You have to remember that this is in its infancy and remember the rapid evolution of video games from the idiocy of Pong, so don’t feel too condescending when you hear pioneer Interactive Network Inc saying that it has chosen Chicago as the second market for its interactive television system after parts of California, that Chicagoans can now subscribe to a multichannel broadcast service that offers 20 hours of daily interactive entertainment programming, and that the patented system enables subscribers to play along in real time with televised professional and college sports, game shows, educational news and talk and prime time television shows and special events by using a wireless Control Unit: it doesn’t really sound like a substitute for actually being on the field of play, but subscribers accumulate points and compete for fun or prizes by predicting the plays, providing correct answers or solving mysteries; at the end of the programme, they can send their scores back to Interactive Network headquarters by briefly plugging their home phone jack into the back of the Control Unit for a 20-second local call; Interactive Network has two tiers of subscription service pricing – a $15 per month Charter Service level, which provides the subscriber with access to all the interactive programming, or a $25 per month Competition Service, which adds the ability to compete for prizes; the suggested retail price of the Control Unit is $250.
