Starcade 

Contestants answer questions about video games and then play featured arcade games in order to earn enough points to beat the opponents.

Stars:

Kevin McMahon, Geoff Edwards, Mark Richards

Cast

Series cast summary:
Kevin McMahon	...	Self - Announcer 73 episodes, 1982-1984
Geoff Edwards	...	Self - Host / ... 50 episodes, 1983-1984
Mark Richards	...	Self - Host / ... 24 episodes, 1982-1983

Storyline

This game show was focused around the newest trend of the 80s: video games. Contestants would answer questions, and the one who would answer a question right, would get their choice of what video game to play. The points scored in the video game would be added on to their total score in the game. The winner would play a bonus round for prizes. Sidenote: This game show was also responsible for introducing Don Bluth's Dragon's Lair to the world.

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Plot Keywords:

contestant | arcade game | non fiction | 

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Taglines:

TV's first video arcade game show.

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Genres:

Game-Show

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Left the air in 1984 when the video-game market collapsed and was not seen again until 2002 when it was picked up in syndication for the G4 video game channel.

User Reviews

A Valiant Attempt to Capitalize on the Video Game Craze

When Starcade made its debut in 1982 on Superstation TBS, it was the first game show to utilize a video game theme. The host was Mark Richards but he was replaced by a veteran who guided the show smoothly even though he didn't know about video games before he took the job Geoff Edwards. Edwards guided the show when it returned the following season in weekly syndication.

On the plus side, home viewers could test their knowledge of video games against the contestants, even during the "Name the Game" round. But on the minus side, it gets rather boring for the viewer when the teams play video games. The viewer becomes a spectator instead of an active participant.

Though Starcade didn't have a long run, it was a valiant attempt to capitalize on the video game craze. After two seasons, it was Game Over.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 December 1982 (USA)

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

JM Production Company

Technical Specs

Color:

Color