Lockdown is a phrase that comes with plenty of negative connotations and understandably so. However, in true British spirit, the UK population has found ways to stay occupied and entertained which inevitably involves the word ‘pub’! Here at SilverDoor, we have pulled together during this tough time to come up with some top tips on how to make the best virtual pub quiz.
Be Innovative
In order to have a successful virtual pub quiz, it is imperative to add some form of originality. This is best done by being innovative and creative with your quiz round categories. If you are one to struggle in coming up with fresh inspirational ideas, here are some recommendations that some of our quiz-going SilverDoorians staff have discovered for themselves:
Guess the review
With the vast majority of us use websites such as TripAdvisor, Google Reviews and Trust Pilot before we first visit a restaurant, barbers or any kind of venue, this can be manipulated into a brilliant virtual pub quiz round. Simply pick a famous venue, local pub or restaurant and find a comical review (there are far more than one would expect) and either provide a shortlist to choose from or just let them guess the venue from scratch. This can be bundles of fun, however, you must be careful to ensure that the review is an accurate representation of the venue so that it’s not too challenging!
Baby faces
Baby faces always force a smile whether they are of a famous person or another person taking part in the quiz. This is where you either print out pictures to show on the webcam or digital images you can share in a video call, then simply ask competitors to guess the baby face – resulting in a superb round in a virtual pub quiz. If you need some inspiration of where to look first, there are some cracking baby photos of stars such as Bruno Mars, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robbie Williams.
Guess the song
If you and your other virtual pub quiz members are into your music, why not test each other out with the first 3-5 seconds of a song? Whether this an old school tune or modern hip hop banger, this can really get your cogs running as it’s not always the easiest to remember the name of the song, even if you know how it goes! If you are the chosen quiz master, then it can be incredibly comical watching your peers hum, sing and struggle their way to produce an answer.
Who am I?
Whether you are describing one of your friends taking part in the quiz, or a celebrity, a ‘Who am I’ question certainly mixes things up. You can either choose to have one statement for people to guess or several, undoubtedly making it easier for the participants. Film stars are always a good option to go for, as you can mention the roles they’ve played or films they’ve starred in.
Explore different platforms
Zoom
With over 200 million users every day, Zoom has certainly taken off during this period of lockdown and isolation. Undoubtedly the most popular virtual pub quiz interface in the UK, Zoom has the perks of being able to see everyone’s face in a gallery view, as well as the capacity to share your screen with everyone on the video call. Ideal for work conference calls, this screen share feature also facilitates the previously mentioned rounds such as babyface round.
Slido
Slido is another application which can be used on zoom or any other video calling platform. Whether you are using Zoom, Skype or Microsoft Teams, you have to screen share in order to use Slido. Offering features such as question and answer, polls and an easy way to show and go through a slideshow, Slido can act as an ideal way to complete a virtual pub quiz. It also allows for people to enter their own answer, which is then analysed at the end by the quizmaster, ensuring that it is a fair and even contest.
Kahoot
Mainly used for educational purposes, why not use Kahoot for an informative virtual pub quiz? Offering multiple choice answers, this platform is perfect for those planning on asking challenging questions. Offering multipliers for a sequence of correct answers, the aim of the game is to try and gain as many points as possible. A unique and popular way to host a virtual pub quiz, Kahoot is available for free and can be screen shared on a video calling platform.
Keep the classics
General Knowledge
When you look at any virtual pub quiz, there is one round that is always present and that’s a general knowledge round. One of the categories that causes the most controversy amongst teams, general knowledge questions cover a variety of topics and you really need to be on top of your game to score highly. General knowledge should have something for everyone, so maybe include plenty of TV and Entertainment during this lockdown period.
Geography & History
Ranging from capital cities to famous dates, both Geography and History are two categories that provide good entertainment. One of the unique aspects of these rounds is that it allows for a few trick questions to be played. This often causes plenty of confusion, yet always provides plenty of laughs - and what’s a pub quiz without being able to enjoy yourselves!
Sport
From the Premier League’s top goal scorers to double Olympic champions, the sport round is often one of the most anticipated rounds in a virtual pub quiz. With all major sporting events cancelled for the foreseeable future, you may have to go back a few months to get some headline sporting moments, suitable for your quiz. However, you can always celebrate the success of England in the 1966 World Cup or the events of Super Saturday at London 2012 Olympics.
Is it really a virtual pub quiz without alcohol and snacks?
Although all pubs and bars are closed for the meantime, this still doesn’t stop the British public from doing what they do best! A virtual pub quiz isn’t the same if you don’t have a drink in hand, so grab yourself a nicely crafted ale, glass of wine or lime and soda, sit back and enjoy the company of your friends – albeit over video. Whilst you’re prepping, you may want to prepare a bit of brain food for the quiz. Nuts, olives, crisps and even pork scratchings are the usual nibbles in any quintessentially British public house, yet I’m sure a banana or a bit of chocolate will suffice too!
We hope this helps you prepare the best possible virtual pub quiz, as well as provide some inspiration for those who are struggling to put together their own. If you are planning a trip after isolation, here at SilverDoor we provide the largest number of corporate serviced apartments worldwide.
