by Danny Tow, staff writer
Let’s get down to the nitty gritty! Let’s get this show on the road! Have you been hearing people say this around school recently? Well, it’s because of HQ Trivia, the breakout app that bills itself as, “the live mobile game show on your phone where you answer questions to win cash.” Users compete in a game show format, where they answer (usually) 12 increasingly difficult multiple choice questions, and whoever remains after the 12 questions splits the cash prize, usually $5000. Because this app has grown so popular so fast, I was curious to see what River Hill students think about it.
Sophomore Matthew Hernandez has found that HQ is a great way for the Academic Team to come together. “As President [of the team], it was only natural to implement HQ into our weekly meetings,” Hernandez said. “It’s been a great way to test our trivia knowledge and practice working as a team.”
HQ’s timing makes it convenient for them and others. As a live game show, the app cannot be played simply throughout the day. It runs at 9 PM every day, in addition to 3 PM on weekdays.
Sophomore Matthew Snyder said that he thinks the reason so many people play is that the concept makes it seem so easy to win real money. “It’s because of the rareness and [allure] of winning money. I play it almost every day.”
The app has made previously unknown stand-up comedian turned host Scott Rogowsky into a celebrity. In the game comments every day, people are saying things like, “Scott is my dad,” and “We love you, Scott!” When Rogowsky is off, and a substitute host is filling in, the comments are flooded with “#freescott,” which has become a rallying cry for his legions of fans. He has invented nicknames for himself, such as Quiz Daddy, Trap Trebek, and Semitic Sajak, and has amassed almost 100k followers on Twitter
Snyder agrees with the masses of fans. “Scott is [legitimately] my favorite person.”
Sophomore Shane Lavner thinks that Rogowsky, a Johns Hopkins alumnus, is one of the main reasons people stay. “I began playing HQ last summer and it most definitely has become my favorite app. Usually, I get bored of apps after a couple of weeks, but I keep playing HQ every day because of the ingenious nature of the game with its real cash prizes and energetic hosts.”
Indeed, the cash prizes are a big reason that people are picking up their phones to play. On Sunday, March 4, over 2 million people tuned in to play for a $50,000 prize (the largest ever for the app), which 6 people ended up with, taking home over $8300 each.
Clearly, this mobile phenomenon is taking the world by storm, and with the number of players growing every day, the end doesn’t seem to be in sight for the app.