And this is SL, where old friends leave and new ones arrive (hi there Hilda and Luce!), which sets me off wondering about our Trivia community and how inclusive we are.
Now I think we're pretty friendly, but when I get thinking some more we are also pretty exclusive. First thing is SL trivia isn't for everyone. I'm sure some people must try it and find the level of competition is just too high. We all know it's not enough to know the answer, you have to type it fast too. I'm sure we all find some events harder than others, and I think some hosts' styles suit some players. My function as an SL host seems to be to supply Anamaria with lindens. It took me months to get a question right at ZooBar, but I seem tuned into Lette's question style.
And then we have the group dynamics stuff. I'm well aware that catchphrases and jargon are great for bonding a community together, but insider knowledge is just baffling to newcomers. And I'm probably worse than most for this. My events are full of Cultural Bias Alerts (yes Lou I stole that off you), Easter Eggs, lindens for tehs and all sorts of other in-crowd jokes.
I think harlequinade is the right word here...
...Circe hosting at Inferno, I managed to chop Lothor in two
Most hosts try to welcome everyone by name, and myself I have made gestures to quickly explain some of what's going on. I also tried asking at the start of my events if there were any new people, and asking them to IM me if they needed any help. The problem is that I always have so many things to think about that I sometimes forget to do it, or then I can't deal with 4 IMs properly.
I really would like to know what you all think about this. And thank you for reading this far, your reward follows.
Replace the missing letters, the first to answer each one correctly in comments wins 10L, paid in-world. Please tell me your name or I can't pay you!
1. 220 YIAF
2. 55 DAP
3. 9.8 MPSPS,ADTG
4. 6 NBJA
5. 27 ATTUSC
6. 13 PATLS
7. 60 YDA
8. 147 MBIS
9. 22 DOCE
10. 7 HOR
Hi Lotus! Thanks for the shoutout. So I got to writing an account of my noob-osity in trivia and it became a comment of epic proportions so I made it a new post in my blog. I think I'm above linking to it in a comment to YOUR blog though, lol (although I did win a prize at the Zoo triv for shameless pluggery this week.. so embarassing lol).
ReplyDeleteA couple things I want to comment about:
Thus far, I like seeing new faces at triv. It's nice to get new meat out there, and keeps the conversation in local moving (and gives me someone to pick on, or to side with me in my various rants lol). However, as an exception to this general like for new triv folks, I would like to amend that emotion with regard to Chaos.. I'll tell you why.
Chaos is a blast, but the one thing that really bugs me is when a new face shows up, gets picked for a truth or dare a few minutes later, and then leaves within minutes. I almost wish that Chaos had a rule that players had to arrive on time to play or be chosen, that might allow for some players to be chosen more than once, which would be fun for all I think. Obviously this idea has some major flaws, and I understand that it will likely never happen and probably shouldn't. But this in-and-out at Chaos really irks me for some reason. I really don't even know why, it just does hehe.
As for the shoutouts for arrivals, I love this even though it can be frustrating and annoying at times. I liken the obligatory hello's to coming home to your dog. There is almost irrefutably no one in the world who is happier to see you than your dog. It makes my day to get home to a waggy tail and a pup who just can't help but run back and forth and jump up and down from her excitement to see me :). Getting an echo of hello's just by entering a room evokes a similar joy from me.
I just realized this Comment is still absurdly too long despite having a sister-post in my blog. (*sigh* sorry about that Lotus)..
ReplyDeletePlease can i be supplied with more LindenDollars
ReplyDelete9.8 metres per second per second, acceleration du to gravity
6) 13 People At The Last Supper
ReplyDelete10) 7 Hills of Rome
13 People at the last supper.
ReplyDelete(I feel guilty for not getting the rosary one)
Billy's post wasn't there when i typed that!
ReplyDelete147 Maximum break in snooker
22 yards in a furlong
ReplyDeletei mean 220 there...
ReplyDeleteI think that for the most part we do the best we can to make newcomers feel welcome, but there's not much to be done to make them fit in quickly... the trivia community continuously changes though... with lots of new faces that manage to become part of the crowd in a short time. I'm sure it can be overwhelming for those who aren't as quick on the draw... even after having been awol for the last month, I find it hard to get right back into the fast paced swing of things. But newcomers just have to stick with it and eventually they'll get sucked into the trivia world just like the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I do take much pleasure watching a newcomer pop their trivia cherry... and it's even better if it's off one of my questions :)
Oh and
27 ammendments to the us constitution
yay i got one!
side note - I did eventually figure out the hat thing :)
OOK so we have:
ReplyDelete1. 220 yards in a furlong, Ana
3. 9.8 metres per second per second acceleration due to gravity, Ana
5. 27 Amendments to the US Constitution wtg Nelly, so glad you got your hat back! I think we're still banned though.
6. 13 people at the Last Supper yay Billy
8. 147 maximum break in snooker wd Ana
10. 7 hills of Rome, Billy again!
I'll pay up when I log into world next :)
Hey don't apologise for commenting Luce. I'd be much more unhappy if no-one did.
ReplyDeleteProblem for me at Chaos is that I usually don't arrive until it's at least an hour in because it starts 0430 UK time.
Nelly, it's really nice to see you back at events! I have so missed you!
Compared to many groups I think the trivia people are quite inviting and nice to new players. If they're super new and they managed to get to trivia early on in SL life they often are just stunned by SL and their quick departure / never-to-return is more a reflection upon SL than a lack of friendly welcoming by trivia players and hosts.
ReplyDeleteLuce: "I almost wish that Chaos had a rule that players had to arrive on time to play or be chosen." You'd never see me then. I'm never on time. It's Saturday night, ffs. :P
ReplyDeleteI agree with Chadd. The trivia circle is one of the most civil and welcoming. And honestly, I'm baffled by the assumption of many noobs that there aren't social groups and hierarchies already at play when they duck walk into a room -- it's not a video game, you're not a single player running around communicating solely on your own terms.
Lotus, as a host I'd try to welcome everyone by name and I did my best to explain the in-jokes (hell, mine was themed trivia, so on some level it was all one big in-joke). My goal was to create a community event that, even if you didn't know every single thing that was going on, was someplace you'd want to come back to. At other events I mostly ignore the in-jokes. *shrugs*
55 Days At Peking? The old Charleton Heston movie? Otherwise, bah, you've Makoproofed these again, Lotus -- lol
Hi Lotus - thanks for counting me as a new friend, the feeling is mutual!
ReplyDeleteI got into trivia almost immediately upon starting in SL I have to say I felt welcome in the SL trivia community pretty quickly, thanks to people like you, Lette, Honey and others.
60 years diamond anniversary?
ReplyDeleteMako yes! 55 Days at Peking.
ReplyDeleteAnd Cully! 60 years Diamond Anniversary!
Ok to be clear, I said "I almost wish" for the exact reasons you guys mentioned. It's impossible and stupid to require everyone to be there the whole time, but the sentiment lies within that false proposal. That sentiment being that it sucks the fun out when people are there under 10 minutes. I 100% agree that it's better for people who actually have RL plans on a Saturday night to show when they can, my point is it would be nice if they had to stay. Or if it was requested to stay.. even saying that makes the impossibility of my proposal OBVIOUS.
ReplyDeleteI tend to think the trivia crowd is a friendly bunch for the most part, even if it does seem like a scene from the show "Cheers" when someone walks in. It's nice that there's a mix of difficulty levels for trivia too, and places where it's not all about the questions so much as socializing.
ReplyDeleteAs for "in" jokes, I didn't really realize I do it too- my "has to be one" thing probably doesn't make a spit of sense, and would never make a normal person think of bunnies. But I do try to make sure that you don't really have to know much about the theme to have a good time or answer questions at my events. I do tailor part of them sometimes though, if I know someone's got an interest in something particular. Once you learn a host's question style, it's easier to catch the rhythm and score too.
As for chaos, from another point I can see the value of having the familiar group- I'm one of those who's like to blush to death when dodgy stuff comes up in front of strangers... but when I'm comfortable with people it's not so bad. It's all in fun I know, but I'm still glad nobody can see me turn fuschia :)
This was a very interesting post, thanks Lotus. If I may, I'd like to comment from an "outside insider's" perspective - which self-assigned status might require a touch of definition in and of itself. Angelo's been floating around trivia events for a while now - some of you might recognise the name as "that bloody annoying DJ" you've encountered at a few places, and while I do try to get to the occasional event as a mere participant (usually standing dumbfounded at the speed of responses in the room) I certainly can't profess to have sampled each and every form of trivia out there at all.
ReplyDeleteHowever, from this possibly unique status, I can make some observations. The SL Trivia Community are a fun loving bunch of avatars, and are for the greater part incredibly respectful of the fact that someone has gone to the bother of putting themselves "in the firing line" to provide them with the SL entertainment they seek. In fact, "respectful" isn't quite the word that sums it up properly - on the at least three occasions where I've had the priviledge of watching a new trivia hostess step up and run a new event, I've seen "trivia regulars" be incredibly supportive, giving verbal encouragement to the nervous new hostess, or offering access to communication channels that the hostess may not be aware of to publicise the event.
I've also been made to feel welcome and included by the SL Trivia Community - and as that annoying "secondary" sub-event (the DJ) this is something that's not common. I have been given the impression that they want to include me in the fun, or that there's almost a mischievous glint in some of the eyes as they try to trip up or stump the DJ. I compare this with other "competitive" events, some of which involve the sitting and pressing of the same repetitive key strokes in order to operate a piece of fishing equipment, where as I DJ, I've died a thousand deaths wondering if anyone's even listening.
So as far as inclusiveness and friendliness - not to mention supportiveness and respect - are concerned, I've got to borrow from one of those hated gestures that are so prevalent in SL and opine that "you guys rawk". Yes indeed, you have your standards, and if an event is not delivering, after a reasonable amount of time, you'll drift away from it. And why not? There's a finite amount of time available to everyone for everything, and it's utterly understandable that you'll want to devote your time to the best quality out there, and not suffer the fools that don't seem to want to up their game.
I apologise, Lotus, if I've rambled on too long here - didn't mean to subvert or take over your blog - but as I said, this was a great post and it certainly triggered off my own grey cells.
And Cully and I had our little in-joke for you Angelo!. I even made a "Hang the DJ" gesture to go with it, so please when I get back from holidays may we have Panic by The Smiths!
ReplyDeleteAnd I missed your Jane Austen and zombies themed event Circe! It'll probably never come round ever again...
OK 2 questions left.
4 needs persuasion at the end.
9 you need to think about Flash Gordon's enemy.
6 novels by jane austen :)
ReplyDeleteScore 10L for Canada!
ReplyDeleteGo Canada!!!
ReplyDelete22 Dynasties of Chinese Emporers?
ReplyDeleteand yes, Panic, but of course :-)
Angelo you have it :)
ReplyDeleteawww i thought it was 6 noobs boiling jerusalem artichokes too:)
ReplyDelete