Finally in this series looking back at Quizzing in 2020, a brief mention for Quizzing.com/British Quiz Association who have been very active this year in trying to adapt to the world of online quizzing. Usually events, known as Grand Prixs, are hosted every month in venues around the nation. The top players gather together to tackle 240 questions on a range of subjects and ranking points etc are at stake. The standings are usually taken with a degree of seriousness and its a measuring stick used by top level players to judge their performances and improvements. Every aspect of this changed in 2020....
The GP's moved online, and in a move that was not without criticism, premier events such as the British Quizzing Championship and World Quiz Championship all took place via Zoom. The company still went on to provide several thousands quality questions via this format, but the results will forever have an asterisk next to them. I like to think that most quizzers are honest people, but given the way in which these were conducted and the "perception" of these events as being important in the eyes of peers, the temptation for some could have been too much.
I did enjoy the British Quiz Championship when I took part, but having to sit on Zoom for 2 hours filling in an exam paper, did not have the same appeal or enjoyment as an in person event. Given the questions were available on line, I tended to purchase the sets rather than compete. I do like seeing how well I have performed but the leader boards had a little less importance online.
Quizzing also launched several initiatives that were popular such as a Friday Night Quiz fronted by Shaun Williamson, the Quizzing World Cup which was won by Scotland and Quiz Nations which is a new team contest starting next year. These have always been well attended events but the organisation, as well as the players, must be itching to get back to being face to face quizzing!
Again though, it looks as if the innovations of online quizzing will mean GP's are now more accessible for players who couldn't previously compete due to time or travel distances. Zoom GP's, whatever you make of them, will certainly be here to stay!
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