Wikipedia fills in some of the backstory of the network's formation. Sony launched GSN as an outlet for its library of old game shows, along with the Goodson-Todman and Barry & Enright properties. The network winked into existence at 7:00 PM December 1, 1994 with What's My Line. A zillion game shows have flowed under the GSN bridge since then.
Sony still runs the network, though a minority stake has migrated through various owners. AT&T currently owns 42% of GSN but leaves day-to-day administration to Sony. Times were tough in the early years, with the network coming close to early death in 2001. But things have stabilized nicely. Today GSN is usually a top-25 cable network in total day viewers, with plenty of advertising revenue and a nice sideline in online gaming.
The network has contributed some excellent shows to the genre, though they've had their fair share of clunkers. There have been experiments in reality TV and other competition shows, but the network is currently wall-to-wall traditional game shows. Oldies fans tend to despise GSN, but there are a number of shows on the network with significant age by TV standards. Match Game is the most obvious oldie, but Deal or No Deal, Cash Cab and Chain Reaction all check in with more than a decade of dust.
Still, the network has tried to keep the schedule fairly up to date, which accounts for the distaste on the oldies boards. It's hard to argue with the Nielsen results. Congrats on the anniversary, and good luck on getting to 50 years.
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