What is World of Warcraft, Alex.

by Jennie Lees { Nov 17th 2005 at 8:30AM }

If you've ever wondered if your obscure knowledge of modern videogame trivia would come in handy, fear not: it could win you cash.

An unusual pop-culture question was worth $1000 in yesterday's edition of Jeopardy!—as part of a category of questions on video games. Unfortunately, none of the contestants knew the answer to this head-scratcher:

"This role-playing game out in 2004 returns to the "world" of Azeroth, where heroes like Leeroy Jenkins do battle"

It is, of course, World of Warcraft—or, as the contestants should have said, "What is World of Warcraft?". Would you have done better?

This either says a lot about the spread of tired Internet memes into the mainstream, or about the question researchers' addictions. Either way, it reflects the rise of gaming into popular perception, while maintaining a huge divide between those who are in on the joke, and those who aren't…

[Thanks for the tip, SA Sigma and everyone else - and Efren for the correction.]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Efren @ Dec 18th 2005 9:38PM

No, the question is, "What is World of Warcraft."

You would have totally made an ass of yourself if you answered it like that.

jl @ Dec 18th 2005 9:38PM

Fair point, Efren--that's what happens when a Brit writes about an American programme!

Sockatume @ Dec 18th 2005 9:38PM

Just to get it out of the way:

LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOY

As an aside, a couple of years back Rez was mentioned in a University Challenge question on synaesthesia.

Christopher7xii @ Dec 18th 2005 9:38PM

The real question here is... Who is Sammy Jinkins?

32_Footsteps @ Dec 18th 2005 9:38PM

Getting on Jeopardy is hard. I've gone to tryouts before, and I think I got about half of their 50-question quiz right. However, if what I hear is true, 35 questions is the cutoff.

You know, if I had known they were that fond of 19th-century American lit, I would have studied up on it beforehand.

Grudge @ Dec 18th 2005 9:38PM

Christopher7xii - I don't know, but I sure know who Sammy Jinkis is. :D

Coyote @ Dec 18th 2005 9:38PM

JEEEEEAAAAANKINNNNNNNNS
sorry needed to finish that or I would have felt empty all day :P

and lemme guess this is college week on jeopardy?

J @ Dec 18th 2005 9:38PM

Least I have chicken.

Dan @ Dec 18th 2005 9:38PM

*DING* That's right Coyote, it is College Week on Jeopardy. I doubt the video game category would have come up on a regular show (they contestants did get all the other questions in category by the way). But I still agree with Jennie about the rise of gaming into popular perception. A few weeks ago I was in a bar playing NTN trivia and they also had a video game round in one of the games. Not many gamers in the crowd though because I got a perfect score while no one else got a question right...

Barista @ Dec 18th 2005 9:38PM

What kind of self respecing college student has never played WOW?!??!

I'm so ashamed...

/cry
/cast "Shaddowbolt(Rank 6)" "College Students"

Zeta the gaming junkie @ Dec 18th 2005 9:38PM

Lol. I cant believe they didnt get that one right. And they dumbed it down alot too. Thats worse then the time they did Star Wars trivia on Jeopardy. All the questions were done so youd have to be a total moron not to get them right. And a college student who hasnt heard of WoW? Impossible, or maybe those who did played thru the tryouts!

ya'll losers @ Dec 18th 2005 9:38PM

I have never even played warcraft and when I saw that last night I knew the answers. From the video questions alone I could have beat those geeks.

Christopher7xii @ Dec 18th 2005 9:38PM

Jinkis, right =) It was a late morning. (work the AM shift).

Glad to see another out there though...

I don't...feel drunk.

Jarin @ Dec 18th 2005 9:38PM

They even stated the location explicitly as "Azeroth" which means that the contestants weren't familiar with ANY of the Warcraft games.

By the way, how far has the Leeroy Jenknis phenomenon spread? I've heard it being used in FFXI and SWG, along with a rather odd report of it being used offline at a high-school football game (one of the players making the battlecry as he ran onto the field).

Aranth @ Dec 18th 2005 9:38PM

A Leeroy-like NPC is the basis of one high-level (and terribly fun) quest in Guild Wars, too.

Enki @ Dec 18th 2005 9:38PM

Ultimate Frisbee traditionally has unusual and clique calls for various plays, but when I heard one team shout out "LEEEEEEROOOOOOOY" I knew they were going to huck it right for the end zone and damned be the consequences.

It's always nice to see internet phenomena in the real world, although Leeroy has yet to reach the level of All Your Base.