There’s a new viral phenomnom taking place, and it’s right in the palm of your hand: HQ Trivia. It’s a simple but genius concept sweeping the nation where a host, live-streamed from the app, asks a series of 12 questions to users. The questions start out easy enough, but get progressively more difficult. During the week, at the appointed times of 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., the game starts, and on weekends it begins 9:00 p.m. It may seem easy to an outsider. “Why can’t I just Google the question?” some might ask themselves, but you are only given three seconds after the host reads the multiple choice questions and it is almost impossible to google. Hundreds of thousands people join everyday to take part in the game. The catch of the game is not just the hype revolving around the concept, but the cash prizes earned for answering all 12 questions correctly. The winnings – ranging from $2,000-$15,000 – is split between the lucky winners. This game-show-like app has become exponentially popular in only a matter of months..

Originally released in October, the app has become one of the most popular on the iOS App Store and Google Play for Android devices. When the HQ app debuted in October, it only had around 5,000 players, but that number has now skyrocketed to more than  1.2 million players as of January 2018. According to vox.com, originally, users had to accumulate at least $20 in winnings within 90 days before they could cash out, but the HQ app did away with that tricky stipulation as of January 26. Regardless, this virtual game show has become a sensation throughout America, and has hooked a number of students from Benjamin. “I’m learning more about random things that I had no clue about before I started playing,” said eighth grader Logan Sorensen.

Despite the fact that an individual’s chances of winning are quite small, it doesn’t stop students from playing. “HQ is like the lottery because you can win money and your chances are so slim,” said seventh grader Brody Kretz.

Not only is the cash and excitement  surrounding the game riveting, but the charismatic host, Scott Rogowsky, makes the game even more worthwhile. Dad jokes and bad puns are apart of the former stand-up comedian’s  persona. In an interview with Rogowsky in businessinsider.com, he explained his newfound success. , “I auditioned for HQ back in April [2017]. It has been overwhelmingly positive. I can’t even describe the amount of tweets, and the comments, and people on the street stopping me, and just the joy of the fans of HQ.” Benjamin students also enjoy  the quick-witted host. “Scott is very entertaining, he can make everyone laugh while they’re  playing and on other social medias,” said eighth grader Nicole Kleinfeld.

Giving away thousands of dollars twice a day seven days a week equals a pretty pricey check. With no buy in or cost to join, it seems unrealistic. Well, these cash prizes are covered by the app’s developer, Intermedia labs, which includes Vine co-founders Rus Yusupov and Colin Kroll. “For a user, the worst thing is feeling like, ‘I’m being optimized – I’m the product now.’ We want to make a great game, and make it grow and become something really special,” said Yusupov in an interview with bustle.com. These prizes, coming from the founders’ own pockets, are used as a marketing technique to get more people joining the all-inclusive game.

Friends also sometimes gather together to join forces, and the faculty even seem to enjoy that HQ tests students’ knowledge “I think everyone here is working as one team, especially when you have more than one phone going,” said Math Department Chair Mrs. Cathy Hansen, who allowed her advisees to play during RAAP one day, (for research for this article). “It’s fun to watch the interaction,” she said. The game is also addictive. Get a couple questions right, and you’re hooked.  “There’s something about striving to get the 12 questions right,” said eighth grader Jane Boyland,  “not necessarily winning the money, but getting them right to say ‘I’ve won it!’.”