What does it spell? The Video Game!
V, I, D-E-O!
Let's start the show! The Video Game!
I really must insist,
You can't afford to miss,
What is the name? The Video Game!
So stop your hesitating!
There is no sense in waiting!
Let's play the game! The Video Game!"
After hitting it big with Starcade, JM Productions tried to capture lightning in a bottle a second time with The Video Game, another video game-based game show that debuted in syndication in September 1984.
To start, two contestants were called down from the audience. They each played the same video game, and the first to reach a predetermined score or outcome won a prize and came onstage to play a special mini-game.
Mini-games played on the show included:
- The Maze: Seemingly played on every episode, and easily one of the most memorable. The game was played on a 5X5 grid on the floor. The contestant could start on any square on the outside of the grid. The contestant went across the board, one step in any direction, and could not return to a space on which they had already stepped; stepped-on spaces turned white. The object was to find the one square on the board that would turn green, the "Treasure". They had to avoid the space that would turn red, the "Monster", which was always placed close to the Treasure. If they found the Treasure, they then had to make it safely off the board to win a prize. Finding the Monster at any point lost the game and won nothing extra.
- Bit Attack: Two questions about two different video games were asked. Each question won a different prize.
- The Right Move: The contestant saw a clip from a laserdisc video game, then were then given four choices as to what move should be made in order to advance. Guessing correctly won a prize.
- The Game Stalker: A video game character was shown on the screen, and the contestant was given two choices for the character's name; guessing correctly won a prize. The contestant then had to identify what game the character was from; guessing correctly won another prize.
- Audience Favorites: A list of three games was given. The contestant picked which game they thought was the most popular and second-most popular in a studio audience survey. Each correct guess was worth a different prize.
After three mini-games were played, the three remaining contestants played the Res-Off round. To start, nine boxes were placed on a board, each with a number between 1-9. Each contestant picked a box; the one with the lowest number would go first, the middle second, and the highest last. The show's lovely assistant Karen stood in the middle of the 5x5 grid, and the first contestant told her to move either one or two spaces, in any direction they wanted. (The two spaces need not be in the same direction.) If the space Karen landed on turned white, that contestant was safe, and the next contestant took their turn. But if the space turned red, that contestant was "de-resed" and out of the game. This game continued until one contestant was left standing; that contestant advanced to the Grand Prize Round.
Unfortunately, this show never reached the same heights of popularity Starcade did. The Video Game was over in September 1985, after just one season of 26 episodes.
Game Show Tropes in use:
- Bonus Round: The Grand Prize Round. The contestant had 30 seconds to play an arcade game, which the contestant had picked from a list of eight before the show. To see what score the contestant had to beat, they would stop a randomizer flashing 10 different scores, each one taken from another person who had played the game for 30 seconds. Beating this score won the contestant an arcade machine and a home robot.
- Consolation Prize: Contestants who failed to make it up on stage still won a prize just for getting picked.
- Personnel:
- The Announcer: Christopher Kriesa, who occasionally appeared onscreen during The Maze.
- Game Show Host: Greg Winfield. Oddly enough, his outfit varies wildly in the episodes that have surfaced; one has him dressed like Indiana Jones, another has him in a tuxedo, and yet another has him in a jogging suit.
- Lovely Assistant: Karen Lea, who modeled the prizes and moved across the board in the Res-Off.
- Product Placement: Like Starcade before it, it served as a showcase for the newest and hottest video games. The show was bookended by plugs for video game companies, and they also made sure to include plenty of shots of Magic Mountain throughout.
This series provides examples of:
- Audience Participation: All contestants were called from the audience. At least one mini-game, the aptly-named “Audience Favorites”, involved polling them.
- Eject the Loser: Losing the Res-Off meant the contestant was "de-resed"; they would stand still as the shot of them would zoom out amidst blurry lights and spacey sound effects. When the shot faded back, the contestant had vanished.
- Every Episode Ending: Greg closed each episode with "Until next time, be good and stay solid!"
- Large Ham: Christopher Kriesa, who had plenty of enthusiasm. He provided the voice of the Monster in The Maze; he growled and snarled as the contestants made their moves, even taunting them on occasion. Some episodes even had his red-lit face superimposed over the board during The Maze, so you could see the crazy expressions he was making. Christopher also turned melodramatic during the Res-Off, panicking whenever a contestant got de-resed. Or even at the mere thought of a contestant getting de-resed.
- Opening Narration: "From one of the most spectacular locations in the country, Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park in Southern California, get ready to be part of an awesome experience! You’re about to enter…The Video Game!"
- Scenery Porn: The main setpiece was a 5x5 light-up floor that wouldn't have looked out of place on Saturday Night Fever. The chasing lights in the walls looked neat as well.
- Those Two Guys: Greg and Christopher, often snarking at each other during and after the Res-Off. After the Res-Off round was played, Christopher would challenge Greg to make one move just for fun. Even if Greg made a bad move and got "de-resed," he'd still return to host the Grand Prize Round.
- Timed Mission: The Grand Prize Round gave you 30 seconds to beat the score another player had set in that same 30 seconds.
