If you thought HQ Trivia was fun, wait until you get a load of the brand-new trivia game sweeping the internet. The popular app-based quiz has a new competitor that has fans wondering if The Q is easier than HQ Trivia. While it's currently unclear whether The Q is actually easier to play in terms of question difficulty, there are definitely many things about the game that bear a striking resemblance. That means HQ-ties may totally ace The Q.
For starters, Q, which The Ringer reported is short for "The Question," is available on both IOS and Android. This was something that HQ Trivia had been lacking, in terms of getting things up and running on the latter platform. This certainly works in Q's favor, as many fans were eager to sign up for HQ Trivia, but denied access because they didn't own an iPhone. (HQ advertised that its Android version will be made available on Christmas, according to Business Insider.)
In terms of how The Q is played, TechCrunch revealed that, like HQ, there are 10-second rounds of questions, where there are three multiple-choice answers to choose from. The number of questions asked on Q vary between 11-13 per game, while HQ's consistently stand at 12, according to details from The Ringer. The questions, obviously varying in topic, seem to be along the same line as those asked during a typical HQ round. A quick glance at one of The Q's recent episodes reveals some of the subjects covered on the game show. The host asks players to answer the following question, while allowing them to choose from a list of three choices: "The Zhangjiajie National Forest in China inspired the scenery for which major motion picture(s)?"
- Lord of the Rings
- King King
- Avatar
There are also questions focused on sports, politics, arts, and technology. Basically, it's similar subjects to HQ.
To keep players interested, of course there's an opportunity to score a cash prize, if you manage to answer all of the questions correctly. The payouts for The Q are still relatively small, according to The Ringer, coming in somewhere between $150 and $500 compared to HQ’s max payout of $10,000. The larger cash prize makes HQ a clear standout for those looking to make some big bank on the trivia game, although it's unclear if The Q intends to up the ante once the app gains more recognition. It's also worth pointing out that The Q's smaller fan base could prove to offer less competition than HQ's current large following, which can easily total more than 300,000 per game, according to LifeHacker.com.
While most details surrounding the game show feel identical to HQ's format, a source related to The Q explained that it will offer a myriad of play modes — a factor that it claims will differentiate it from HQ, according to The Ringer. The report notes that Q's updated features will include a “survivor mode” that will follow a sudden-death format, eliminating opponents until there's only one player left; that player wins the entire pot. Q's payout options also come with a twist, as Q players are offered the option to either secure their winnings via PayPal or Bitcoin. HQ solely deals with PayPal cash-outs.
With The Q still in its beginning phases, just opening to the public in early December, there are still a few glitches that seemingly need to be worked out before they become true competition for HQ, as fans have reportedly had some technical difficulties when using the new app. However, with that said, it only took Q a remarkable four months to jump on the live game show bandwagon. It's a move that may indicate change on the horizon for game shows as a whole.
With the fast paced nature of today's technology and the accompanying desire of fans to join in on the live-action competition, the format of traditional trivia games could be in for a huge shake-up. This update could perhaps also trickle down into how players interact with game shows that have been a mainstay on our TVs since childhood, like Jeopardy, Family Feud, Wheel of Fortune, etc. It's safe to say that we're probably not too far away from a gaming revolution, which could eventually result in all game show programming being fully, or at least partially, app-based.
As technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, games shows are just the latest genre to have found themselves amidst a revamp. With games like The Q and HQ Trivia beginning to now take over trivia industry, it's clear that other game shows should probably get on board with this latest trend.
