By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
June 26, 2002
When Tom O’Brien crossed the U.S. border into Canada to pick up a copy of a new game called Trivial Pursuit, he had no idea it would help him win major bucks nearly two decades later.
“Before Trivial Pursuit came out in America [in 1982], it was released in Canada,” says O’Brien, 46, of the Loop. “I was living in Seattle at the time and remember running up to Vancouver to get the game. I thought it was great and loved it. It got to the point where I got so good no one would play with me anymore.”
Flash forward to June 2000. O’Brien is on the set of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” bantering with Regis Philbin. He leaves the show with a check for $500,000. In the mid-1980s, O’Brien also placed second on “Jeopardy” and netted about $1,200 in prizes, a big deal at the time.
While he doesn’t credit Trivial Pursuit–which now is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a special edition–as the sole reason he performed so well in those competitions, O’Brien says the game prepped him for what he could expect.
“I wasn’t asked the same questions, but it was good training for how to get your brain to think. … It’s a very organized way to study a lot of material and soak in information.”
The new edition has replaced the original question categories with new ones called Global View (geography, space, etc.), Sound & Screen, News, the Written Word, Innovations and Game Time (sports).
When the game first arrived and became an instant hit, trivia was a fun way to give yourself a mental workout. Trivial Pursuit was hard .
Twenty years later, however, the nature of trivia–and Trivial Pursuit–has subtly changed. People who know very little now actually have a chance to win. In other words, as cultural literacy declines, the questions have gotten easier. In fact, the new Trivial Pursuit covers only the last 20 years.
“I wouldn’t say we’ve dumbed down the questions,” says Mark Morris, a spokesman for Hasbro Games, which distributes Trivial Pursuit. “We recognize that we have some younger players who don’t have historic knowledge about the Vietnam War. It gives them a fighting chance to play with older baby boomers such as myself, and that was one of the markets we considered when we decided to limit the questions to the last 20 years for the anniversary edition.
“One of the principles that make trivia games so good is that we have an endless supply. The world is constantly creating trivia.”
When the Chicago-based developers of You Don’t Know Jack launched their CD-Rom and online trivia game in1995, they were cognizant of the fact they had to be entertaining, but challenging. The snarky game’s motto was, “Where high culture and pop culture collide.”
“The great thing about our game is you can do well regardless of whether you know who Madonna is or whether classic literature is your strongpoint,” says Andy Poland, one of the game’s developers. “We had between 10 and almost 30 writers during our heyday who were pumping out questions on a daily basis.”
Poland’s contribution included: “Which of the following is NOT true about BOTH Hamlet and Scooby Doo?” (a) They both saw ghosts (b) They both spent a lot of time in castles (c) They were both great Danes (d) They both knew someone named Daphne. The correct answer is (d).
Also, “If Mr. Rogers were a member of the British peerage, ranking above a viscount, yet below a marquis, what would his title be?” (a) DUKE of Trolley (b) SIR Rogers of Make-Believe (c) EARL of Cardigan (d) PRINCE Frederick. The correct answer is (c).
And in Trivial Pursuit, eggheads will still find questions such as “What’s the maximum number of rodent hairs the FDA allows in a package of macaroni?” (Answer: 16.) But you’ll also find queries like “Who is Harry Potter’s archenemy?” (Answer: Lord Voldemort.) And “Who was the first rap star to sue Napster for violating copyright laws–Dr. Dre, Eminem or Master P?” (Answer: Dr. Dre.)
That leveling of the playing field may upset some purists who have long dominated the party circuit with their knowledge of the arcane.
“As spectators and participants, people my age are going to get fed up with what we see as relatively easy questions,” says Steve Beverly, a 47-year-old broadcasting professor and game show expert at Union University in Jackson, Tenn.
“Young people don’t know anything before 1990,” he says, half-jokingly. “I recognized the cultural divide on an episode of ‘Dog Eat Dog’ the other night when this 22-year-old woman was asked, ‘Who is the only man who has been president and vice president but was never elected to either office?’ She said, ‘Colin Powell.’ She not only had no clue that it was Gerald Ford, but she had no clue that Colin Powell had never been president of the United States.”
She may be a perfect candidate for the new Trivial Pursuit. After all, Gerald Ford was president more than 20 years ago.
*****
Where were you in 1982?
Back in 1982, Trivial Pursuit was the hot new game. Big hair, parachute pants and leg warmers were all the rage. Other memorable events from that year:
“Dallas” was the top-rated TV show.
The world’s first permanent artificial heart surgery was performed.
“Chariots of Fire” won the Oscar for best film.
The Color Purple was published.
So was USA Today.
Italy beat West Germany to win the World Cup Soccer championships.
Kim Carnes earned a Grammy Award for “Bette Davis Eyes.”
“Cheers” and “Late Night With David Letterman” made their debuts.
The St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series.
The San Francisco 49ers won the first of five Super Bowl titles.
*****
Quiz
How many languages does Trivial Pursuit use? 26 (including French, Waloon, Greek, Spanish, Japanese and Icelandic).
How many units of the game have sold since 1982? 70 million plus.
How many variations of Trivial Pursuit exist? More than 45, including the millenium, pop music and movie editions.
What was Trivial Pursuit’s original name? Trivia Pursuit, until the creator’s wife convinced him otherwise.
What board game did Posh Spice admit she was “devastated” to lose with her husband? Trivial Pursuit, what else?
How was the first Trivial Pursuit played? On a cardboard mockup with questions on hand-typed paper.
