Surprisingly enough, the 1 vs 100 beta has proven to be pretty enjoyable. Having never watched the show, I went in with low expectations. But something about the interface makes me wonder if this could be the future of gaming: not for video gamers, but for game show addicts.
Basically, 1 person is trying to outwit 100 audience members chosen at random as they answer trivia questions. I have no doubt that this show sucked in real life, and it was cancelled pretty quickly so I’m sure it did. But something about being able to play along, see tangible results (your avatar does fist pumps and can get “amped”), and the lure of potential prizes (even if the odds are incredibly slim) are enough to make me enjoy the experience. The prizes weren’t even real for the beta, so that’s saying something.
After playing 1 vs. 100, I actually now think that Xbox Live Primetime could be pretty cool in general. It better not be pay to play, because then I will hate it, but if it’s free, some buzz could really help the medium out. There are entire cable channels devoted to game shows and people love playing along at home, so maybe Xbox Live Primetime is a step towards allowing people to ACTUALLY play at home. This really could be the future! Check out the beta if you have a chance and do it with friends. At the very least you can compete with each other to see who gets the highest score per round, which works for me because I love to win.