How to develop and run your own “What?” game on Zoom. Where? When?"
Everyone knows and remembers, and many may still watch the famous TV show “What? Where? When?". But in fact, such an intellectual game with interesting questions and friendly competition is easy to come up with and play yourself, sitting at home.
What are the advantages of the online format “What? Where? When?"
1.
A great way to spend an active, intellectual evening, meet with friends and acquaintances online. Together we will learn a lot of new and interesting things in a variety of areas.
2.
You can play at any convenient time with any number of players without leaving your home.
3.
You can play for children, adults and even the whole family.
4.
An excellent option for an extra-curricular online event at school, you can unite, not get bored and get a boost of good mood (note to teachers and class teachers :))
How to come up with questions for the game “What? Where? When?"?
On a real TV show, sometimes such interesting and difficult questions arise. Where do TV viewers get them from? I'm revealing secrets :))
1.
Type in the search engine “The most interesting facts about...” or “Interesting articles about...”, and then write the topic on which you would like to ask or to which you would like to dedicate the game. The topic can be absolutely anything (nature, animals, history, art, sights, different countries, traditions of the peoples of the world, etc.), interesting facts can be found in all areas.
For example, I requested: “Interesting facts about the Leaning Tower of Pisa”
2.
Browse all the sites in a row and copy into a separate text file all the facts that seemed interesting and unusual to you. It is better if this is information that few people know. Believe me, you will get enough options, it won’t take much time.
I especially recommend the sites: https://pustunchik.ua/ (Section “Virtual School”) and https://azbyka.ru/deti/logicheskie-i-zanimatelnye-zadachi, as well as the series of TV shows “Records of my planet” (with Andrey Ponkratov and Timofey Bazhenov).
3.
Next, select the most interesting facts from everything copied, and delete the rest. When choosing, take into account the age of the players (for adults, the fact about the fairy tale “Kolobok” will not be very relevant, and younger students are unlikely to understand the fact about organic chemistry). It is better that the information is of varying complexity, so that there are simple facts, but complex ones also remain; from them, as a rule, you can create a more interesting question.
For example, I found the fact: “On the bell tower of the Leaning Tower of Pisa there are 7 bells, each of which is tuned to its own specific note.”
4.
Now you need to formulate questions from the selected facts. Questions should be formulated in such a way that a person can answer them using logical reasoning or using his normal outlook without special training (therefore, the question “What is the oxidation state of chlorine in hydrochloric acid?” is not suitable). It is important that information is given before the question, on the basis of which players can build a chain of logical reasoning or make their guesses. It is important that the question itself is formulated clearly and understandably for everyone; to do this, use question words (“when”, “why”, “what”, “why”, “which”, “how much”, etc.). The question should be interesting so that when answering it people will learn new interesting and useful facts.
Put yourself in the shoes of the players, imagine that you are answering this question without knowing the fact itself. What guesses would you make then? Is additional information needed to answer? Is there even a chance to answer this question logically? Then think in advance and write down the correct answer.
For example:
Question: “There are 7 bells on the bell tower of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Why exactly this number of bells are located on the bell tower of the tower?”
Correct answer: “Each bell in the bell tower of the Leaning Tower of Pisa plays one of seven notes.”
Possible guesses from the players: “The tower couldn’t fit more bells”; “It has something to do with the mystical nature of this number”; “Maybe the tower only has seven floors, and each floor has one bell.”
5.
You should not do less than 12 or more than 25 questions.
It is best if there are different types of questions in the game.
a) A common question.
It's in the text.
As a rule, it is of medium or increased difficulty. (How to come up with it, see above)
b) “Black box” question.
This is an ordinary question of average or increased difficulty based on the text, but the answer must contain one word-subject. The item must be placed in the Black Box in advance, and shown to the players when checking the answers.
For example: “The Great Wall of China is one of the most ancient architectural monuments. It was built back in the 3rd century BC. But most of the wall has survived to this day. It turns out that the reason for this is a secret ingredient that the Chinese used to smear the stones. What is this ingredient? He is now in the Black Box." (Answer: This is rice, it is what is in the Black Box)
c) Flash question.
One question, consisting of 3 simple short questions, which are given less time in the game and are easy to find the answer to.
(You can come up with it the same way as a regular question).
For example: “Which animal, according to O. Henry, is constantly driven into with nails?” (Answer: Horse (it is shoed)).
d) Question about the picture.
This is a question in which players are given a picture and an explanation for it. Using a picture, players must make guesses and give an answer. The pictures can be anything, but they must be related to some interesting fact.
For example: “Look at the picture (see photo above). This happened in the USA at the beginning of the 20th century. What do these people do? What are they doing?" (Answer: These people are postmen. In the early 20th century, children were often sent through the mail in the United States.)
e) Video question.
First, players watch a short (no longer than 3 minutes) video, then explanations are given and a question is asked about the video, players answer this question using the information shown in the video. The question must be related to the video. The video should be interesting and should contain an interesting fact.
For example: “You watched a short video (see above). Thanks to this cartoon, the authors wanted to wean many people from the habit of eating something harmful. What food are the authors of the video against? (Answer: The authors of the video turned the audience against fast food, the animals ate it, that’s why they are so fat and cannot live well).
f) Audio question.
First, players listen to a short melody or song. Then an explanation is given to it, and according to this melody the players must answer the question. The melody should be associated with some interesting and unusual fact.
For example: “Listen to an excerpt from a famous song (audio recording sounds). What kind of song do you think this is? What language is it performed in? (Answer: This is the song “Katyusha” in Chinese).
What else do you need when preparing for the game?
1.
Create a PowerPoint presentation that you will show on Zoom. The first slide is the splash screen. The second slide is the rules of the game. Next, 2 slides for each question: on the first slide the question itself, on the second - the correct answer to it. The presentation must include all necessary pictures, video and audio. If the game is played for children, it is better to accompany each question with a picture, this will make it more interesting for the children. Don't forget that the questions on the slide should be visible and readable (watch the color and font size).
2.
Count the approximate number of teams (it is better if there are from 3 to 10). Make cards with team numbers (just write the numbers) and put them in the box.
3.
Send invitations to all players for a specific day and time, with a Zoom conference ID and password.
How to play the game “What? Where? When?"?
1.
Teams gather in a Zoom conference. Ask all players to turn on the video call and turn off their microphones. Microphones can be turned on by the team that, at the request of the presenter, answers the question; during the discussion, the microphones should be turned off. This is extremely important, otherwise the event will fail! Explain the rules of the game to the teams. Give each team its own number, the team must remember it and respond to it.
2.
The presenter reads the question, then the question appears on the screen (in presentation mode in Zoom).
3.
Teams are given 40 seconds (20 seconds for flash questions) to think and jointly search for an answer. You cannot use the Internet or reference books, otherwise the game will not be fair and interesting.
4.
The presenter at random (as in the game “Forfeits”) takes the team number out of the box. This command turns on the microphone and answers the question. If a team answers incorrectly, the other team answers. Players can make assumptions and guesses. The presenter can answer them “yes”, “no”, “close” or give small hints. The presenter then sets aside the number of that team and takes out the next number. When all the numbers are over, you can take them out in a new circle.
5.
For the correct answer, the team receives points (simple question - 1 point, complex question - 2 points, quick questions - 0.5 points). The presenter writes down the points on a special piece of paper.
6.
At the end of the game, the points are tallied. The presenter announces the places. The team with the most points wins.
Remember all the technical aspects of playing in Zoom
1.
Players' video is always on, microphones are only on when answering.
2.
A basic Zoom conference lasts 40 minutes; before the end of the conference, ask all players to reconnect in advance. But in principle, it’s not worth playing for more than 60 minutes, otherwise everyone will get tired and interest will disappear. Therefore, plan your time.
3.
Observe the signals, actions and reactions of all teams; to do this, scroll through the “windows” with the video.
4.
Ensure a stable Internet connection, otherwise the conference will be interrupted.
5.
In Zoom, when sharing your screen, your presentation can sometimes freeze and get stuck on one slide. If this happens, ask the players to tell you about it and restart the screenshare.
That's all the secrets :))
It's actually not as difficult as it seems. You just need to try it!
I am sure you will definitely be able to give a good mood and interesting and useful knowledge to your friends and acquaintances.
I wish you success!!!
© Ekaterina Khasanova
