Games
PlayMania featured various mini-games that were played throughout the program. The rewards for the games were usually cash prizes ranging from $100–$500 in cash, sometimes reaching amounts as high as $2,000. Any games that were not completed before the end of a day's broadcast are normally carried over to the start of the next show.
During its ten month run, the below twenty-one permanent games were played on the original PlayMania. Many carried over to be rotated on quiznation.
| Game | How it is Played |
|---|---|
| Alphabuck$ | Similar to Wheel of Fortune or Hangman, this game allows players to attempt to guess a letter that is in the puzzle of a given category. If the player's letters are in the puzzle, he/she will earn a small cash prize per letter, and receive an opportunity to guess the full puzzle. Correctly guessing the full puzzle earns the contestant an additional, larger cash prize. |
| Anagrams | A word, name or phrase with the letters mixed up will be given related to a specified category. The contestant must identify what the unscrambled phrase is. |
| Category Game | Three items or names, all in interlocking circles (a Venn diagram in which each circle intersects the other two, but all three never overlap), are listed. The contestant must identify what all of the items have in common in the most specific manner. |
| Conundrums | There are three variations on this game.
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| Crosswords | Similar to a crossword puzzle, Crosswords features four horizontal words with one letter in each word replaced with a question mark. Vertically, the letters behind the question marks make an actual word. The contestant must identify (and spell) the hidden word. The portion needed to be filled in may work with several choices; however, the host has an envelope containing the chosen word. |
| Find the Missing Letters | A five-letter word is given with two consecutive letters replaced by a question mark. The contestant must identify (and spell) the displayed word. The portion revealed may fit into multiple words; however, the host has an envelope containing the chosen word. Sometimes, a four-letter word is used instead of a five-letter word. |
| Lingo | Identical to the show of the same name, the object is to identify a five-letter word. The first letter is given, and as contestants continue to play, hints such as other letters in the word are given. The contestant must identify (and spell) the word. |
| Microcosm | A picture of an everyday object is shown with a part largely zoomed in and magnified. The contestant must identify what the item is. |
| Missing Link | A missing word precedes (or succeeds) three other words to form three separate a common words or phrases. The player must determine the missing word. |
| Movie Quotes/Television Quotes/Ad Slogans | Three quotes, each from a famous American film, television program, or advertising campaign, are listed, each with a cash prize beside it. The contestant must pick a quote and guess where it comes from. |
| Name the Catch Phrase | A rebus based on a popular, everyday phrase is given. (e.g., MEREPEAT would be "repeat after me", because the word "repeat" comes after the word "me.") The caller must identify what the "decoded" phrase is. |
| Name the Celebrity | A pixilated photograph of a celebrity is shown. The contestant must identify who the celebrity is. |
| Series Game | Three different series (which may be specially ordered numbers, letters, etc.) are shown, each with a cash value attached to it. The caller chooses one of the orders and must identify the next value. |
| Shrink 'N Scramble | Three different-sized words are listed, each with a cash prize attached to it. The object is to take one of the words and make a smaller word based on the length requirement given and the letters contained in that word. Each word may appear to have multiple answers; however, the host has an envelope containing the chosen word for each larger word. This game was replaced by Word Slam. |
| Things You'd Find... | The PlayMania crew picks three items you would commonly find in a designated location. The contestant must identify one of the items that would be found. |
| Top 5 | Similar to Family Feud, a category is given. (e.g., "Top 5 Elton John Hits") The top five answers to the survey or fact-proven data are hidden, and it is the contestant's job to reveal one of them. Once all of the answers have been revealed, the game ends. A variation on a Top 5 is the PlayMania 5. The difference is that the PlayMania crew picks the five things on the list. |
| Twisted Title | A title of a movie is described using synonyms for the words in the title (e.g., Deceased Verse Writers Club would be Dead Poets Society). The contestant must identify the original title. |
| What's Missing? | A common symbol or image is shown, with an obvious part either missing or replaced with a question mark. The contestant must identify what should be in the image. |
| Word Cuts | A word that has been cut in half is displayed. The contestant must identify (and spell) the displayed word. The portion revealed may appear to be multiple words; however, the host has an envelope containing the chosen word. |
| Word $lam | Nine letters are listed in random order. Three three-letter words have been pre-chosen, each with a cash prize attached to it. The object is to take the nine letters and make a smaller word based on the length requirement given. Each word may appear to have multiple answers; however, the host has an envelope containing the chosen words. The game is also played with three different-sized word requirements, at three, five, and seven letters. This game has roots in the game Shrink 'N Scramble. |
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Famous quotes containing the word games:
“Whatever games are played with us, we must play no games with ourselves, but deal in our privacy with the last honesty and truth.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)