With a slowing growing collection of trivia board games but not any actual gameplay, Dave and Devon conjecture about what makes a good trivia game.
Devon: Although factors such as gameplay and design are important issues, I think the most vital part is the trivia questions themselves.
Dave: I agree. When one plays a trivia game, it really comes down to the challenge of answering the questions. The game Super Quiz even omits the board and pieces, and highlights that as an advantage of being able to be played anywhere.
Devon: I like questions that you can almost answer right, but still has to put some thought into it.
Dave: Questions can't be too easy, but also can't be too obscure. That's the challenge of fact based questions. If it is too field specific, only specialists can answer. One example was the Chapters boardgame, where one really needs to be very well read, or work as a librarian, to get many of the questions. At least that's what I thought as someone who's not into fiction, literature or history. Likewise trivia based on sports or a particular media series (e.g. Friends, Lord of the Rings) have very segmented appeal -- you have to like both the topic and playing trivia.
Devon: The generation based questions have a similar disadvantage. If you grew up during that era, then you can relate to many of the questions. But everyone else would be completely stumped. This almost shows that it is difficult to have a trivia game that appeals to the general population.
Dave: There are several things that help with alleviating the difficulty of the questions. One is to put hints in the question itself to help trigger your memory. Jeopardy does a good job of that. Some games split questions into easy and hard categories, which I think is a nice way too. Another way is to use multiple choice questions. And as for the problem of having to score in every category, I saw a game where you have to get N credits, where each category is limited to a max of 2 or 3 credits. This is a nice way to overcome being stronger in some categories and weaker in others.
Devon: There's also brain teaser type of questions used in Mindtrap and Wit's End. They are more problem solving oriented rather than fact oriented. That transcends the generation and knowledge issues, but could put-off those who hate problem solving.
Dave: Gameplay also plays a minor role in enjoying the game. TP allows another turn when a correct answer is given, which allows one person extended play while others are just waiting. One way to overcome that is to stop the turn when a wedge is obtained.
Devon: Interestingly, the game In Pursuit, by the makers of Trivia Pursuit, does away with the wedges altogether. Instead, it is a race by 2 teams, but at the end only the "team leader" will win. On your turn, you ask the question to the other team, and one team will move ahead depending on the correctness of the ansewr. This speeds up gameplay, keeps more people involved, and makes for a good mix of teamwork and an internal race.
Dave: The games Psychologizer and TP Bet You Know It have you predicting other player's guess, but uses a wager amount to reflect the confidence of your answer. That adds an interesting element to the voting process.
Devon: And the game Numaro has all numeric answers, and everyone makes a guess. The person who is closest to move ahead. This is good because you can be way off, but as long as you are closer you still have a chance.
Dave: As with game design and play testing, one has to play the game to get a feel to see if the rules work out as well as they seem on paper.
Showing posts with label trivial pursuit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trivial pursuit. Show all posts
Friday, July 18, 2008
Saturday, July 05, 2008
trivia questions in bulk
My alter ego Devon and I had a chat about my developing love-hate relationship with thrift stores.
Devon: I thought bargain shopping is all about thrill of the hunt. When did it become an emotional issue?
Dave: In visiting nearby thrift stores, I've noticed these stores can also reflect typical issues in retail marketing. One example is the difference in the "little guy" vs "big corporation". The stores operated by non-profit organizations tend to be smaller, have less selection, but lower prices. For example, one table for boardgames, and most are fifty cents to two dollars. The stores operated by multi-national companies are bigger, have more selection, and higher prices. For example, several shleves of boardgames, with prices ranging from three to ten dollars.
Devon: I see, so it comes down to money. You want good stuff for less, but reality is based on getting you to pay more for less.
Dave: It's closer to say it comes down to value. When I bought the first Trival Pursuit (6000 questions) for $1 in a smaller store, that's good value. That's 6000 questions per dollar (Q/$). Even if I only want one category such as science, that still works out to 1000 Q/$. Then came TP4 for $1, which is 4800-800 Q/$. In a bigger store, the price starts at $3, so that's a sudden drop in value. I picked up TP6 with 4800 Q's for $4. The value of that ranges from 1200-200 Q/$, which is a big drop from the expectations set by the first two purchases. And TP Millennium edition in the big store was $10, which I did not get. The value of that, assumming 4800 Q's, would be 480-80 Q/$, which is ridiculously low. For comparison, one of the $1 Professor Noggin trivial games I got at a small store, has 30 cards and 180 questions and thus has a already low value of 180 Q/$. Another example is a Da Vinci trivia game at the big store, 800 Q's for $6, which is 133 Q/$.
Devon: But there must be more to trivia boardgames than just questions per dollar.
Dave: There are, such as quality of questions, subject matter, board and game design. But since the core of the game is in the questions, that takes up a significant part of the value equation. And I am in it for building up a collection of trivia reference, so the number of questions really is everything.
Devon: So you love the big store because they have better stuff you want, but you hate to pay a few dollars more?
Dave: Sad to say, that sums it up in a nutshell. Once I was in a store and heard someone haggling with the clerk about how something she bought a week ago was only fifty cents, and now it was a dollar and she refuses to pay that extra fifty cents. At that time I thought such is the pathos of modern life, stressing your neurons for just fifty cents. And now, I emote the same angst over two dollars.
And while I'm on the soapbox, here is another example. The big store had a TP Disney edition, and inside was also the TP2 questions. So I was excited at such a find, until I saw the price. Six dollars. A regular TP with box, board and pieces is $3. So I am actually paying the same price for TP2, but without the board and pieces. Love and hate, such internal drama in a thrift store.
Devon: I thought bargain shopping is all about thrill of the hunt. When did it become an emotional issue?
Dave: In visiting nearby thrift stores, I've noticed these stores can also reflect typical issues in retail marketing. One example is the difference in the "little guy" vs "big corporation". The stores operated by non-profit organizations tend to be smaller, have less selection, but lower prices. For example, one table for boardgames, and most are fifty cents to two dollars. The stores operated by multi-national companies are bigger, have more selection, and higher prices. For example, several shleves of boardgames, with prices ranging from three to ten dollars.
Devon: I see, so it comes down to money. You want good stuff for less, but reality is based on getting you to pay more for less.
Dave: It's closer to say it comes down to value. When I bought the first Trival Pursuit (6000 questions) for $1 in a smaller store, that's good value. That's 6000 questions per dollar (Q/$). Even if I only want one category such as science, that still works out to 1000 Q/$. Then came TP4 for $1, which is 4800-800 Q/$. In a bigger store, the price starts at $3, so that's a sudden drop in value. I picked up TP6 with 4800 Q's for $4. The value of that ranges from 1200-200 Q/$, which is a big drop from the expectations set by the first two purchases. And TP Millennium edition in the big store was $10, which I did not get. The value of that, assumming 4800 Q's, would be 480-80 Q/$, which is ridiculously low. For comparison, one of the $1 Professor Noggin trivial games I got at a small store, has 30 cards and 180 questions and thus has a already low value of 180 Q/$. Another example is a Da Vinci trivia game at the big store, 800 Q's for $6, which is 133 Q/$.
Devon: But there must be more to trivia boardgames than just questions per dollar.
Dave: There are, such as quality of questions, subject matter, board and game design. But since the core of the game is in the questions, that takes up a significant part of the value equation. And I am in it for building up a collection of trivia reference, so the number of questions really is everything.
Devon: So you love the big store because they have better stuff you want, but you hate to pay a few dollars more?
Dave: Sad to say, that sums it up in a nutshell. Once I was in a store and heard someone haggling with the clerk about how something she bought a week ago was only fifty cents, and now it was a dollar and she refuses to pay that extra fifty cents. At that time I thought such is the pathos of modern life, stressing your neurons for just fifty cents. And now, I emote the same angst over two dollars.
And while I'm on the soapbox, here is another example. The big store had a TP Disney edition, and inside was also the TP2 questions. So I was excited at such a find, until I saw the price. Six dollars. A regular TP with box, board and pieces is $3. So I am actually paying the same price for TP2, but without the board and pieces. Love and hate, such internal drama in a thrift store.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Trivia generation gap
My alter ego Devon noticed something about the categories of questions in subsequent Trivial Pursuit (TP) editions, and had a discussion with me about it.
Devon: The first edition of TP had what I think are more cerebral categories, or at least more academic sounding, such as Geography, Art and Literature. In later editions you have People and Places, and Arts was rolled into Arts and Entertainment. And with more pop culture categories in other editions, I've read that some trivia fans lament this "dumbing down" of the questions.
Dave: I wouldn't used quite harsh a term as dumbing down, but there is definitely a trend in replacing field-specific knowledge questions with generation-based, pop culture questions.
Devon: How do you distinguish between those two types of questions?
Dave: For field-specific knowledge, one can imagine a history buff, a science geek, a well-read bookworm, a well-travelled person, etc. These can be people of any age. They don't have to be working in that field, just have an interest. Through reading anyone can gain field-specific knowledge.
For generation-based knowledge, it is based on what one experienced during a specific time, usually while in the teens to early thirties. For example, the "baby boomers" have more knowledge of the pop culture trivia related to the 1950's and 1960's than say their parents or their children.
Devon: In other words, field-specific knowledge can be had by a larger group of people, and generation knowledge by a smaller group. So why would trivia game makers opt for something that caters to a smaller group?
Dave: It turns out there are much more people who are knowledgable about generation specific trivia than people who are knowledgeable about a wide variety of general trivia. One might say that generation specific trivia is in fact the "general" trivia that everyone knows a lot about, because it was something they grew up with. But field-specific trivia is more specialized, and very few people are good with arts and science and history and sports and entertainment.
Devon: What would be your ideal categories for a field-specific trivia game?
Dave: I would love to have a Science based Trivial Pursuit, with the six categories being Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, Technology, and Multiplicity (other branches of science).
Devon: The first edition of TP had what I think are more cerebral categories, or at least more academic sounding, such as Geography, Art and Literature. In later editions you have People and Places, and Arts was rolled into Arts and Entertainment. And with more pop culture categories in other editions, I've read that some trivia fans lament this "dumbing down" of the questions.
Dave: I wouldn't used quite harsh a term as dumbing down, but there is definitely a trend in replacing field-specific knowledge questions with generation-based, pop culture questions.
Devon: How do you distinguish between those two types of questions?
Dave: For field-specific knowledge, one can imagine a history buff, a science geek, a well-read bookworm, a well-travelled person, etc. These can be people of any age. They don't have to be working in that field, just have an interest. Through reading anyone can gain field-specific knowledge.
For generation-based knowledge, it is based on what one experienced during a specific time, usually while in the teens to early thirties. For example, the "baby boomers" have more knowledge of the pop culture trivia related to the 1950's and 1960's than say their parents or their children.
Devon: In other words, field-specific knowledge can be had by a larger group of people, and generation knowledge by a smaller group. So why would trivia game makers opt for something that caters to a smaller group?
Dave: It turns out there are much more people who are knowledgable about generation specific trivia than people who are knowledgeable about a wide variety of general trivia. One might say that generation specific trivia is in fact the "general" trivia that everyone knows a lot about, because it was something they grew up with. But field-specific trivia is more specialized, and very few people are good with arts and science and history and sports and entertainment.
Devon: What would be your ideal categories for a field-specific trivia game?
Dave: I would love to have a Science based Trivial Pursuit, with the six categories being Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, Technology, and Multiplicity (other branches of science).
Friday, June 13, 2008
Statistics on question-based boardgames
Here are some statistics on the question-based board games that I have. Like much trivia, they make for trivial collection and might be of interest to other trivia fans.
| Game | Year | # Questions/ Cards | Genre: Categories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acronym | 1985 | 3456 | words: Corporations, Products & Slogans, Agencies, Proverbs, Science, Sports & Rebuses, Movies, Music |
| Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? | 2007 | 600/300 | general |
| Battle of the Sexes | 1990 | 672/224 | male vs female: 92 "Countdown" couples or movies with 3 hints, 120 "Showdown" categories |
| Beginner's Marathon | 1991 | 2500/600 | general kids |
| Bezzerwizzer | 2008 | 3000/150 | general: architecture, art & stage, business world, communities, design, film, food & drink, geography, history, humans, language, literature, music, nature, politics, science, sports & games, technology, traditions & beliefs, TV & radio |
| Buzzword | 2003 | 400/200 | words |
| Chalengah | 1995 | 400 | brain teaser |
| Cranium Primo | 2001 | 800 | brain teaser |
| Cranium Turbo | 2004 | 1000 | brain teaser |
| Don't Quote Me Kids | 2005 | 1000/200 | general: action, faces & places, human hands, books arts music, what on earth |
| Gender Bender | 1988 | 350 | male vs female |
| Gender Gap | 1997 | 620 | male vs female |
| Global Watch | 1991 | 2400/600 | Nature: Environment, Living World, Science and Tech, Geography |
| Gray Matter | 2002 | 1000/500 | general |
| Huggermugger | 1989 | 2000/400 | words: anagram, spell, definition, potluck |
| In Pursuit | 2002 | 2400/400 | general: Who & Where, Pop Culture, Headlines, Science & Tech, Sports & Games, Wild Card |
| Inquizitive | 1984 | 2304 | general: education, history, geography, science, books & music, TV & film, sports, inquizitive |
| IQ 2000 | 2000 | 2000/500 | general kids: General, Storybook, Heroes & Villians, Cartoons & TV, Language Arts, Animals, Games and Sports |
| Jeopardy | 1992 | 2040/204 | general |
| Judge for Yourself | 1999 | 500 | legal dilemma |
| Malarky | 1999 | 942/314 | general |
| Men are from Mars... | 1998 | 720/360 | male vs female: Family Affair, Communication, Scoring Points, Gender Benders, Dating Circuit, Island Fantasies, In the Flesh |
| Mindtrap | 1991 | 512 | brain teasers and lateral thinking |
| National Geographic Global Pursuit | 1987 | 972/324 | Geography: Historic Happenings, People and Places, People and Products, Planet Earth, Wildcard |
| National Geographic Global Pursuit set 2 cards | 1988 | 795/265 | Geography: Historic Happenings, People and Places, People and Products, Planet Earth, Wildcard |
| National Geographic Mission: Survival | 1995 | 1000/250 | Nature: Rain Forest, Desert, Mountain, Ocean |
| Newsweek Ultimate Trivia | 1984 | 3000/500 | general: history, geography, biz/eco/math/sci/tech, arts, showbiz, misc |
| Numaro | 2007 | 1800/300 | general numbers |
| Outburst Junior | 1989 | 400/200 | category kids |
| Picture Pursuit | 1994 | 2100/350 | general: People & Places, Art & Entertainment, History, Science & Nature, Sports & Leisure, Wild Card; 208 picture puzzles |
| Professor Noggin's Creatures of Myth and Legend Card Game | 2005 | 180/30 | Mythology; kids games |
| Professor Noggin's Dinosaur Card Game | 2002 | 180/30 | Dinosaurs; kids games |
| Psychologizer | 1990 | 600 | personality: Love & Sex, Philosophy, Current Events, Sports & Recreation, Morality, Personality |
| PunchLines Comedy Game | 1985 | 1600/200 | Comedy tasks: Impersonations, Riddles, One Liners, Limericks, Groaners, Tongue Twisters, Culture Jokes, Story Jokes |
| Scruples | 1984 | 245 | dilemma |
| Scruples 2nd Edition | 1986 | 240 | dilemma |
| Scruples '90s Edition | 1990 | 240 | dilemma |
| Snap Judgement | 1985 | 700 | legal dilemma |
| Super Quiz | 1982 | 5760/960 | general: sports, history, science, geography, words, movies |
| Super Quiz II | 1983 | 5760/960 | general: mostly music, TV, spelling, famous people, leisure & travel, potluck |
| Table Talk | 1995 | 1200 | food and cooking |
| Taboo | 1989 | 1008/504 | words |
| Telepaths | 1992 | 720/360 | words |
| Tribond | 1989 | 1300/300 | category: Entertainment, Sports & Recreation, Academics, Misc |
| Tribond Kids | 1996 | 1100/200 | category kids |
| Will Shortz Tribond | 2010 | 1308/327 | category |
| Trivial Pursuit I | 1983 | 6000/1000 | general: Geography, Entertainment, History, Art & Literature, Science & Nature, Sports & Leisure |
| Trivial Pursuit Genus II | 1984 | 6000/1000 | general: Geography, Entertainment, History, Art & Literature, Science & Nature, Sports & Leisure |
| Trivial Pursuit Genus III | 1994 | 4800/800 | general: People & Places, Art & Entertainment, History, Science & Nature, Sports & Leisure, Wild Card |
| Trivial Pursuit Genus IV | 1997 | 4800/800 | general: People & Places, Art & Entertainment, History, Science & Nature, Sports & Leisure, Wild Card |
| Trivial Pursuit Genus V | 2000 | 4800/800 | general: People & Places, Art & Entertainment, History, Science & Nature, Sports & Leisure, Wild Card |
| Trivial Pursuit Genus 6 | 2003 | 4800/800 | general: People & Places, Art & Entertainment, History, Science & Nature, Sports & Leisure, Wild Card |
| Trivial Pursuit Baby Boomers | 1983 | 6000/1000 | pop culture: Television, Stage & Screen, Nightly News, Publishing, Lives & Times, RPM (Music) |
| Trivial Pursuit Bet You Know It | 2009 | 1782/297 | general: Geography, Entertainment, History, Art & Literature, Science & Nature, Sports & Leisure |
| Trivial Pursuit Disney Family Edition | 1985 | 6000/1000 | general kids: Places, Music, People, Fantasy, Science, Leisure |
| Trivial Pursuit for Kids Volume 6 | 2004 | 1200/200 | general kids: All About Nature, Fun & Games, Today & Tomorrow, Whatever, Yesterday, Music Movies & More |
| Trivial Pursuit Junior 4th Edition | 1996 | 1200/200 | general kids: Stories & Songs, Games, Every Day, Fun, Nature, Science |
| Trivial Pursuit Lord of the Rings | 2003 | 1800/300 | pop culture: Good Characters, Evil Characters, Things, Places & History, Warfare, Making Movies |
| Trivial Pursuit Pop Culture | 2003 | 1800/300 (+??? on DVD) | pop culture: TV, Fads, Buzz, Music, Movies, Sports and Games |
| Trivial Pursuit Pop Culture 2 | 2005 | 1800/300 (+600 on DVD) | pop culture: TV, Fads, Buzz, Music, Movies, Sports and Games |
| Trivial Pursuit The 1980's | 1989 | 4800/800 | pop culture: Entertainment, In the News, Personalities, Sports & Leisure, That's Life, Wild Card |
| Trivial Pursuit The 90's | 2004 | 2400/400 | pop culture: Oops (Mistakes), Wired (Tech), Viewing (Media), Trends (Pop culture), Important (News), Hanging (Leisure) |
| Trivial Pursuit TV Edition | 1991 | 4800/800 | pop culture: Classics, Sitcoms, Drama, Kids & Games, Stars, Wild Card |
| Trivial Pursuit 20th Anniversary | 2002 | 3600/600 | general: Global View, Written Word, Sound & Screen, Innovations, News, Game Time |
| Trivial Pursuit 25th Anniversary | 2008 | 2592/432 | general: Geography, Entertainment, History, Art & Literature, Science & Nature, Sports & Leisure |
| Trivial Pursuit Young People | 1984 | 6000/1000 | general kids: People & Places, Good Times, Science & Tech, Art & Culture, Natural World, Games & Hobbies |
| Ultimate Outburst | 1999 | 600/300 | category |
| Urban Myth | 2002 | 1000/700 | pop culture: Celebrity, Health, Classics, Nature, Business, Crime |
| What the F*ck | 2004 | 432 | dilemma |
| Who Wants to be a Millionaire | 2000 | 2000/1000 | general |
| Who Wants to be a Millionaire Junior | 2000 | 1000/500 | general |
| Wise and Otherwise | 1997 | 2500/500 | cultural sayings |
| Wit's End | 1999 | 1600/400 | brain teasers: Teaser (analogy), Odd One Out, Sequence, Wild Card |
| Yuk Yuk's Comedy Game | 1990 | 512 | comedy: 125 opener cards, 387 closer cards |
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