a few thoughts about hq

• The main host, Scott Rogowsky, is really frickin' annoying
• The other hosts are even more annoying
• When I first started playing, their schedule seemed more regular. Is the jumping around a bad sign? Or are they just experimenting?
• Someone said that it's really an elaborate exercise in data mining, and I'm giving them lots of information for very little money.
• The first question is always easy. A gimme. ANd yet there are always a few people who get it wrong. Are those people who don;t speak English? Do people's fingers slip? Or do the makers of the game program a few bots to go in and get eliminated quickly (so as to make real players feel better)?
• I have five friends on HQ. They are all people I know IRL. I also have five pending requests. But they're from names I don't recognize. And I can't find any way to ask "who are you?" Still, who goes onto HQ and sends friend requests to random strangers?
• After you make a choice, can you change it before the time runs out? Or is the first choice final. I wonder about this. But not enough to try it and possibly hurt my chances of winning a game.

UPDATE:

A friend emailed me to say that he is unfamiliar with HQ, and it would have been helpful for him (and any other readers) if I had given a little background.

Fair enough, though in my defense I will note that it can be a challenge to strike the proper balance. How much background to assume versus how much exposition to provide. Also, in case anyone wants more background than I have written below, here's the Wikipedia entry.

HQ is an online trivia game available for Android and Apple iOS devices. Gameplay is live, so you have to play when the game is being played.

The host presents a series of (usually 12) multiple choice questions. In order to win, you have to get every question right. The questions start out ridiculously easy, but they get harder as you go along. Winners split the prize money, which is usually $5,000, but has been as low as $1,000 and as high as $400,000. In my experience, winners usually get a few dollars each, but I did see one game where the winners each got over $8,000. That was a game with 15 questions and a $25,000 prize -- there were three winners. The one time I won, I got $1.29 -- and I did get the money, so it is legit.

Those are the basics. There are variations, and details that I'm not describing. PLay for yourself. But if you do go and download the app and sign up, please use my referral code, which is my last name. I'll get a free life if you do.