NBC News Launches Facebook Trivia Game
If you can recall the year that President John Kennedy delivered his famous Berlin Wall speech, you can probably rack up serious points in a new Facebook video trivia game created by NBC News.
The game, dubbed “What’s Your iCue?” challenges players to answer multiple-choice questions based on short videos of historic and current events. Playing against a clock, players’ scores depend on how quickly they answer all the questions related to each clip, typically two to five minutes long. The application is accessible.
NBC News has built an archive of 12,000 clips in five categories, including “Innovation and Technology,” “History,” “Arts and Culture,” “In the News” and a catchall “Shuffle” category. The clips go back to the 1930s with video of President Franklin Roosevelt, but pre-video history going back to the pre-Columbian epoch in the Americas is also covered in what is intended as a learning vehicle for students, as well as a nostalgic trip for history buffs.
While there are no links from the Facebook application to the NBC News site, the game obviously boosts NBC’s profile in the increasingly competitive news gathering space.
“It brings it to life in a way that textbook never can,” said Adam Jones, NBC News senior vice president of network development. “And as NBC writes history every day, it’s reflected in our archives.”
The advertiser-supported application has two sponsors thus far: Lexus for “Innovation and Technology” and the University of Phoenix for “History” and “Arts and Culture.” Lexus “bumpers” appear between questions in the category it sponsors.
A category for black history will likely be added prior to President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration in January, according to Jones, who said entertainment and sports categories are also contemplated. The application already comprises extensive video content covering the American civil rights movement, including five interview clips of Dr. Martin Luther King and a segment of his historic “I have a dream” address at the Lincoln Memorial.
“Our options are unlimited,” said Jones, indicating that the application will continue to evolve with new categories over time. It’s already a moneymaker based on its current sponsor support.
The game encourages competition between individuals and teams, and includes a function to enable players to taunt each another. NBC News will set up weekly competitions between universities and other self-defined groups to prompt participation. (It launched with a competition between Harvard and Stanford, won by Harvard.)
