Game Buzzers

Game Show Buzzer FAQ

• How do you play Jeopardy-style Games?
  Jeopardy-style games are a fantastic teaching tool as long as they don’t create more stress for the facilitator and angst for the players.
  
  “Real Jeopardy” is played by giving contestants “answers” and having them come up with the question. I.E.
  
  Alex, I’ll take FOOD for 100.
  ANSWER/”CLUE” that’s on the board:  Chilled potato and leek soup.
  ANSWER/”QUESTION” expected from contestant: What is Vichyssoise?
  
  
  Create-your-own games can be much more flexible. They can include questions, answers, videos, images, T/F questions, and even multiple-choice questions. Facilitators should consider their goals and their audience when developing their question sets.
  
  During play, the team who rings their game buzzers first will select a category and point value from the grid. The facilitator presents the question. If the team answers correctly, they’re awarded the appropriate number of points and can choose the next box on the grid. If they answer incorrectly, they lose those points. Then, another team can try to answer the question.
  
  When all questions are answered or time runs out, the team with the most points wins.
• How many questions should I create?
  Standard Jeopardy boards have a grid with 25 questions (5 categories and 5 questions in each category). However, many create-your-own games allow you to adjust the grid size to match your needs and the time available. When setting up your game board, be sure to consider:
  
  

  • • How difficult do you want the questions to be?
    • Should student teams create the questions?
    • How many questions should you put on the grid?
      • Fewer questions might allow you to better control the discussion if your goal is to introduce new material.
      • Fewer questions might be ideal if time is tight.
      • You might select the number of categories based on the number of teams you have playing if you’d like to assign each team to come up with questions to stump their classmates.
• Do I need to know all the answers?
  It depends on what software or gameboard you use. Many software programs have an emcee screen that differs from the audience screen, which will display answers only to the facilitator. If you don’t have the technology for a split screen or are using a physical game board like Trainers Warehouse’s Whaddya Know, be sure to have your answers written out.
• How does the game flow?
  • Randomly select a team to go first.
  • Ask that team to select a category and point value.
  • Read the “answer”
  • If using buzzers, allow contestants to “buzz in” if they think they know an answer.
  • Give the first responder the opportunity to respond correctly.
  • Add or deduct points accordingly.
  • If the answer was incorrect, give a second responder a try.
  • Reward points accordingly.
  • The team/player who answers correctly chooses the next question.
  • When all questions are answered, you can decide whether to add a Bonus Question. To do this, you’ll reveal the category and ask players to decide how many points they wish to wager. Then, reveal the question and give all players time to answer. Award or deduct points for each player, depending on whether their answer was correct or not.
• Do I need to play a Jeopardy-like game to use the game show buzzers?
  Absolutely not. Many facilitators use game buzzers to:
  
  

  • Play games on the fly
  • Encourage participation
  • Foster team spirit
  • Energize their classroom

  
  All you really need is a handful of questions.
• Why not use classroom buzzers that are less expensive?
  One of the most stressful parts about playing competitive games is not knowing for certain who rang in first, especially when competition and players’ emotions heat up. Sound buzzers can be fun, but they can also create a cacophony of sound, making it very difficult to know which team should answer first.
  
  If you want to create a stress-free positive experience for both the facilitator and the players, go with “smart” electronics. Let facilitators focus on their content and the flow of the game, not the logistics, frustrations, and fights.
• Do your game buzzers integrate with computer software?
  Me First v.3 Game Show Buzzer integrates with both DigiGames TriviaBoard 5 and Game Show Pro. New integrations for Who’s First are currently in development.
• Why are your game buzzers so expensive?
  Game Show Buzzers are a high-end niche product developed for corporate and professional use. As such…
  
  

  • The electronics need to be extremely reliable, within fractions of a second.
  • Game show buzzers need are slammed by kids and adults. They need to be able to take a beating.
  • Game Buzzers aren’t produced in massive quantities like other popular electronics.

  
  In other words, they’re expensive to manufacture.