When it comes to game shows, it is important to remember that these things have been around since before color television was even invented. Basically, they’ve been a mainstay of the television environment since people started putting TV sets into their homes. The environment of the game show has changed considerably, however. Like virtually everything else in this life, the game shows that were so popular decades ago are nothing like the ones that are on today. A lot of people really miss that atmosphere that occurred with the older game shows, so much so that there is an entire cable channel dedicated to game shows of days past. What makes them different from the shows that are on today? The truth is, there are a lot of things that are vastly different.
First and foremost, the game shows that occurred years ago had personality. They were not as structured as the ones that air today. These days, everything is about pushing the envelope when it comes to adventure, often to the point of game shows becoming so dangerous that people are seriously injured on them. If they’re not doing a dangerous stunt, contestants are being asked to do something disgusting like eat worms or lay in some type of container full of snakes. The game shows that were on in the 70s and even earlier were not like that at all. They were in a much more relaxed environment where people were able to enjoy themselves as opposed to coming into the contest feeling like they had to make enemies with everyone else there in order to win.
As if that weren’t enough, people used to banter back and forth on old game shows. This doesn’t really happen all that much anymore. When it does, it is almost as if people are challenging one another as opposed to merely visiting. In addition, the so-called political correctness of the environment that exists today doesn’t allow people to be themselves. People are constantly wondering if what they say will be misconstrued, so they end up not saying anything at all. Older game shows didn’t have this problem because people weren’t so sensitive about everything.
What does all of this mean for people that like to watch game shows? If you are like a rather large part of the population, you find yourself turning more and more to the older shows that went off the air years ago. They are more entertaining, they offer more variety, and when it really comes down to it, they’re just more fun to watch. Perhaps it is a matter of perspective, but it is a relatively safe assumption that many individuals who grew up during the times that these older game shows were actually on the air are more inclined to watch them instead of the stuff that is being produced today.
If you really stop and think about it, it all comes down to a matter of nostalgia. Most younger individuals probably have no interest in these older game shows, but by the same token, older people don’t really seem to have all that much interest in the ones that air today. Like so many other things, game shows have the capacity to transport a person back to a time of their youth. Maybe that’s what it’s all about from the very beginning.
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