New Brunswick — Since social isolation became the mandate across province the last month, practically all social gatherings have been cancelled or pushed back. Unfortunately, The Office trivia group you joined four months ago, but haven’t had the heart to quit, has found a way to keep the games going from home — much to the dismay of everyone involved.
“I think after several weeks of social distancing, people are just looking to find some way to connect with people and foster community,” said Jake Melford, member of the Party Planning Committee. “I mean, I assume that’s why we’re still doing this. Honestly, I’d be perfectly content to stay home and play Madden.”
Rather than meeting in person in a comfortable bar with good food and drink being served, an increasing number of trivia groups have moved their events to online conference apps like Zoom and Skype.
“Yeah, this is much better,” said Robbie Engstrom of the Scranton Stranglers, heavy on the sarcasm. “I always wanted the woman I had a crush on in grade 11 to see my rent-controlled apartment through my shitty webcam. It’s perfect, really.”
Some claim that there are some positives to the change, however.
“At least this way you have some valid excuses,” said Suzan, member of Kevin’s Chilis. “Poor internet, broken webcam…Oh, and Zoom’s 40-minute time limit? A godsend.”
Still, other, real problems can arise.
“Of course, our trivia master has told everyone that the ‘no Googling’ rule is still in place,” said Erin Desmond, of the JimNPams. “Good luck trying to enforce that. Especially when it comes to one particular team that may or not go by The Dundies. Yeah, I said it. I’m naming names, Sheila.”
While enthusiasm among the participants might seem low, nearly every member of all five teams patched in to the latest event, citing some sense of guilt or obligation. Surprisingly, this included trivia master Jamie Bliss.
“If I’m being totally honest, it’s not something I personally want to do,” Bliss told The Manatee. “I mean, last year I thought it’d be fun to start a trivia group, but I got bored of it pretty quickly. Still, everybody else seemed to enjoy it so much.
“I only keep it going because I don’t want to let anyone down.”