Virtual quiz is gaining attention now among Chennaiites

Dr Navin Jayakumar, a popular quiz master from the city, has attended more quizzes in the past six months than he has attended in the past five years. “The crisis has forced us to think and work differently. Since live quizzes are not possible, we have taken a virtual route to host quizzes. There is a question of transparency when it comes to online quizzes. So, we have modified our quizzes accordingly. I will be hosting Murugappa Madras Quotient Quiz 2020 on September 6. This quiz will be held on a platform called Kahoot, an automated, transparent platform. What I have noticed is that people who never participated in quizzes have registered for similar online quizzes. Quizzing is always an entertaining activity,” says Dr Navin.

Gururag Kalanidhi, a content writer from Chennai, is an avid quizzer and has been participating in quizzes for the past many years. An active member of the Quiz Foundation of India, he says, “Before lockdown, quizzing used to happen on alternate Sundays at PS Senior School in Mylapore. But after the lockdown, we couldn’t meet up and host any events. So, senior quizzers came together and decided to host virtual quizzes. We have decided to host threehour quizzes every Saturday or Sunday on apps like Discord or Zoom. Interested participants can register for the free quizzes. It is hosted in such a way that the participants will be assigned to a team and the teams can collaborate and discuss online. We have been conducting online quizzes for the past four months,” shares Gururag.

The most popular quiz genres during the lockdown were general quiz, sports, entertainment, movie and popculture. The vibe and energy of live quizzes are missing in online quizzes. “Since I am a regular quizzer, I have befriended most of the people in the community. But in virtual quizzes, people from across the world participate. So, it will take time to know them better. One of the main challenges of online quizzing is about people Googling for answers. There is an unwritten code of ethics among quizzers that we don’t depend on the internet for answers. Again, it all depends on the participants,” he remarks.