Do you dream of appearing on your favorite game show and winning tons of cool prizes? Maybe you’re hoping to “Come on down!” on The Price is Right or think you could make Steve Harvey stagger backward with your vaguely erotic but very valid answer to a Family Feud question.
Before, you’d have to travel all the way to the bright lights of LA and Hollywood to make that happen. But no more: GameOn ATX provides Austin’s first and only game show experience right here in our Texas backyard.
How GameOn ATX Works
Grab a handful of friends—or enemies, since you’re going to be playing against half of them—and head inside GameOn ATX. You’re greeted by a host who goes over a few ground rules and gets everyone to sign a waiver. Don’t worry, none of the games require any arduous activity; it’s just standard practice.
Next, you’ll be split up into teams or can choose how to divvy everyone up. You’ll move to the green room, which is where you’ll create a team theme and individual names that you get to write on your name tag. Depending on the group of people you’re with, this can be the most nerve-wracking part of the whole night.
After you’re all set with names, it’s time to head to the big stage.
The Games at GameOn ATX
This is really what we all came here for, right? Currently, GameOn ATX offers three unique games, and you’ll get to play ’em all.
Survey Squabble
This is GameOn ATX’s version of Family Feud. There’s a question on the board, and you need to find the most common answers. Thankfully, you don’t have to politely clap when someone says an answer that you know is absolutely not going to be up there. I’d suggest going the opposite route and using old cowboy slang to talk some trash. The gameplay is pretty consistent with what you see on TV, though there’s a unique spin on the final round.
Whirly Words
Not an actual spin, mind you—that’s what Whirly Words is all about. You’re spinning a huge wheel and then pick a letter to solve the puzzle on the board. If you choose a letter that’s in the puzzle, you have three seconds to answer before control goes to the other team. Unlike in Wheel of Fortune, you can’t continue building up a ton of money all at once. But very much like Wheel of Fortune, you can hit landmines that take away your points or make you lose a turn. It’s all the sweeter when it happens to your opponent.
Cosmic Drop
If you took a Survey Squabble poll about people’s favorite game from The Price Is Right, I bet more than half the respondents would say Plinko. In fact, the game is so popular that NBC has aired several seasons of a LeBron James/Chris Hardwick vehicle called The Wall, which is a mix between Plinko and trivia. People love dropping things down a large facade. That’s exactly what you’re doing here: Put your two chips anywhere at the top of the board, then watch as they chaotically fall and bounce off protruding pegs to (hopefully) land in the big point slots below.
Other Need-to-Know Info
GameOn ATX requires a minimum of six people, but you can go all the way up to 44 thanks to their larger game room. In those cases, you’ll do more of a turn-based style of play instead of everyone participating at once. It’s still a hoot.
Typically, the experience lasts for about an hour. There are both PG and adult-only experiences, so if you want to ramp up the raunch, you can make it happen.
Parking is kind of limited. If you can carpool, that’s ideal. It’s especially ideal when people in your group are drinking (GameOn ATX is BYOB), so you can have a few designated drivers keeping everyone safe on the ride home.
GameOn ATX is a delightful time, and I found it enjoyable even though I was playing with a mix of close friends and people I had just met. If you’ve got a good crew, you’ll quickly get wrapped up in the gameplay, too. Go check it out!
Address: 1515 Dungan Lane, Suite 200, Austin, TX 78754
Pricing:
$29.95 per person on Tuesdays
$34.95 per person on Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday and before 5 pm on Friday
$39.45 per person on Friday from 5 pm to close and Saturday