Game Show Network

Credits

Descriptions by
gsn93, CooleyBoy10, Edc4 and AUnnamedDragon

Captures by
gsn93, Edc4 and Camenati

Editions by
AUnnamedDragon and others

Video captures courtesy of
gsn93 and others

Background

Game Show Network was launched on December 1, 1994. The network was the first network to broadcast game shows 24/7. On March 15, 2004, it was renamed GSN. The network reverted to its original name on October 1, 2018.

Game Show Network (first era)

Contents 1st Ident (December 1, 1994-March 17, 1997) 2nd Ident (March 17-Late September 1997) 3rd Ident (1997-1998) 4th Ident (Late September 1997-April 18, 1998) 5th Ident (April 18, 1998-Summer 1999) 6th Ident (Summer 1999-March 15, 2004)

GSN

Contents 1st Ident (March 16, 2004-2007) 2nd Ident (2007-2008) 3rd Ident (November 6, 2008-November 2010) 4th Ident (November 2010-August 23, 2012) 5th Ident (August 23, 2012-June 3, 2015) 6th Ident (June 3, 2015-October 1, 2018)

Game Show Network (second era)

Contents   Ident (October 1, 2018-)

Game Show Network (first era)

1st Ident (December 1, 1994-March 17, 1997)

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Visuals: The network's original logo, Winnie (a stylized multicolored humanoid figure, which was designed to look like an excited game show contestant; Winnie has a red circle for a head, purple arms and a shirt, and lime green and yellow legs) dances and jumps around on a game show set. At about three points during the ident, the camera pans over to one of the various curtains on the set. Clips of Wheel of Fortune, Match Game and Family Feud are seen; after each clip, the ident crossfades to the next segment. After the clips, several letter tiles that make up the floor and playing cards on the floor begin flying around the set as Winnie spins around on top of a rising trophy with "GAME SHOW NETWORK" around it. At the end, Winnie sticks out one of their legs with their arms up.

Variants: The length of this ident would vary:

• 30 Seconds: The full ident plays; this version is the rarest, seen on the original launch video.
• 15 Seconds: Only Winnie dancing, a Family Feud clip, and Winnie spinning on the trophy are shown. Slight variants of this version were also used.
• 10 Seconds: Only the letter tiles and playing cards flying around and Winnie spinning on the trophy are shown.
• 5 Seconds: Only a short clip of the letter tiles and playing cards flying around and Winnie spinning on the trophy are shown.

Technique: CGI, sometimes with live-action game show clips.

Audio: A jazz music piece. In most cases, an male announcer says over the music, "You're watching Game Show Network!" The length of the music differs with each version.

Availability: This was used from the network's launch to its first rebrand.

2nd Ident (March 17-Late September 1997)

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Visuals: On a bright lavender marble background, various clips of game shows in GSN's library flip vertically inside several rectangles, ending with a new GSN logo, which looks a bit like this:

GAME
SHPW
n e t w o r k

The letters "GAME SH W" are cut out of squares, and the "O" is a swirly green ball.

Variants:

• The ident has been found in different durations.
• Some versions have the URL "www.sony.com" shown in haphazardly-arranged rectangles.

Technique: CGI with live-action game show clips. This was done by Lee Hunt Associates.

Audio: A hip-hop-style theme. As with the previous ident, an male announcer may say "You're watching Game Show Network."

Availability: This was a short-lived ident, used until GSN's "Dark Period" began, when the network's rights to the Mark Goodson Television Productions library expired.

3rd Ident (1997-1998)

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Visuals: A still of the Game Show Network print logo on an orange grid background.

Technique: A still, digital graphic.

Audio: None.

Availability: This was used rarely as a break bumper.

4th Ident (Late September 1997-April 18, 1998)

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Visuals: Various prizes on green and cornflower blue tiles are shown flipping around on a cornflower blue/yellow/white spinning striped background with some green rings. The tiles eventually flip to reveal the Game Show Network logo.

Variant: There is also a "dark" version, where the colors are inverted and the background has circles instead of the usual stripes.

Technique: CGI. This was done by Lee Hunt Associates.

Audio: An upbeat music cue, which differs depending on the ID. A male announcer may say "You're watching Game Show Network."

Availability: This was used during the "Dark Period".

5th Ident (April 18, 1998-Summer 1999)

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Visuals: Two idents were used:

• Ball: A person's hand throws around a white and blue checkered ball that hits the screen several times, forming the Game Show Network logo, albeit with the tiles mixed-up and without "n e t w o r k". The ball eventually hits the logo, and the tiles are put in the correct order. The ball lands and bounces, serving as the "O". This is set on an orange background with three rotating diamonds, one on the left that is green and rotates clockwise, another on the right that is yellow and rotates counter-clockwise, and a larger light orange behind them that rotates in the same direction as the green one.
• Objects: Various human hands throw many random objects (including an arrow, a ball, etc.), eventually forming the GSN logo. The "G", "M", "H" and "W" are each on different-sized tiles (with the "H" being on a white tile), the "A" is on a silhouette of a person's hand, the "E" is on a card held by a hand, the "S" is on a tile held on a stick, and the "O" is the same ball from the "Ball" ID, albeit held by a hand. This is set against a background of spinning hot magenta and Mexican pink stripes.

Variant: On the final season of Flamingo Fortune, the logo is tilted diagonally to the left to make a split-screen. On the right is a static picture of the 1996 Columbia TriStar Television logo.

Technique: CGI and live-action. This was done by Lee Hunt Associates.

Audio: An upbeat music cue with sounds corresponding to the actions on-screen (e.g. "BOING!" sounds).

Audio Variant: On the Flamingo Fortune variant, while the end-title theme is playing, there are women saying "Game Show!" followed by another woman saying "Network!"

Availability: This was used after the "Dark Period" ended when Game Show Network bought back the rights to the Mark Goodson Television Productions library, and remained in use until Summer 1999.

6th Ident (Summer 1999-March 15, 2004)

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Visuals: On a background made of green/blue or blue/grey squares, a steel ball spins with various objects on it. Suddenly, the objects vanish and the ball reveals arms that hold the Game Show Network logo. The GSN logo then rotates from left to right, with the "S" spinning in the process. The ball serving as the "O" constantly spins as well.

Three idents were made, each with a different series of objects on the ball:

• Air Hockey: Two air hockey "bumpers", one red and the other blue, bump a hockey puck until the red bumper bumps the puck into the blue bumper's "goal." The ball then spins as the bumpers are retracted into the ball.
• Ball Maze: The ball has a ball maze, and a smaller ball goes through it. Eventually, the small ball enters the hole at the end of the maze, and spikes burst out of the ball before it closes on the maze, covering it.
• Cannon: The ball is a box with three sides, red, blue, and yellow. A cannon launches a red ball, which bounces on the blue side before the box flips to the side matching the ball's color. The ball goes in, and a blue ball is launched, bouncing on the red side before the box flips to the blue side, which the ball enters. Finally, a yellow ball is launched and bounces on the blue side before the box flips to the yellow side, which the ball goes into. The steel ball then covers the box and cannon and closes.

Variants:

• Sometimes, the idents would be shortened.
• On March 15, 2004, the Air Hockey ident was shown, but it ends with bits of television static, getting its colors inverted and becoming black and white in the process, before eventually being turned off (like a TV). This symbolized the end of GSN's old style of programming and the beginning of a new one.

Technique: CGI by Duck Soup Studios for Pittard Sullivan.

Audio: A techno-style theme with a guitar. Sound effects related to the objects are also heard.

Availability: This was used until the network was rebranded to GSN.

GSN

1st Ident (March 16, 2004-2007)

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Visuals: On a dark blue background, the then-current GSN logo (a black square with GSn on it) appears and pans back to reveal a spiral of blue GSN logos. Another spiral is seen, with the word "play" on it, then another with "games", and finally a third one with "play games". The GSN logo zooms back and reforms, with "THE NETWORK FOR GAMES" appearing under it.

Variant: Other idents exist. In one such ID, on a light blue background, there is the GSN logo. The sound of a doorbell ringing is then heard, and the logo then opens up to reveal a set of refrigerators and a game show host says "You're a winner!" The camera then goes inside the refrigerator where there's a green trophy. The camera then zooms into the trophy and then goes back to the GSN logo which then closes with "THE NETWORK FOR GAMES" already under it.

Technique: CGI with live-action in some idents. This was done by CA Square and V12.

Audio: A pop-rock tune with flipping sound effects. The tune ends with a female announcer saying "GSN", which then echoes. The other idents have their own audio, but the woman's voiceover remains.

Availability: The main ID was first seen as a launch promo after the previous ident's last variant on March 15, 2004, to mark the rebrand to GSN.

2nd Ident (2007-2008)

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Visuals: On a light blue background, some game show-related things appear, ending with the GSN logo with "Get in the Game" below it.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Depends on the ident.

Availability: This was used until the network rebranded.

3rd Ident (November 6, 2008-November 2010)

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Visuals: On a colored background, three squares of the same color as the background with "GSN" on them are seen. The squares do something relating to games that causes six more squares (three on the top, three on the bottom) to appear, forming the then-new GSN logo.

Variant: In most cases, "playeveryday" appears below at the end.

Technique: CGI by Buster Design and Stun Creative.

Audio: Depends on the Ident.

Availability: This was used during commercial breaks, in most cases.

Legacy: An infamous set of idents, due to its usage and association with GSN's "Dark Era", during which the network was filled with poker tournaments and reality shows on game show hosts, as well as reruns of Family Feud with Steve Harvey. The network also moved reruns of classic game shows to early morning timeslots, which might have also tainted these idents' reputation.

4th Ident (November 2010-August 23, 2012)

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Visuals: On a white background, sometimes with a portrait of a game show presenter, the then-current GSN logo flips in. Then, the logo flips to reveal "THE WORLD NEEDS MORE WINNERS."

Technique: CGI with live-action game show clips.

Audio: A guitar piece and a man singing, "Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah! Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah!" and the guitar theme playing again.

Availability: This was used as an "On TV" promo and seen through commercials.

5th Ident (August 23, 2012-June 3, 2015)

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Visuals: On a white background, the squares that form the GSN logo, but colored red, flip in. Once the logo is formed, what appear to be golden coins fall onto the screen and "GAME SHOW NETWORK" in red appears.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A synth tune with a guitar and flipping sound effects.

Availability: This was used until the network rebranded on June 3, 2015.

6th Ident (June 3, 2015-October 1, 2018)

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Visuals: A light blue square appears on a green background. "GSN" slides up from below and is zooms in, turning diagonal in the process and forming the then-new GSN logo. "READY TO PLAY?" slides in below the logo in light blue. A white bar wipes the background and inverses the light blue and green colors, while "GSN" stays white and "READY TO PLAY?" turns white as well.

Variant: A version without the slogan exists.

Technique: 2D animation by EyeballNYC and Nathaniel Howe Studios.

Audio: Rhythmic synth riffs with a whoosh at the color shift.

Availability: The slogan-less variant was typically used at times when GSN was broadcasting infomercials, preceding the infomercials themselves.

Game Show Network (second era)

Ident (October 1, 2018-)

Visuals: A new Game Show Network logo appears on a white background. The logo is similar to the logo used from 1997 to 2004, but the tiles with "G" and "M" are red-orange, while those with "A" and "E" are dark red. "SHOW", with a actual "O" this time, is in a aquamarine bar, and "N E T W O R K" is now also in aqua and in a dark blue bar. Many idents exist and they typically involve the following:

• GSN Hosts: Hosts of GSN original programs interact with the logo.
• Sliding Portrait: A portrait of the host(s) of a specific GSN original slides up in segments until coming together in full, with the logo unfolding near the portrait.

Technique: CGI, 2D animation and/or live-action. These idents were done by x73k.

Audio: Depends on the ident.

Availability: It debuted as part of the rebrand and has been used since then.