We’re living in exciting times now. In the last two months, we’ve gotten THREE new cerebral survival game shows – four if you go back to January when Bloody Game 3 wrapped up. If you’ve ever had any interest in trying out a brainier game show, there’s never been a better time to start watching.
Bloody Game continues to impress. The third season is packed to the brim with the types of elaborate games you expect from a good Korean brain survival show. While the pacing and overall mysteries of the show weren’t my favorite, the show featured some of the overall most impressive and exciting performances out of the contestants on any of these shows.
LG: Life’s Game was a big surprise for me. A game show series posted on Youtube by LG (yes, the TV company) showing several employees going head to head in some of the most well-designed cerebral challenges I’ve seen… How many views would you expect? 5,000? 100,000? Shockingly, the show has amassed nearly two million views on Youtube.
What sounded like it was going to be a thinly veiled ad for LG ended up an incredibly well-produced and well-designed revisit to the formula of The Genius Game. An anticlimactic ending was the only knock against what otherwise was a top tier show, and perhaps the easiest one to find online.
The Genius UK is trying the original Korean game show formula for a totally new western audience. We’re currently only three episodes in, but the games are promising and it’s fun watching the other side of the globe try out the legendary games from Korea. I’m excited to see how it plays out. It’s also really interesting to see a fresh cast take on classic games like Hap Gyul. I hope this is the first of many forays into competitive brain games in the western hemisphere!
Last but not least, Devil’s Plan season 2 has released its first four episodes, and it’s been a really fun journey thus far. I appreciate the puzzles in the overall metagame in Devil’s Plan, and this time around the competitors came prepared and dove right into the show’s deepest mysteries (compared to season 1, when only two players uncovered the biggest secrets). The longer episode length on Netflix really gives the players and games time to shine.
After averaging less than one season of competitive brain games per year, it’s amazing that we’re getting so much good content in such a short span.
Where to watch:
Bloody Game – Kocowa Plus app (subscription needed)
LG Life’s Game – Youtube
The Genius UK – ITV Channel (UK only)
Devil’s Plan – Netflix
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