By and large you don't see them on game shows now, and the current and future audiences aren't going to equate old tech with magic, simple or otherwise. And, honestly, game shows aren't larger than life events for viewers. They're TV shows--that's not bad, but they're just one type of program amidst a multitude.
Sure, I get
why they're getting phased out--it's tricky to maintain lightbulbs, LCD screens are easier to maintain and troubleshoot, etc.
But as a design element, they helped establish a unique identity. TPiR doesn't look like the nightly news, or a cooking show, or the View.
And they were a strong design element, too. Eggcrates:
- provided clean graphics (black background, white text is a strong contrast)
- were to read on camera--sometimes saturated colors like the Pay the Rent price reveals blend in with the set a little *too* much IMO
- linked many games together with a consistent design element, sort of like sections of a magazine using the same font
- the dot matrix looked authoritative, like the Times Square news tickers. (And I'll probably moan when those inevitably get replaced by new tech too)
As for the list of "fixes" for the games proposed on the last page, y'all already know how I feel about LCD screens in general, but I just want to focus on one thing:
NUMBER ONE on my list for updating is Secret X: I think a more high-tech board can be devised with LCD monitors for the squares - including cool graphics when someone wins. That reveal with the panel turning is awful.
Physical props establish credibility. You
could play Deal or No Deal with 26 screens inside the cases instead of physical props... but how are you able to prove that the same amount was in the same case the whole time? You have to take the producer's word for it.
Physical props like the Lucky Seven doors, the Shell Game ball, actually seeing the rats cross the finish line in Rat Race, a physical secret "X", etc. are small reassurances that the producers can't change anything once the game begins. (Sure, you and I know that they legally can't do that, but your ordinary Joe the Viewer doesn't.)