Day lucky number 13 of Eric Vs. 365 features the 2017 Ubisoft release of Jeopardy!. This isn't a very good version of Jeopardy! due to the questions being multiple choice and the almost nonexistent production values, but for a quick trivia fix it's OK. It's mostly just an excuse to let Eric flex his trivia muscles and share the secrets to being good at Jeopardy!. Keep reading for more.
I think, first off, I should explain why this is a solo Jeopardy! round and not multiplayer with Andrew. It isn't just because I would definitely probably win, but because multiplayer in this game kind of blows. As was mentioned above, this version of the game gives you multiple choice answers so it basically boils down to who ever buzzes in first would almost certainly get the answer right just by process of elimination. That isn't fun. That isn't competitive. Beating the CPU's brains in is more entertaining. Maybe if I do another version of Jeopardy! at some point this year it'll be multiplayer.
Now, on to what you've been waiting for - the secret to being good at Jeopardy!. People think you have to be smart and do a lot of research and study and know a lot of stuff to be good at the game. That isn't really true for a couple of reasons, however. First, the questions they ask aren't ever actually all that obscure or difficult. They are almost always kind of basic to mid-level trivia in a given category. The second reason is that the way the questions are asked gives away the answer more often than not. They are usually riddles that, when you consider the category topic, give a massive hint to the answer.
With that in mind you do need to have a broad range of knowledge, but you can almost always get away with knowing a little bit about everything rather than having to be an expert on anything. And if you are an expert on a few categories, obviously that's a bonus. So you have to know a little about a lot of topics, but also be able to figure out the hints they give you. Like I said, the questions are almost always basic to mid-level trivia, so if you know the bare basics about something like opera or classic literature or foreign languages or other things that people usually think are "hard", you can more often than not take a guess based on applying your limited knowledge to the hints they give and have a good shot at being correct. You win at Jeopardy! more by being aware that things exist rather than actually knowing the details of most topics.
So if I know the secrets why aren't I a millionaire multi-time Jeopardy! champion by now? Because it would be scary to go on TV, that's why! I'm sure I have the knowledge and wits to do well, but I'd be so nervous I'd barf all over and my knees would shake and it would be awful. 'Nuff said.
This particular video didn't actually quite go according to plan. The categories I got were not exactly my strong suits so for most of the first round I wasn't sure if I was even going to win or if the video would be useable. Then Double Jeopardy! came around and things improved and, thanks to a couple Daily Doubles I was able to build an insurmountable lead. So, y'know, hooray for me.
