Video Games for Non-Gamers Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rock Band

"Rock Band" is similar to the "Guitar Hero" (first released in 2005) series of games, with the addition of other instruments to play - bass and drums. Players can also opt to sing through a USB microphone, but the 'accuracy' component of playing as the singer is not to sing the correct words, but to hit the right note or pitch.

The first "Rock Band" was released in 2007, for Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii.

Answer: Crash Bandicoot

The title character Crash Bandicoot is a highly evolved bandicoot who often faces off against Dr. Neo Cortex and his sidekick Dr. Nitrus Brio. Crash's reasons for going up against the scientists include to stop them from polluting the Earth, to stop them from taking over the world, and to save Tawna, another highly evolved bandicoot, from their clutches.

The first game in the "Crash Bandicoot" series came out in 1996 for Sony Playstation. There have since been several sequels, including "Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back"(1997) and "Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex"(2001). Some of the sequels have remained Playstation-only games, while others have expanded into other formats.

Answer: The Legend of Zelda

The Nintendo series "The Legend of Zelda" was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. The original game, "The Legend of Zelda" came out in 1986, and other games in the series include "Zelda II: The Adventure of Link" (1988), "A Link to the Past" (1992) and "Ocarina of Time" (1998).

In the game, the main character Link is usually tasked with protecting or saving Princess Zelda and their universe, called Hyrule, from Ganon, the game series' bad guy.

Answer: Grand Theft Auto

The first "Grand Theft Auto" game was released for Playstation and Windows PC in 1997. Many expansion packs and sequels have been released since, such as "Grand Theft Auto: London" (1999), "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" (2002), and "Grand Theft Auto IV" (2008).

The "GTA" games have been criticized for their violent nature and mature themes by parents as well as by other people who disapprove of violent media such as Hillary Clinton. Despite the games' "M for Mature" or "18+" ratings, younger children continue to play them and in some cases have been shown to emulate the behaviour they learn from the games.

Answer: Super Smash Bros.

The original game in the "Super Smash Bros." series was released in 1999 for Nintendo 64. It's a pretty basic fighting game (single player vs. the game, or multi-player) in which two characters face off until one is victorious. The characters to choose from, in addition to Donkey Kong and Pikachu, include other "Pokémon" characters, Link, Mario, Luigi and Yoshi.

Sequels to the original game, "Super Smash Bros. Melee" (2001) and "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" (2008) were released on subsequent Nintendo systems, Gamecube and Wii, respectively.

Answer: Sonic the Hedgehog

"Sonic the Hedgehog", the first game in a series featuring the character, was released in 1991 for Sega Master and Sega Genesis. In the game, and many of its sequels, Sonic races around various levels collecting rings and emeralds, and defeating the evil bosses, led by Dr. Robotnik.

There are many other titles in the "Sonic" series, such as "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" (1992), "Sonic and Knuckles" (1994), and "Sonic Blast" (1996).

Answer: Galaga

"Galaga" was created in Japan and first released in North America as an arcade game in 1981. It was first available for home gaming with the Atari 7800 game system. Over the years it has been adapted and re-released for newer game consoles, including Nintendo 64, Nintendo Wii, Sega Dreamcast and Xbox 360.

"Galaga" was the sequel to 1979 game "Galaxian". The first game was played in much the same fashion as its sequel. Further sequels were created and released as well, including "Gaplus" (1984)(a.k.a "Galaga 3") and "Galaga Legions" (2008).

Answer: John Madden

There have been many National Football League simulation games bearing the name of John Madden, a football commentator and former coach. The first game, "John Madden Football", was released as a computer game for Commodore 64 in 1988. There were subsequent yearly sequels to that game, and beginning in 1994, the game series became "Madden NFL '94", then "Madden NFL '95", etc.

Game players can play as their favourite team and take on other league teams. Players can also play the roles of coaches and managers, deciding on what plays to use and which players to trade, etc.

Answer: The Simpsons Road Rage

The elderly miser is, of course, Mr. Burns. Beginning game play as Homer Simpson, you drive around Springfield picking up passengers and taking them to where they need to go. Locations in the game include Evergreen Terrace, the Simpson family neighbourhood, downtown Springfield, and the Nuclear Power Plant. The game is called "Road Rage" because time is a factor and you need to rush to get your passenger to their destination. In addition, you can earn extra points for crashing into and destroying things.

"The Simpsons Road Rage" was originally released in 2001 for Playstation 2.

Answer: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater

"Tony Hawk's Pro Skater" was the first title in the series of video games based on the professional skateboarder Tony Hawk. "Pro Skater" came out in 1999, and was originally for Playstation. It was developed for other game consoles shortly afterwards, and subsequent titles in the series, such as "Pro Skater 2" (2000), "Tony Hawk's Underground" (2003), and "Tony Hawk's American Wasteland" (2005), were made for many of the popular game platforms including Playstation 2 and 3, Xbox and Xbox 360, and the Nintendo Wii.