Hi Simon,

Let's discuss.... :)

> Here are some factors (not scaled yet):

> 5-49 Game (statistically)
> (Is YOUR product good for the kids from 5 to
> 49?)

Ah, yes, that would be good for mass appeal, though don't forget the baby boomer demographic.... :)

> Family Game.
> (Does YOUR product bring families together?)

This is one nice thing about "Who wants to be a Millionaire." I'm not a regular watcher of the show, but when I have watched it it's always been with friends or family, and we've pretty much always discussed the questions! It's hard not to, when they give you that blank empty space when the person is thinking about which answer to pick.... :)

> Smart Kid- Smart Dad Game.
> (BTW, the "Rich Dad Poor Dad"
> bestseller has evolved into a GAME for kids
> and adults)

Do you mean "Cashflow"? I have that game -- apparently, the game predated the book. :) (It's a good game, it DOES teach you some good money management skills and some basic property-investment skills....)

Robert Kiyosaki had previously been using games as a teaching tool, since he's a strong critic of the methods of education we commonly use today....

When you think about it, games are a very natural way to teach. When you look at how various animals behave, we see that the animal young play games in order to learn life survival skills.... But when it comes to humans, we do this too when it comes to physical skills, but NOT as much as we probably should when it comes to mental skills.... If we had more teaching of mental skills using games, perhaps everyone would be better off!

Hmmm.... I think Robert Kiyosaki could be on to something.... :)

> School Game
> (combines education and entertainment; no
> mom can tell you that you are just
> "watching TV")

Heheh, hmm.... I think if I was still a school kid, my Mom wouldn't react that way. But I can see how some moms would.... :)

> Help Factor
> "When you go to the top you get a lot
> of help along the way".

As the Beatles (and Joe Cocker later) sang,

"I get by with a little help from my friends...."

> The way the life-lines are structured.
> As in real life you get your help from:
> 1. Interested People (audience)
> 2. Experts-friends ("call a
> friend" life-line)

> Essentially a FRANCHISE.
> (world-wide and now with the Disney contract
> - corporate-wide)

Yes, that's true. As Max pointed out, we have our own version here in Australia, and many countries have their own national version of the show on TV.... I think (if I'm not mistaken) that it originated in the UK....

> Promotes educational values.

> Former "trivia junkie" can become
> a "celebrity".

> As in every rigorous success analysis you
> CAN'T tell from the start which aspect will
> become relevant to YOUR business.
> Just enumerate them.

Business is generally a complex thing....

Certainly one of the main keys to success in anything (business included) is to know your strengths and weaknesses, and capitalize on your strengths. If you have amazing sales ability, then you should capitalize on that. If you have excellent analysis abilities, then you should capitalize on that. What are your strengths?

Maybe this is one area where real life is different from "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" since on the game show, it pays to have general knowledge. In real life, if you are not a generalist, it's not always a penalty (to compensate, you need to partner with people whose strengths complement your weaknesses).... Specialists may have an edge in areas which are their specialty....

Thanks Simon, that was a thought-provoking post. :)

- Dien