Xbox debuts live game show concept with 1 vs 100

Game shows have typically not made very good video games over the years, mostly because the excitement of watching real people competing for real prizes has always been absent. That is, until now, as Xbox Live is set to launch the video game world’s first live game show based on the TV show “1 vs 100.”

At a media gathering Tuesday, Microsoft gave Canadian video game journalists the world’s first peek at this ambitious new venture, after introducing the show’s real-life host, Chris Cashman, via a video link from Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Wash.

In the game, Xbox players represented by their customized avatars play a trivia game that involves one lucky contestant, or “the One,” who is chosen at random from all players and pits his or her knowledge up against 100 other contestants, who are also known as “the Mob.” The goal of the One is to outlast all 100 members of the Mob by answering the increasingly difficult questions correctly without fail, with 10,000 Microsoft Points going to anyone who manages such a feat. The Microsoft Points are used to purchase Xbox Live Arcade Games, as well as TV shows and movies.

Those chosen to compete as a member of the Mob, meanwhile, are eligible to win a free Xbox Live Arcade game if they manage to keep themselves in the game long enough to be one of the final 40 Mob members. Players not selected to participate in the live game are still encouraged to play along as part of “the Crowd,” and depending on how well they answer the questions, they too can be eligible for real-life prizes. Microsoft officials don’t want to make any pronouncements on what the expected participation levels will be, but said that the game could easily handle up in the neighbourhood of 100,000 people playing at once.

The game is free to download for Xbox Live Gold members in Canada and the U.S., and each Friday and Saturday night for 13 weeks beginning May 8, there will be a live hosted game lasting two hours. There were hints that there could be special “themed” shows that would involve specialized questions and different virtual TV studio “sets,” such as a night revolving around the 2010 Olympics, for example.

It’s a brand new concept for the world of video games, let alone the worlds of television and game shows, and it’s the first venture in Microsoft’s “Primetime Channel,” which was first talked about at least year’s E3 Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles. No other titles have been announced, but if this debut game goes well, it’s easy to see how the Saturday nights of many Canadians will no longer be spent with Hockey Night in Canada, but in a virtual room full of avatars, looking to win prizes.