Video Games Quizzes 201

Answer: 'Of "Super Mario 64" and "Kingdom Hearts", which game was the first to be released on a home console?'

First off, submitting questions that ask about something that hasn't happened yet is not the best option. Therefore, 'On which date will "Kingdom Hearts" be rereleased?' isn't correct. When (and if) the game is released in any capacity, the question will become invalid and stale. Because you put the future tense in the question, it is implied that it will eternally be 'coming soon'. The moment it is released, the quiz will need to be taken offline so that the question can be replaced.
Asking 'On which date was "Super Mario 64" released?' is also a bit unfair in a sense because oftentimes, it is seen with four separate, dated answers, and each one is no less than a day or two apart. To begin, release dates vary based upon which region they are released in. "Super Mario 64", for example, was the first game to be released in North America for its system (September 26, 1996), but it was released in Japan the previous June and in Europe the following March. As well, the game was later rereleased on the Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console, and the specification is made even more pedantic. With an extremely vague question, the answer could be any of those listed, plus November 19, 2006 for the Wii. With an extremely specific question, you get a long question specifying region, system, game, initial or later release, and more.
Asking a broader question such as stating a difference between more than one different game release, or comparing years of release allows for players to have a generalized knowledge of the subject. When an author asks for a specific release date, it's as easy as looking it up online.

Answer: Both of these

The answer behind video game rating questions are easily found by looking on the side of the box, and because of this it can be somewhat of a giveaway question. Anybody in possession of the game can take a look immediately while people without a case can check the entire listing of game ratings from the internet. In other words, video game rating questions don't necessarily require knowledge of the game itself- perhaps only its box art.
Rating systems also vary around the world. While you may ask 'What is "Grand Theft Auto's" rating?', it can be rated M for Mature by ESRB (the Region 1 ratings board) or MA15 by the OFLC (Australia's ratings board as a part of Region 4). This, in turn, makes the question even more pedantic. Along with the requirement of asking the question, you also need to specify where in the world the question is applicable.
My suggestion would be avoiding this entirely. According to category guidelines, we no longer accept these types of questions on the basis of this. You can find more than enough to speak about within the storyline or gameplay mechanics than the game case.

Answer: Pre-orders vary based on store, and most people don't live near a Future Shop.

Although one player's scenario may have involved buying the latest game as a pre-ordered copy with tons of extra features, commentaries, nic-nacs, collectables, keychains, and what-have-you, asking a question about these has no bearing on the game itself. Pre-orders have been sold through many stores (Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Toys 'R Us, etc.) and nearly every place will sell something different, maybe avoiding the sale of the item altogether. Future Shop, for example, is a Canadian-based electronics retailer. Posing a question about a pre-order from a store that millions will never visit (even in large countries such as the U. S., Australia, Japan, China, all of Europe, Africa, and Asia) is somewhat unfair.

Answer: The introduction or title of your quiz

Stating the console early on in the quiz lets players know that the quiz involves a game played on their system. Since certain games vary depending on what console or platform they're played on, making note of the system ensures that players are prepared (in a sense) for what they're getting into. Because of this, in quizzes pertaining to a single game, questions solely asking what system said game is played on are not allowable. Players do not need to mention the system the game is played on in the introduction if it's already mentioned in the quiz title.

In many cases, certain games are playable on multiple platforms. In this case, authors can either list all applicable consoles (as long as facts are true across the board) or they can list the one that they took the source material from.

Answer: It's time-sensitive.

It is time-sensitive.

That simply restated the answer.

Although the interesting information is additive and doesn't simply say the answer over again, it is time-sensitive, and because of this it can't be accepted. The moment the next iteration of the game is released, "Grand Theft Auto 4" will no longer be the 'newest' game, and adding such a sentence to the quiz will result in an invalid segment of info.
The time-sensitivity issue is also highly prominent in 'record' questions. For example, asking 'Which game has sold the most copies worldwide?' will change as new games are released.
Asking a question like 'Which game sold the most copies in October 2008?' is another tricky subject. This idea of 'time-stamping' makes the question grow stale over time. Four years down the line, when people attempt the quiz, it will be much more difficult to answer the question and much more unlikely.

Answer: Answers are randomly rearranged for each player.

Although the quiz template will always ask players for one correct answer and three incorrect answers, the four possible choices are rearranged in order to preserve the fairness for all players. Asking 'all of the above' may be a viable answer, but since it can appear in any of the four positions, you may find your 'all of the above' at the top of the choices.

The same applies to 'none of the above' for the same reason, and it's also a valid reason as to why answers should not be numbered or lettered in any specific order.

In order to avoid this, one can use 'all of the choices' or 'none of these'. Capitalization in answers depends on the situation. Capitalization is necessary for all proper nouns, as normal, and as usual at the beginning of sentences.

Answer: It's a personal opinion.

Although authors can put a personal touch to their quizzes, a focus is placed upon the factual info added to the question and answer. There's nothing against a bit of commentary if an author meets or exceeds the requirement for interesting info, but taking to an extreme to say a game is horrible (in a personal view) or that the game is the best ever isn't necessarily 'factual'. Although some people may agree with the comments said, not everyone will.
This also ties into the reason why we do not allow personal questions (such as 'What is the best game ever?'). The opinion varies from person to person and can not be confirmed as fact.
As long as the system is mentioned in the introduction, it doesn't need to follow every game title, and as much as this info may be time-sensitive because it doesn't take future games into account, it makes no difference when it's a complete personal bias.

Answer: Ten questions

It is strongly advised, unless the situation warrants it, that all players submit ten question quizzes regardless of the topic. Any authors submitting quizzes longer than fifteen questions should inquire to an editor regarding the topic. In most other cases, players can find ways to split twenty/twenty-five questions into two shorter quizzes.

It is also found that most players tend to play and rate shorter quizzes better than much longer ones. First-time authors are also unable to use fill-in-the-blank questions for their first few attempts.

Answer: False

Editors will only accept a restricted quiz if:
a) The author submitting has a certain amount of quizzes already online.
b) The quiz both meets and surpasses the guidelines for the Video Games category and the site as a whole.
c) The quiz is relatively free of errors.

Restricted does not necessarily mean 'closed'. If the quiz is well-written and informative, then by all means it will be placed online if it follows the requirements.
Categories are restricted for various reasons. Often times, when a category becomes overpopulated by repetitive questions or tons of submissions from first-timers, restrictions ensure that players don't get the same old, same old from every quiz placed online. Restricted categories are denoted within their guidelines and if any are restricted, it will be noted in the QCNs for the category.

Answer: No

Due to the fact that information about games is tentative and unable to be confirmed before the date of release, Funtrivia editors will not accept any quizzes regarding its material. Although gameplay trailers and interviews are usually released long before a game hits the shelves, there is no way that authors, editors, or players can confirm the information within.

Some games don't even hit the shelves. In a Nintendo 64-based issue of 'Nintendo Power' magazine, the editor ran a story about a game known as "40 Winks" as one of the major games of the year.

Despite the fact that walkthroughs were given for the first few worlds of the game, it was canceled shortly thereafter and never appeared on the console. Although it was still released on the first Playstation, all info regarding the N64 version became null and void.