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A game opera is a type of television show that combines elements of game shows and reality television. The term was coined by Steve Beverly, a professor at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, an expert on game shows, and a webmaster of a site devoted to games. The phrase itself is a portmanteau of "game show" and "soap opera". Beverly intended this as a derogatory term, criticizing the nature and structure of these programs. The term has been picked up The Game Show Congress (web site here ()) & is used a category in their annual Game Show Awards.() There are two types of game operas: *The talent show, where contestants are chosen on their merits after an audition period. Examples include ''American Idol'', ''Last Comic Standing'', and ''America's Got Talent''. *Shows like ''Survivor'', ''Big Brother'', and ''The Apprentice'', where the game is incidental to other elements of reality TV. On these shows, contestants are often picked because of personality traits that producers hope eventually lead to conflict among their ranks. (In an interesting sidelight, it was revealed on TVGameShows.net in July 2006 that Leslie Moonves, president and chief executive officer of CBS Corporation, had personally approved every contestant that appears on ''Survivor'' and ''The Amazing Race'', and even picked some of the contestants himself.) The following shows are not included in this genre: *Non-competitive reality television shows, such as ''The Real World'', ''Dog the Bounty Hunter'', and ''Hogan Knows Best''. *Prime time game shows like ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'' and ''Deal or No Deal'', which are also called reality shows by some critics. * Stunt shows like ''Fear Factor''. Despite the distinctions, game operas work from a common template. A set number of contestants begin the contest. As play continues, they are eliminated, most often one at a time. Eventually, only one winner emerges to gain the cash prize, which is as much as $1 million. ==Brief history== ''Big Brother'' is believed to be the oldest game opera; it premiered on Dutch television in 1999 and was a ratings hit. Producer John De Mol licensed the product to other countries, including the United States. ''Survivor'', which descended from a Swedish show, was the first game opera hit in the U.S. when it premiered in the summer of 2000. After ''Survivors success, the subgenre took off as almost every major broadcast and cable network in the United States and other countries sought similar programs. Even a professional football league, the XFL, used elements of game operas and reality TV.〔''Long Bomb'', by Brett Forrest. New York: Crown Books, 2001〕 The future of these shows was put in some question after the attacks on America in 2001,〔''Time'' magazine, October 1, 2001 issue〕 but the genre survived the immediate aftermath and now is as popular as ever. In fact, ''American Idol'' was the highest-rated show on all of American television in 2004–05 and 2005–06. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Game opera」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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