From Pixels to Primetime: The evolution of gaming on television
March 4, 2025
From the pioneering black-and-white broadcasts of the 1920s to today’s streaming mega-series, the invention of television changed the world’s entertainment.
TV has been a major part of global culture for a century.
From the 1950s the live box in the corner of the room became a household essential – airing all the news, sports and scripted shows viewers could dream of.
By the 1980s, cable vastly expanded viewing choices and the 2000s brought streaming from Netflix, YouTube and later Disney+ and Amazon Prime.
People could watch anything, anytime. Binge-watching replaced weekly schedules and TV became global. Korean dramas, British crime shows and American sitcoms found fans worldwide.
Today smart TVs, tablets and phones make on-screen entertainment instant. It shapes culture, trends and even politics.
TV is no longer just a screen in the living room. It’s a constant presence.
Gaming’s Link to TV
At the same time there has been a parallel evolution happening – in the world of gaming.
The link between TV and gaming started tentatively at first.
TV first used gaming locations to add drama. Casinos, poker rooms and high-stakes games create tension in crime shows and thrillers.
Las Vegas (2003–2008) followed a casino surveillance team. CSI featured many casino-linked crimes.
Breaking Bad used a poker game to show power shifts. Hustle, a British show about con artists, often used poker tables.
Power, Succession and The Sopranos all used casino settings to show wealth and risk. Game shows like Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker turned real poker into entertainment.
Casino game themes have become more well-known in the world of TV, due to the boom in popularity of online casino games. Many people now enjoy utilising casinos bonuses in the UK and around the world at online platforms and more attitudes and laws have become relaxed at gambling activities.
Beyond casinos, video game worlds became TV settings.
Black Mirror explored gaming psychology and Westworld was built on game logic with non-player characters, quests and resets. The Last of Us (2023) proved games can become prestige drama.
Gamification in TV Shows
Less obviously, TV has also been borrowing game mechanics for years.
Game shows have always used gaming elements.
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? mimicked video game progression, with harder questions and lifelines. Deal or No Deal had risk-reward decisions like a gambling game.
Newer shows push gamification further.
The Floor Is Lava (Netflix) turns childhood games into TV contests. Squid Game: The Challenge copied the deadly games from the original series.
Even dating shows like Love Island use public votes, alliances and eliminations, just like a strategy game.
Twitch Rivals and The Overwatch League brought gaming tournaments to TV. Channels like ESPN now broadcast esports, treating them like traditional sports.
Reality shows use competition, levels and rewards. Survivor introduced alliances and elimination rounds. Big Brother made strategy a key element.
Gaming-TV Crossovers
Some TV shows are directly inspired by gaming.
Hyperdrive (Netflix) turned car racing into a real-life video game. The Crystal Maze (1990–2020) was like a live-action adventure game.
Pure TV game adaptations are booming too. Arcane (based on League of Legends) is an award-winning show. Halo and The Witcher show the demand for game-based TV stories.
TV and gaming are now feeding each other.
Streaming platforms make interactive shows, like Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, where viewers choose outcomes.
Games borrow from TV storytelling – Quantum Break blended gameplay with TV-style episodes.
This means the boundaries between gaming and TV are fading.
Both steal tension, structure and spectacle from each other. Today, watching can often feel like playing – and playing can feel as cinematic as the best TV dramas.
The Blurring Line Between Gaming and TV
Traditional TV is no longer just about watching – it’s about interaction.
Streaming, cloud gaming and gaming influencers have made TV screens more than passive displays.
At the same time TV now reports on gaming like it does sports.
ESPN covers esports and major networks air gaming documentaries. Platforms like YouTube Gaming and Twitch stream live competitions, often pulling bigger audiences than cable TV.
Television is learning from gaming – live events, fan interaction and instant replays can make traditional broadcasts feel outdated.
TV screens are no longer just for watching.
Cloud gaming lets players stream directly to their smart screen. Services like Xbox Cloud Gaming, Nvidia GeForce Now and PlayStation Plus Premium remove the need for consoles.
Watching gaming is now as popular as playing.
Influencers like Ninja, Pokimane and Dr Disrespect draw millions. Their live streams turn gaming into entertainment, blending reality TV, sports commentary and community engagement.
Netflix now offers interactive shows where viewers make choices like in video games. YouTube’s ‘play-along’ content lets viewers control narratives.
The relationship between gaming and TV is evolving fast.
Gaming is as watchable as sports. TV is as interactive as games.
The future is flexible—play on any screen, watch on any device, and engage however you like.
There are more and more ways to enjoy entertainment, anywhere, anytime. The future of fun is fluid – and the best is yet to come.
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