Looking for a way to beat the COVID-19 blues?
Ryan Smith, son of local farmers Stephen and Esther Smith of Kent Ridge Farms, has launched an online game show that’s given hundreds of people the world over the chance to connect with friends, family and colleagues and compete for prizes — and he did it from his parent’s farm.
“The pandemic had us all isolated,” Smith said in a press release.
“We needed a way to re-connect, but video chats can be draining—especially after a workday full of them. Game shows remove boredom from those videocalls and give people something fun to do while they re-connect.”
When the lockdown order was given, Smith was visiting his parent’s farm near Ridgetown, Ontario.
Finding himself with not much more than a computer for entertainment, he was watching old Jeopardy! episodes when he thought of the concept of a video chat-based version of the game.
What started as a simple game between friends on a Zoom call has grown into a functioning company – Game Show Trivia.
After revising the game show into a variant called ‘Fun-Pardy!’, Smith began marketing the experience on social media, hosting over thirty private games in his first six months.
However, Game Show Trivia is more than just a provider of online game shows.
The company works with organizations to provide a line of what Smith calls “game-based education and engagement services.”
“We’ve now worked with companies in the finance, technology and not-for-profit spaces on a variety of different game show inspired projects and events,” Smith said.
For instance, for New Year’s Eve the company took part in a larger virtual customer appreciation event for a beverage company and coming up later this month they will be hosting a multi-game tournament with a bank aimed to improve employee engagement in the face of remote work, Smith said.
The game can be adapted for educational purposes as well.
One of Game Show Trivia’s first custom projects saw Smith build a full game dedicated to product training with a sales department in a technology company.
“We’re very proud of what our son has built,” says Stephen Smith, Ryan’s father, in a press release. Stephen also provides voice-work in one of the game’s most popular categories ‘Steve’s One-Line Wonders.’
Game Show Trivia provides game-based entertainment, engagement and education services for friends, families and colleagues in groups of any size.
Since March 2020, hundreds of players from all around the world have taken part in their games which are delivered via Zoom Meetings.
Today, the company works with private groups and companies to deliver standard and custom game show services.
To book a game, go to www.trivia.show/ordergame.
