HELP
GETTING STARTED
What kind of PC do I need to play EA GameShow?Can I play on my Mac?
I start the game, but nothing happens. What can I do?
The loading bar fills up, but the game never starts. What should I do?
Where can I find Flash and Java?
Do I have to register to play EA GameShow?
Can I play GameShow when it is not being broadcast?
GAMEPLAY
What is EA SPORTS GameShow?How much does EA SPORTS GameShow cost?
How do you play GameShow?
What is a game room?
What are "favorites"?
What is the difference between points and tokens?
How do you earn points?
What are the tie-breaker rules?
What are power-ups?
How do I view and use my power-ups?
How do you earn tokens?
Can I view other players' power-ups?
Do I have to buy power-ups between every session?
How do I wager?
How do I check on my wager during the game?
What's a full star question?
What is TQ?
How do I find my TQ?
What is the player number?
INTERFACE
How do I join a private room?What are those 5 green bars on the left of the ticker?
Can anyone create a private room?
What happens if I leave my private room?
Can I use a headset in GameShow?
Can I play GameShow in full screen mode?
What is the scheduling guide?
What is that gray box I sometimes see in the lower right?
Why does it say "Live" above the ticker?
What is the audio wizard?
What is an "avatar"?
How do I enter a raffle?
Why do you need my personal information?
What do you do with that personal information?
What is in the recent history?
TECHNICAL
Does GameShow support VoIP?What resolution does GameShow support?
What kind of a PC do I need?
Can I play GameShow when it is not being broadcast?
I'm having technical problems with GameShow. Who can I contact?
LEGAL
Where can I find the Terms & Conditions?Can anyone play GameShow?
Can anyone win a raffle?
I won a raffle. How do I redeem my prize?
Whose opinions are expressed on air?
What kind of PC do I need to play EA GameShow?
To play EA GameShow, you will need a PC running Windows XP or Vista, with at least 256MB of RAM, a 1.8 GHz processor, a broadband internet connection, and Internet Explorer 6 or better, or Firefox 2.0 or better.
Can I play on my Mac?
Yes! You will need a broadband internet connection and a browser. We recommend FireFox for playing EA GameShow on your Mac.
I start the game, but nothing happens. What can I do?
Make sure that your pop-up blocker is not preventing GameShow from starting. If you are using Internet Explorer, at the top of the screen you should see a yellow bar whenever a pop-up has been blocked. Right-click on that bar and select the first option, which reads “Run ActiveX Control”.
If you are running FireFox, you will see a yellow bar at the top of the screen. Right-click on that bar and select the first option, which reads “allow pop-ups for www.eagameshow.com”.
The loading bar fills up, but the game never starts. What should I do?
You must have the latest version of both Flash and Java in order to play GameShow. Both of these programs are free and used widely by many online games. To get the latest version of Flash, go to www.adobe.com and click on the “Get Adobe Flash Player” button. To get the latest version of Java, go to www.java.com. Once you have installed both pieces of software, restart GameShow.
Where can I find Flash and Java?
To download the latest version of Flash, go to www.adobe.com and click on the “Get Adobe Flash Player” button. To get the latest version of Java, go to www.java.com.
Do I have to register to play GameShow?
No. You can play GameShow as a guest. However, guests cannot enter regular rooms and their stats are not saved. You will not be able earn tokens and therefore not be able to buy anything in the shop. In order to get the full GameShow experience, you will have to create an EA ID. To do that, at the sign-in screen for GameShow, click on the sentence that reads “Need to create an EA ID?”.
Can I play GameShow when it is not being broadcast?
Unfortunately, no. GameShow is a new kind of game that requires a live feed in order to play.
What is EA SPORTS GameShow?
EA SPORTS GameShow is a nationwide, online trivia game hosted by live, on-air DJ.
How much does EA SPORTS GameShow cost?
Nothing. It is free to download, and free to play.
How do you play GameShow?
Simple. Just enter a room based on your location of favorite sports team. Wait for the next question and select the correct answer on the screen. You can use your keyboard or your mouse. The quicker you answer, the higher your score.
What is a game room?
Thousands of people across the nation can play GameShow at the same time. However, in order to do so, everyone must enter a room. Up to six players can be in a room at one time. Game rooms are created automatically if there isn't a slot open in an existing room, so the number of rooms is only determined by the number of people online. You can also create a private room with a password that only you and your friends may enter. Once in a room, you can chat with other players if you both have headsets.
What are "favorites"?
"Favorites" are categories used to organize rooms. Every room is based around a category such as state or province, favorite football team, golfer, etc. Everyone must indicate a favorite location, but favorite sports teams is optional. However, we think you will enjoy entering rooms based on some of your favorite teams so that you can hang out with like-minded fans.
What is the difference between points and tokens?
In GameShow, you earn points and tokens by answering questions correctly. Points are used to determine who the top players are overall for each 15-minute session. Once the session is over, everyone's points reset to 0. However, you get to keep all the tokens you earn and spend them on things like a new look for your avatar, power-ups, and raffle tickets.
How do you earn points?
Simple: answer questions as quickly as possible. The faster you answer, the more points you get, but only if you answer correctly. It is also possible to earn a lot of big points with the help of certain power-ups.
What are the tie-breaker rules?
In the unlikely event of a tie, the first tie-breaker is which player has the higher TQ (trivia quotient) score. The second rule is which player has a higher average points per session. Finally, the third tie-breaker is alphabetical by name.
What are power-ups?
Power-ups are abilities that you can purchase in the shop. Power-ups are temporary, one-time-only tools that can be employed during a game. You can use up to 4 power-ups per session, and that can be 4 different power-ups or 4 instances of the same power-up.
How do I view and use my power-ups?
Highlight your avatar in the room, and press the spacebar to see which ones you have available. You can press the spacebar again to return the view to normal.
How do you earn tokens?
There are many ways to earn tokens: answer questions correctly; answer several questions correctly in a row; place and win a wager at the beginning of the session; participate in polls; be a part of a winning region; be the top player in your room, region or overall; and other ways you'll just have to discover!
Can I view other players' power-ups?
Yes. To do so, simply highlight someone else's avatar and press the spacebar to see which power-ups they have brought into the game.
Do I have to buy power-ups between every session?
Not if you don't want to. If you have extra power-ups for versions you have already equipped, the game will automatically refill those power-ups between sessions. For example, if you use the "Double Score" power-up during a session, and you have several "Double Score" power-ups purchased in the shop, the game will automatically refill that power-up from your stash. If you want to change which power-ups you have assigned, you'll have to return to the shop to do so.
How do I wager?
There are three steps to placing a wager. First, you have to indicate what percentage of the questions you think you will get right. Second, you will have to risk some portion of your tokens. Third, you will have to select the "Done" button to lock in your wager. If you do not select the "Done" button in time, your wager will not be taken.
How do I check on my wager during the game?
In order to see what percentage of questions you have gotten right so far, highlight your avatar and press the Enter key (or press the right mouse button) and select "Flip." This will change your view to the stats view, allowing you to see what your current correct answer percentage is for this session.
What's a full star question?
Once every session, one question will be highlighted as the "Full Star" question. If you get this question right you will get one piece of a star. If you get the last of the five pieces, you will earn a full star and a boatload of tokens. However, you must earn all five pieces in one day. When you come back to GameShow the next day, you will have to start earning star pieces all over again.
What is TQ?
TQ stands for "Trivia Quotient." It is a single number that represents how experienced you are at GameShow. Every question in GameShow belongs to at least one sports category. The more questions you get right in that category, the more you will level up. For example, if you get 25 pro football questions correct, you will become a Level 1 "Rookie" in pro football. Likewise, if you answer 25 questions correct in pro baseball, you will become a Level 1 "Rookie" in baseball as well. The TQ number is a sum of all your individual levels. So in the example we have been using, the TQ would be 2 because Level 1 football + Level 1 baseball.
How do I find my TQ?
You can find your TQ in several places: in your personal stats screen, in some leaderboards, or in the game room. To view your TQ in the game room, highlight your avatar and hit the Enter key or press the right mouse button. Then choose "Flip" to get to the stats view. The mountaintop icon indicates what your current TQ is.
What is the player number?
The player number is the order in which you joined GameShow. The player with the number 1 is the first person to sign-up for GameShow; player number 100 is the 100th player to join.
How do I join a private room?
You need to know the EA ID (onscreen name) of the person who created the room, and the room password. Select the "Join Private" button under the Play menu and enter the name and password into the pop-up.
What are those 5 green bars on the left of the ticker?
Those boxes, or pips, indicate your current latency. Latency is the measure of flow of information into your PC. The more boxes lit up, the better. There will constantly fluctuate during play, because your latency constantly fluctuates depending on different conditions your connection to the internet. If you are seeing consistently red or orange boxes, try disabling any other programs that you may be running that would use bandwidth, such as background downloads. You can also bring up the Audio Wizard to adjust your experience.
Can anyone create a private room?
Yes. You can create one private room at a time.
What happens if I leave my private room?
Whenever you create a private room it bears your name (at the bottom of the screen, right next to the question count). When you leave that room it reverts to your state or province. For example, if you have Nevada set up as your favorite state, and if you leave a private room, it now becomes a public Nevada room.
Can I use a headset in GameShow?
Yes. We support all major USB headsets.
Can I play GameShow in full screen mode?
Yes. Go to the My Stuff menu and then choose Options. Look for a Full Screen checkbox. Select that box and then back out of that screen, making sure to save your changes. Once you have saved your changes, the game should switch to full screen. Please not that this is only for systems that support at least an 800x600 resolution and a 4:3 aspect ration. Widescreen monitors will have black bars at either end as the game screen will not be stretched to fill the entire frame.
What is the scheduling guide?
The scheduling guide is a screen that gives you information about what is currently playing on EA SPORTS GameShow and what is coming up next. Press the TAB key to open or close the scheduling guide.
What is that gray box I sometimes see in the lower right?
The box shows the countdown timer to the beginning of the next session. GameShow works on the basis of 15-minute sessions. In order to get all the token bonuses, you will need to be present for the entire session. The countdown clock appears when there is five minutes less until the start of the next session.
Why does it say "Live" above the ticker?
We broadcast every day from a studio we've built here at Tiburon. Sometimes, those broadcasts are recording of shows or interviews we've done earlier in the day. In that case, it will say "Pre-recorded" in the lower right. But when we're out there swinging from the trapeze without a net, it will say "Live".
What is the audio wizard?
Press the ~ (tilde ? it's just above the TAB key on your keyboard) to bring up the Audio Wizard. This screen will let you tailor your audio experience to a degree while playing GameShow.
What is an "avatar"?
An avatar is simply a stand-in representation for yourself in the game world. In GameShow, you have to create an avatar in order for people to see you in the game room. Just go to the shop to create and customize your avatar.
How do I enter a raffle?
You will need tokens to purchase raffle tickets. Go to the raffle screen and select the item you would like to win. Then click on the purchase button and select the number of tickets you would like to purchase.
Why do you need my personal information?
We only need your personal information if you want to enter and win raffles. Because of certain laws, some people are not allowed to enter raffles, and in order to determine that we need personal information.
What do you do with that personal information?
We only use the information we collect in the game to contact you in the event that you win a raffle.
What is in the recent history?
The recent history screen contains a set amount of information based on certain events that have happened in GameShow. For example, the recent history will list what you have purchased in the shop, how you have done on your wagers or how successful you were in recent sessions. It will also include any raffles you may have won. It does not list all information, however, as some more minor details, such as whether you voted in a poll, is not tracked.
Does GameShow support VoIP?
Yes. VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is possible with any standard USB headset. To be able to speak to other players in the game, you must plug in your USB headset before you start the game in order for it to detect your headset. Then, in the room press the "V" button to turn on voice. You should see a headset icon next to your name in the room to indicate that VoIP is active. If you unplug your headset while playing GameShow, you will lose all audio as the game does not make a distinction between your headset and your sound card.
What resolution does GameShow support?
GameShow only supports 800x600 resolution. If you are displaying less than that, right click on your desktop, choose "Properties" from the pop-up menu, then select the "Settings" tab. In this tab look for the "Screen Resolution" slider and move the slider arrow to the right until it reads "800 x 600 pixels". Click on the "OK" button when you are done.
What kind of a PC do I need?
EA SPORTS GameShow has the following requirements:
Windows XP (SP2) or Windows Vista
DirectX 9.0c or later
512MB of RAM (1GB for Windows Vista)
A processor speed of at least 1.4GHz*
Video card with 128MB VRAM (ATI or NVIDIA recommended)
Broadband Internet connection (Cable, DSL, etc.)
500 MB of hard drive space
Can I play GameShow when it is not being broadcast?
Unfortunately, no. GameShow is a new kind of game that requires a live feed in order to play.
I'm having technical problems with GameShow. Who can I contact?
You can always drop a line to CSeagameshow@ea.com (the CS in the email address stands for Customer Service).
Where can I find the Terms & Conditions?
To view the legal agreement, go to the My Stuff menu and then select Help. Select the Terms & Conditions option to view the agreement.
Can anyone play GameShow
In order to play EA SPORTS™ GameShow you will need to create an EA Account (go to www.ea.com to sign-up). You must be at least 13 years of age to create an account and therefore at least 13 to play GameShow.
Can anyone win a raffle?
No. Raffles are only open to U.S. citizens and some Canadian citizens. Canadian residents outside of Quebec must answer a skill-testing question in order to win. Residents of Quebec are not eligible to win any raffles.
I won a raffle. How do I redeem my prize?
Please email eagameshow@ea.com with your EA ID in order to verify you award. If correct, we will email you an affidavit that you will need to print out and return/fax to us.
Whose opinions are expressed on air?
The views and opinions expressed in this program are solely those of its live hosts and participants and do not necessarily reflect those of EA or its affiliates or sponsors.