An estimated 111 million people in America watched the Super Bowl this year. How many of them actually cared about the game? Not that many.

The Super Bowl succeeds because it's not just about the sport. It's about the spectacle. And watching this year's bout between the Packers and Steelers got me thinking: Could games reach that level of spectacle in a televised event?

The short answer is no. The Super Bowl is unmatched in its level of market penetration. Much of that is due to the popularity of the NFL. But you've also got musical performances, commercials, movie trailers, halftime shows -- all ways to make what would otherwise be just another football game entertaining.

Televised gaming could learn a lot from this. Previous efforts at made-for-TV video-game events have been lackluster. But given the increasing popularity of the pastime, with the right mix of elements a gaming Super Bowl could be a huge success. Here are a few ideas....

The competition

For sports fans, the Super Bowl is must-see television because it's the culmination of the NFL season, a grueling six-month journey for two teams at their athletic peak. Fans watch because they know they're seeing the best of the best, even if they don't have any special rooting interest.

With games, unless you're living in the movie The Wizard, it's a little harder to crown a gaming "champion." So you'd have to center your Super Bowl-like event around a specific competitive game. Korea already does this with televised Starcraft events. In the States, you'd probably have more luck with titles like Halo, Call of Duty, or (my personal choice) a fighting game like Street Fighter 4 or Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

In fact, if you go the fighting-game route, you already have established tournaments like Evo, where the best players battle for top honors. Add the right production values, and you've got your competition right there.

If, on the other hand, you want to go straight for accessible, mass-market entertainment, try something like the Omegathons at Penny Arcade Expo. These events take 20 random convention-goers and pit them against each other across a variety of games until only two are left. The pair then battles it out on a "secret game" in front of the PAX audience. Last year at PAX Prime, the final event was an arcade-style claw machine. Hijinks ensued.

The commentary

In the Super Bowl, top-level broadcasting teams handle the game's commentary and analysis. These teams often include a quality play-by-play voice paired with a former player or coach with first-hand knowledge of the sport. This stands in stark contrast to most televised gaming events I've seen, where overexcited, smarmy hype men serve as commentators. Who are these guys? Why should I listen to them? Nobody knows.

In a gaming Super Bowl, you'd want people who know the competition. Former tournament-level players. Game designers. People who can speak intelligently about what they're seeing on screen.

Football commentary proves that even if viewers don't know exactly what a cornerback blitz out of a 4-3 defense means, having someone who does is valuable. By the same token, even if I don't know exactly which moves the players are pulling off, I'd want someone to explain what they are and why they're important.

The entertainment

This one is easy. Plenty of bands love video games and would jump at the chance to be part of a special televised event. Tie it in to the release of a Rock Band DLC pack, and you've got built-in advertising, too.

Alternatively, the concerts at PAX prove that there's a ton of great musical talent in the gaming sphere. Performers like The Protomen, MC Frontalot, or Metroid Metal could carry a "halftime show" easily.

The commercials

Super Bowl advertising space is ridiculously expensive. That's because they know how many eyeballs will be watching. In recent years, the Super Bowl has even become the place to debut brand-new products like movies and games.

So instead of relying on traditional commercials, why not release new trailers during commercial breaks of our gaming Super Bowl? It'd be a much better venue for them than the Spike VGAs, at least. And if I knew a never-before-seen trailer for a new title was coming up during a commercial break, I wouldn't change the channel.

The tone

Whatever else you might say about the production surrounding the Super Bowl, it treats the sport with respect. The commercials might pander to the lowest common denominator, but the game itself doesn't. That sort of tone has been missing from video-game-related events like the Spike VGAs or Major League Gaming. We don't need condescending celebrities or juvenile humor. Just present all that is good about games, and the rest will take care of itself.