Information is more accessible than ever, and the answer to almost anything can be found no more than a few clicks away on a smartphone. Nevertheless, trivia and a love of knowledge manage to persist! There are biological, psychological, and even unexplainable reasons behind the rush of excitement that comes from getting a question right at trivia night. Getting the right answer actually triggers a release of dopamine in the brain that gives the person answering a sense of pleasure. Sound familiar? No matter what anybody’s skill level is, none of us can deny that it feels good to be right. Beyond the short-term effects, collecting and then locating files of information stored in the brain can exercise the mind as we age, supporting healthy neurological function. You might even say trivia is like taking your brain to the gym. The best part? No shower required, and you get to stay home!
Kubiya Games takes pride in fostering a love of knowledge and analytical thinking, and that’s why we have a new line of vintage trivia games to showcase and review - we hope you like them, but most of all we hope that they inspire you to create trivia nights of your own. The pursuit of knowledge in life is endless, and even the most trivial of factoids could one day save your skin.
Brain Elixir - After Dinner Riddles Game
While a lot of trivia games focus on a random assortment of fact-based questions from different categories of life, the Brain Elixir Game focuses on riddles instead! It’s a unique spin on the idea of trivia, because everybody can play regardless of how much actual knowledge they have stored in their own brain. Even if you’ve never heard the riddle, a lot of the answers can be reasoned out if you think carefully. Because of this, many people who are not fans of traditional trivia can be invited to the party and play along!
As for the gameplay, each person takes turns reading a riddle out loud and then the rest of the group attempts to be the first to answer. The first player to guess 3 riddles is the winner, nice and simple. You can also play a turn-based version of the game where players attempt to answer riddles one at a time. We prefer the group style, because a lot of the riddles are tricky, and it’s nice to see a strong collection of brains all team up to solve the puzzle at hand. Whatever your style is, there are many ways you can adapt this game to different situations, making it a great addition to parties.
Cunning Concoction - Bluff Trivia Party Game
Straight out of the Clarendon vintage game collection is another fun twist on trivia, where knowing the right answer doesn’t always matter! Just like in life, sometimes you have to fake it ‘til you make it, so why not practice a little? Confidence is key in this game of bluffing, as players attempt to answer questions out of a deck of 80 cards. To play, two or more players take turns asking each other standard trivia questions. If a player believes another’s answer is wrong, they can call “Challenge!” In this way, contestants outfox one another with their bluffs, whether they know the answers or not! If a player calls "Challenge!" on a question that the other player has answered correctly, then you might even add a rule where that player is penalized with a lost point or a skipped turn. Each trivia deck packs neatly away in a slide-close box and fits conveniently in a tote, backpack, or purse.
We love this game because of its universal nature. Just like the Brain Elixir Game that’s full of riddles, here is yet another game where you don’t need to have a wealth of knowledge filed away in your brain to do well (although it sure helps). With enough charm and confidence, just try to sound like you know what you’re talking about. We also recommend encouraging each player to tell a story about how they know the answer to each question, to liven things up a little. Does their story add up? Did they stutter while telling it? Maybe they have too many details….or too few? Or, perhaps, the best strategy might actually be to use as few words as possible! There is plenty of experimenting to be done, at parties, on road trips, and wherever you feel like bluffing. Slap on your best poker face and give it a shot!
Merriment Mixture - Vintage Party Categories Game
Clarendon's Merriment Mixture Vintage Card Game is a fast-paced game revolving around categories. It's a special kind of trivia that exercises the folds of the brain in a different way from most other games. Instead of recalling specific facts, you must recall groups of items associated with keywords. The fun of a game like this is the way that it can level the playing field - friends who you might have never guessed would dominate trivia night could suddenly emerge as a champion due to niche pockets of knowledge. Merriment Mixture is a great game for an underdog victory, you never know when your favorite category might come up. If you run out of ideas, try making up your own categories for fun - anything goes!
To start, one player will draw a card from the deck, announce the category, and the entire group will begin brainstorming answers that fit the category. Take turns going around in a circle giving answers (without repeating of course!), and players are eliminated when they can't come up with a new answer. Be quick- if you take too long or repeat an item, you're out! We leave it up to the group's discretion to decide how long is too long, that way you can play at whatever pace you'd like. Younger kids may need those extra couple of seconds. The last player standing in each category claims the card as a point, and the first player to collect 3 cards wins the game. Or, just play to however many points you want, who cares? Category is ….. whatever you want!
Einstein Lateral Thinking Game - Family Trivia Board Game
Haven't you ever wondered, "Hmmm, how would I stack up against the greatest minds in history??" Our Lateral Thinking Family Trivia Game is a fast-paced board game to test your thought process against the extraordinary intelligence of Albert Einstein. But, what the heck is lateral thinking? First, lateral means "from the side". In the case of trivia and problem solving, think of it as taking an indirect approach to get to the same answer. The main idea behind lateral thinking is pattern changing. We all love to seek out and follow patterns because they're predictable and comforting. The brain absolutely loves to find connections between things, even if they aren't really there. But, lateral thinking can restructure old patterns or come up with completely new ideas altogether! Think of Columbus, who sailed West to go East and ended up in the new world! Anyway, the point is to encourage people to think outside the box, and challenge their brains! Trivia is the perfect outlet.
In this game, players make their way across an eye-catching board by answering trivia questions correctly within the given time limit. If you are the first to enter another player's 'dimension', you'll be the winner! Thinking laterally and outside of the box is the only way to outsmart the other players and win the game! The game includes a fold-out board, 108 cards with 200 questions, 4 counters, a sand timer, and instructions.
Is Trivia the Answer?
Smart devices and social media are tons of fun, and useful in countless ways. But, like so many things in life, they’re a double-edged sword. Devices that we hold dear to our hearts can unintentionally rewire our brains to crave constant stimulation. These states of hyper-stimulation make it more and more difficult to focus for long periods of time. Trivia, however, provides a built-in reprieve from screen time. With classic trivia games, you’re in the business of quizzing, not Googling; these games don’t allow you to use your phones while you’re playing the game, requiring focus in the moment. The result: a brief chance to untangle yourself from the world wide web and catch your breath. Who knows, maybe you won’t even miss it! The goal has always been real connections in lieu of the digital ones.Team-based Trivia in particular is an inherently social activity. While you answer the questions, you can rekindle old flames, tease other players, or fuel the fire of a new friendship. You might even find out that one of your friends is an expert in some obscure subject that you’d never heard about before! When it comes to social experiences, trivia is hard to beat and easy to love.