Game on TV as a form of effective communication

Postmodern television gravitates to the game programs. This process takes place not only in Russia but all over the world as a manifestation of a general trend. TV is a part of the system of mass communication which has moved onto the network stage inevitably linked with the game. A game helps to overcome the discreteness of contemporary reality. Due to objective reasons the present-day content of television broadcasting is packed in a game model of communication. This tendency is not introduced from the outside or imposed upon the subjective will; it reflects the specificity of television broadcasting of the postmodern. Both the telecast and game are the communication processes creating new structures. On the one hand, they coincide in algorithm: the result is not as important as the process itself. On the other hand, the very word game is multi-faceted and multi-layered in Russian language, and its alliance with TV is controversial. Maybe mainly due to linguistics. Game and Play are different in meaning but there is only one word игра (igra) in Russian, that unifies significance of two English words. In 2013 the sociological study "Game and Me" was held in Moscow under the supervision of the author. It demonstrated the fact of generational variations in understanding of the word. For grandparents’ cohort igra is fun; entertainment and a kind of work aimed at self-knowledge for generation of grandchildren. In both cases, the game reflects the philosophical category of "special attitude to the world". With the advent ofnew communication technologies, TV viewer gets an impulse of activity and the postmodern situation provokes reformist moods. Game and Play provide an escape from reality. Fans of play are suspicious of game and vice versa. This is the problem. Therefore, the pretence of two-sided criticism of television programs is considered hereafter. Screen pretence is often criticized. TV game may be constructive or destructive, in all circumstances being genuine without any conversion to quasi game. The dramatic collision of modern TV games is overcoming the theatricality and the “quasi game” situation. TV games obviously will be evolving along this trend.