability is another troublesome parallel between the two. Silent films on DVD rarely sell more than a few thousand copies, often making it difficult to justify releasing obscure films. Private viewings in archives and festival screenings can usually be arranged, but many hundreds of extant silents will likely never reach large audiences. In the same vein, GSN's repeats have never drawn the same kind of viewership that much of Nick at Nite's or TV Land's have. The investment required to license the more obscure game shows and transfer them to modern formats is unlikely to be recouped in any large way and the sheer number of episodes makes comprehensive DVD releases a dubious proposition.
It's hard to judge which group of fans is larger--silent films tend to get more mainstream respect and a surprising number of media write-ups, but OTOH game shows continue to be produced and attract new fans who may know little or nothing about the genre's history. Silent films *do* outnumber quiz shows in terms of books published and scholarly research conducted. Indeed, thanks to archival databases we actually have a pretty solid idea of which silents exist and which don't, but we're much less certain about many game shows.
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What is odd about the game show fanbase on the Internet is that it is almost exclusively male
Both fixed and explained that for you.
But why? Are you implying that women are less capable using the Internet than men?
I don't think there are thousands of women game show fans sitting on their couches saying "Boy, I wish I had somebody to talk to about The Joker's Wild!"
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If you ask me, soap opera fans are even more fanatical. Whenever one of their shows gets canned, they tend to "scream bloody murder." The only times we game show fans blew our gaskets was when the original versions of Concentration and Jeopardy were evicted from the NBC line-up.
And this coming from one who actually cried while watching the finale of the original Card Sharks 30 years ago. (Guilty as charged.....)
Cordially,
Tammy
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If you ask me, soap opera fans are even more fanatical. Whenever one of their shows gets canned, they tend to "scream bloody murder." The only times we game show fans blew our gaskets was when the original versions of Concentration and Jeopardy were evicted from the NBC line-up.
Words...just...fail. The utter inaccuracy of this statement is truly mind-boggling.
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And this coming from one who actually cried while watching the finale of the original Card Sharks 30 years ago. (Guilty as charged.....)
Please tell me you're joking. Please.
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One thing that pisses me off more than anything is when someone makes up lies about a die-hard obsessed game show fan (claiming that he or she has no life outside of them).
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One thing that pisses me off more than anything is when someone makes up lies about a die-hard obsessed game show fan (claiming that he or she has no life outside of them).
Dunno about you, but this applies to just about anything in life; I don't like people who make up junk.
When I see game show conventions being parodied in pop culture, I'll know we've made it. I don't much care about fanaticism, I just want to enjoy the stuff that I like, and for the hobbies that I like, I tend to want to learn as much as I can about them.
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I was just basing that on an experience I had on the GSN forums.
I remember there was a thread with fantasy ideas of future game show DVDs, and someone had the nerve to call us out and tell us "GET A LIFE!" That upset me greatly.
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I remember there was a thread with fantasy ideas of future game show DVDs, and someone had the nerve to call us out and tell us "GET A LIFE!" That upset me greatly.
Why? If he's here he's geeky like us all. He doesn't speak for anyone but himself.
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Here's the thing, game shows are a genre that's highly enjoyed across all demographics. Maybe it's the flashy lights, or catchy theme songs, or just seeing people win cash and prizes and fantasizing about it being them...who knows?
Despite the fact that there are some overzealous fans on this and the other forums (GSN, G-R), I still think that makes up a very small minority, considering, like I said, the genre draws in such a broad fanbase.
Even the rabid soap fans Tammy referred to are probably in the minority, compared to Trekkies or Star Wars superfans.
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If you ask me, soap opera fans are even more fanatical. Whenever one of their shows gets canned, they tend to "scream bloody murder." The only times we game show fans blew our gaskets was when the original versions of Concentration and Jeopardy were evicted from the NBC line-up.
I really don't recall knowing of or hearing of anyone blowing their gaskets over a game show cancellation. Disappointment over one's favorite being axed, yes, but I never heard anything to the effect of "OMGLOLZ THOSE MOTHERF***ERS AT NBC TOOK $ALE OF THE CENTURY OFF THE AIR! HOW COULD THOSE A**HOLES DO THAT?"
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What is odd about the game show fanbase on the Internet is that it is almost exclusively male
Both fixed and explained that for you.
But why? Are you implying that women are less capable using the Internet than men?
I don't think there are thousands of women game show fans sitting on their couches saying "Boy, I wish I had somebody to talk to about The Joker's Wild!"
Alright...what?
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I don't think there are thousands of women game show fans sitting on their couches saying "Boy, I wish I had somebody to talk to about The Joker's Wild!"
Guy can dream, can't he?
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At the height of estrogen, we maybe have had 1% of our membership with two X chromosomes. I work at an office with thirty women (two of 'em related to me, even!), and sometimes game shows come up as a topic of conversation, but that's all. Not the ins-and-outs, not the records, just "I saw The Singing Bee last night, it was neat," or "That couple that lost $880,000 on an answer, wasn't that something." No poring over details or comparisons, just water cooler talk.
We're just a giant water cooler, is all.
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But why? Are you implying that women are less capable using the Internet than men?
Less capable? Certainly not. Is it a stone cold fact that Internet message boards, for the most part, are predominantly male? Absolutely.
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I estimate that this board has between 100 and 150 active participants.
I'm not sure about that silent movie comparison. When they were current, silent movies were the only thing the medium had to offer. Except for a period in the '50s and into the '60s when prime time quizzes and panel shows were popular, the majority of daytime game shows were niche offerings. Not many people could tell you anything about Call My Bluff, for example. OTOH, even before their latest incarnations, people remembered and could tell you something about The Hollywood Squares or The Newlywed Game or Password. I suppose this tells us that some games have endured and have become somewhat iconic, where others are long forgotten.
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But why? Are you implying that women are less capable using the Internet than men?
Less capable? Certainly not. Is it a stone cold fact that Internet message boards, for the most part, are predominantly male? Absolutely.
Facebook may have some answers. While we have about 150 people here on a regular basis, there are over 130,000 people on Facebook who "like" Family Feud; over 2 million who play Family Feud on Facebook. They like Family Feud, but not enough to go into in-depth discussion. I see more women communicating on Facebook than I do on our board and IINM we pre-date Facebook.
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If you ask me, soap opera fans are even more fanatical. Whenever one of their shows gets canned, they tend to "scream bloody murder." The only times we game show fans blew our gaskets was when the original versions of Concentration and Jeopardy were evicted from the NBC line-up.
I really don't recall knowing of or hearing of anyone blowing their gaskets over a game show cancellation. Disappointment over one's favorite being axed, yes, but I never heard anything to the effect of "OMGLOLZ THOSE MOTHERF***ERS AT NBC TOOK $ALE OF THE CENTURY OFF THE AIR! HOW COULD THOSE A**HOLES DO THAT?"
Well, 1989 was before I got on the internet. :) Actually, I was kind of miffed. Jim Perry (not the current presidential candidate) had taken to the air weeks before to let us know the show was cancelled. The test run of "At Rona's" with Rona Barrett was going to pre-empt $ale for a week (or was it two?) prior to $ale's last week. Jim asked us, the audience, to return for that last week to properly say good-bye. On the last Friday show, Jim opened the show and wanted to make sure we were there for the end of the show for some special farewells. When it came time for the final segment of $ale, NBC cut-in in the Eastern time zone with a special report on something making news that day, completely wiping out the last farewell of $ale of which Jim had implored us to stay tuned. For me, closure was not reached until the advent of You Tube.
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Indeed, thanks to archival databases we actually have a pretty solid idea of which silents exist and which don't, but we're much less certain about many game shows.
I think collectively we have a pretty good idea of what exists and what doesn't in terms of game shows. There have been some surprising discoveries the past 10 years or so (CBS Joker's Wild and original Hollywood Squares to name two) and more could happen in the future, but some shows just aren't out there at all.
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If you ask me, soap opera fans are even more fanatical. Whenever one of their shows gets canned, they tend to "scream bloody murder." The only times we game show fans blew our gaskets was when the original versions of Concentration and Jeopardy were evicted from the NBC line-up.
I really don't recall knowing of or hearing of anyone blowing their gaskets over a game show cancellation. Disappointment over one's favorite being axed, yes, but I never heard anything to the effect of "OMGLOLZ THOSE MOTHERF***ERS AT NBC TOOK $ALE OF THE CENTURY OFF THE AIR! HOW COULD THOSE A**HOLES DO THAT?"
Oh, sometimes people will go to extremes lengths to reverse unpopular decisions around game shows.... :-/
The Late Show - Bring Back Jo Bailey (1993) (http://"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNO-XkDawW8")
(did people go to this effort to bring back Sally Julian???)