Beginners and TrivGods
The mistake many beginners make is to go straight to a popular trivia channel where the TrivGods hang out and then complain bitterly that nobody gives them a chance.
An excellent place for beginners is #londontrivia @ undernet which physically prevents TrivGods from scoring after a 10 question streak. A message appears: “don't you ever get enough? Be a good Christian, let others play too!” Unfortunately, this channel is not listed in the IRC directories because for some reason is chooses not to have any welcome message or instructions.
The mere fact that there is a scarcity of Trivia rooms stipulating the level of play required shows that everyone prefers to be in one room with all levels playing. We found only two channels that clearly appear to exclude beginners:
#exp-triv ThunderCity
Expert-Trivia, over 150,000 questions, where the real pro's battle :)
category: Turkey Chat - network: ThunderCity - 3 users
#elite-trivia at abjects.net
Comment: The channel has cute commands – !Drinks !food !8ball !beer !rules – but unfortunately nobody was playing during the survey, and the top10 for the week was empty, indicating the channel may be deserted.
If a beginner goes to a channel like #exp-triv, or even one of the more popular trivia channels, then why should he/she be given a chance? This is a competitive game, guys, not a kumbaya meeting! There are hundreds of small trivia channels out there where beginners can hone their skills and enjoy a welcome they will not get in a channel dominated by TrivGods, so stop complaining!
So, is it better to have TrivGods and beginners - and everyone in between - playing in the same channel, or should more trivia rooms stipulate the level of playing required?
PRO:
It is definitely better to have all levels in one room because a canny beginner will learn much by watching the TrivGods play – and nothing is more satisfying than scoring on a question that only he/she knows in a roomful of TrivGods.
It is true that some TrivGods have a phenomenal memory and a quick brain, but most TrivGods gain that distinction after years of playing in one or more channel, learning the question-files backwards – and some merely become a TrivGod by playing 24/7.
Speed of connection and typing skill play as much a vital part in IRC trivia as brains, even more so perhaps, so new players who invest in a top level connection and a speed typing course could even-up the playing-field very quickly once they have familiarized themselves with the questions (most of which repeat over time).
CON:
A game dominated by TrivGods does tend to scare off new players and the channel risks ending up stale or even dead. Even the TrivGods tire of playing with the same old question-file and the same old people.
Starting off in a beginner’s level room sounds like a good idea but it may not give players the competition they need and the incentive to try harder.
A game dominated by TrivGods may encourage new players to cheat by using scripting.
The scores end up totally skewed at the top end, indicating that a TrivGod may be playing alone without any competition at all, or playing 24/7 denying new players a real chance to play the game. If someone is definitely hogging a channel, then a score limit could be set for each day and once reached a player is prevented from gaining more points.
To test that theory, see :
TrivGod competition: comparing 1st and 2nd scores
TrivGod Monopoly: comparing 1st and 10th scores
An excellent place for beginners is #londontrivia @ undernet which physically prevents TrivGods from scoring after a 10 question streak. A message appears: “don't you ever get enough? Be a good Christian, let others play too!” Unfortunately, this channel is not listed in the IRC directories because for some reason is chooses not to have any welcome message or instructions.
The mere fact that there is a scarcity of Trivia rooms stipulating the level of play required shows that everyone prefers to be in one room with all levels playing. We found only two channels that clearly appear to exclude beginners:
#exp-triv ThunderCity
Expert-Trivia, over 150,000 questions, where the real pro's battle :)
category: Turkey Chat - network: ThunderCity - 3 users
#elite-trivia at abjects.net
Comment: The channel has cute commands – !Drinks !food !8ball !beer !rules – but unfortunately nobody was playing during the survey, and the top10 for the week was empty, indicating the channel may be deserted.
If a beginner goes to a channel like #exp-triv, or even one of the more popular trivia channels, then why should he/she be given a chance? This is a competitive game, guys, not a kumbaya meeting! There are hundreds of small trivia channels out there where beginners can hone their skills and enjoy a welcome they will not get in a channel dominated by TrivGods, so stop complaining!
So, is it better to have TrivGods and beginners - and everyone in between - playing in the same channel, or should more trivia rooms stipulate the level of playing required?
PRO:
It is definitely better to have all levels in one room because a canny beginner will learn much by watching the TrivGods play – and nothing is more satisfying than scoring on a question that only he/she knows in a roomful of TrivGods.
It is true that some TrivGods have a phenomenal memory and a quick brain, but most TrivGods gain that distinction after years of playing in one or more channel, learning the question-files backwards – and some merely become a TrivGod by playing 24/7.
Speed of connection and typing skill play as much a vital part in IRC trivia as brains, even more so perhaps, so new players who invest in a top level connection and a speed typing course could even-up the playing-field very quickly once they have familiarized themselves with the questions (most of which repeat over time).
CON:
A game dominated by TrivGods does tend to scare off new players and the channel risks ending up stale or even dead. Even the TrivGods tire of playing with the same old question-file and the same old people.
Starting off in a beginner’s level room sounds like a good idea but it may not give players the competition they need and the incentive to try harder.
A game dominated by TrivGods may encourage new players to cheat by using scripting.
The scores end up totally skewed at the top end, indicating that a TrivGod may be playing alone without any competition at all, or playing 24/7 denying new players a real chance to play the game. If someone is definitely hogging a channel, then a score limit could be set for each day and once reached a player is prevented from gaining more points.
To test that theory, see :
Labels: beginners, competition, IRC trivia, levels of playing, trivgods, trivia
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