"Cheating" in quizzes

[Kathy]

I have a reasonably good memory. In prehistoric days, this meant I was considered to be jolly clever: if I was asked a question I would either know the answer, or would remember a reference book related to the topic and go and look the answer up.

Then the internet and Google came along and changed all that, and I am now no smarter than the average person. 

I do however still like general-knowledge quizzes. Our pub quiz team when we lived in Kent would always break even on the prize money, if not better, and every Christmas I look forwards to helping my M-I-L with the CAB quiz (you are allowed to search the internet, but the questions are always cryptic so Google is no use).

Unfortunately, in the ultra-modern age of Smart Phones, it's very rare to find a pub quiz that doesn't have someone frantically Googling the answer under the table, and, despite it being expressly forbidden, people post the cryptic CAB clues on "please help me with this quiz" websites.

The prize money in the average pub quiz around here will not usually cover a round of drinks for a team, so why do people do this sort of thing? It's just a quiz being done for fun, so there's no need to get all the answers. Do they think it's acceptable, and it's just me who thinks it's "cheating"? The CAB quiz is no fun any more, because as soon as you start Googling to try and break the cryptic clues down, you invariably come across the question and answer that someone else has posted.

I'm genuinely curous as to what people's values are. Am I just incredibly uptight compared to everyone else?

[bobb]

It most certainly is cheating. Most pub quizes in the UK don't offer much prize money so shouldn't be too much temptation, but it doesn't stop some people. A quiz I used to do in Oz had a $1000 up for grabs every week (it was the breweries who stumped up the cash) We won one week and we didn't even cheat 

[Greenbank]

I'm genuinely curous as to what people's values are. Am I just incredibly uptight compared to everyone else?

No. I'm a stickler for rules too.

A friend used to run pub quizzes and was a dab hand at computery stuff too. At the start he made it clear that phones/internet searching should not be used.

He used the 'googlebomb' technique to temporarily promote pages right to the top for specific keyword searches. He used this technique to promote genuine looking pages to the top of the list for the obvious things to search for given some really obscure questions.

It was easy to spot who had been cheating and he just disqualified them at the end (when they thought they'd won) along with publicly outing them as cheats. They weren't happy and the rest of the pub cheered.

[geraldc]

The quiz I go to has cryptic rounds and picture rounds that stops internet cheats pretty promptly.

The quiz master is also very vigilant, and can spot mobile phone use a mile off.

It also helps that it's the same bunch of regulars that play.

[SteveC]

Our local pub quiz master always says that the use of mobiles, iPhones or Blackberrys is perfectly OK, but that any team found using one will have to pay a forfeit of buying the whole pub a round of drinks.  As that would usually cost in excess of £200 we've not had a problem!

S

[Charlotte]

They don't just work on voice calls.

Apparently.

[Deborah]

It's definitely cheating. At a local pub quiz, we noticed that the undefeated champions sat themselves in the same spot every week, in a position where two members we visable and two were out of sight. Baiscally one wrote down the answers they knew, one wrote down the questions and the other two looked up answers on their phones. We pointed this out to the quiz master who sat himself at their table for a couple of weeks. They were the undefeated champions no more :-(

[Basil]

Makes me feel good when our team of four legally beats the team of sixteen phone wielding students at the next table.  

[nicknack]

I don't think anybody in the team I'm with every Monday actually possesses a phone you could do that on. I've no idea if any of the other teams cheat - it never occurred to me. The games involve an element of chance, so you could never guarantee winning anyway.

[Kathy]

So we all agree it's cheating. Next question: why do people do it on quizzes with next-to-no prize money? It's really not worth is for £10-£20 split between four people.

[Andrij]

Same reason people *must* pass cyclists under any circumstances?  A desire for 'victory', no matter how petty, at any cost?

[Frenchie]

I'm genuinely curous as to what people's values are. Am I just incredibly uptight compared to everyone else?

No. I'm a stickler for rules too.

+1

[Frenchie]

Same reason people *must* pass cyclists under any circumstances?  A desire for 'victory', no matter how petty, at any cost?

I wouldn't think so. I find the latter to be more "basic".

[border-rider]

Competitiveness ?  Though I must say,  if you have to cheat to win it must be a hollow victory...

[Bledlow]

Competitiveness ?  Though I must say,  if you have to cheat to win it must be a hollow victory...

You don't understand the mindset. The assumption is that everyone is like them, & will cheat if capable of it. If they win by cheating, it demonstrates superior skill at cheating. They lack the mental capacity to understand that some people may choose not to cheat.

[1gear]

I don't get it either.
Me and my GF have got into pub quizzes, and we go down to the one near her. Its pretty much regulars that go down, and its not really taken seriously, not by us anyway.
There are a few regular winners though, but its normally a few teams that will win, but not all the time.
There were a few student types there one time that had their phones out. They didn't win.
Of course Dingbats doesn't allow you to search for answers really.
For us to do the quiz, its 50p sometimes, and other times its free, so we aren't really losing much.

[oncemore]

Strange generational morality thing, I think! My daughter is one of the most honest people I know (and yes of course I would say that!), but she has been known to phone me for a Pub Quiz "answer". OTOH, I don't think she'd call anyone else - it's just an ingrained.... if in doubt...."ask daddy!!"

Come to think of it, I suspect she's finally figured out that she knows MORE than me!

[Kathy]

Competitiveness ?  Though I must say,  if you have to cheat to win it must be a hollow victory...

You don't understand the mindset. The assumption is that everyone is like them, & will cheat if capable of it. If they win by cheating, it demonstrates superior skill at cheating. They lack the mental capacity to understand that some people may choose not to cheat.

I think Bledlow might be on to something here.

Now, the question is: do I go to the North Star pub quiz tonight? We never win, but the quiz mistress is fantastically bad when it comes to pronouncing words. She believes that the lead singer of The Boomtown Rats is "Sir Bob Jeldorf", the river which flows through four European capital cities is "the Dan-oo-bey", and Bugs Bunny's arch-enemy is "Yose Might Sam".

[Adrian]

Pub quiz mispronunciations. My Irish colleague who caused consternation amongst the visiting team with a round on stations of the onderground, and another about the painter Tit Ian.

[Moloko]

Competitiveness ?  Though I must say,  if you have to cheat to win it must be a hollow victory...

You don't understand the mindset. The assumption is that everyone is like them, & will cheat if capable of it. If they win by cheating, it demonstrates superior skill at cheating. They lack the mental capacity to understand that some people may choose not to cheat.

I think Bledlow might be on to something here.

Now, the question is: do I go to the North Star pub quiz tonight? We never win, but the quiz mistress is fantastically bad when it comes to pronouncing words. She believes that the lead singer of The Boomtown Rats is "Sir Bob Jeldorf", the river which flows through four European capital cities is "the Dan-oo-bey", and Bugs Bunny's arch-enemy is "Yose Might Sam".

 

Do they lay on any food there? Horses doovers... perchance?

[Julian]

I'm genuinely curous as to what people's values are. Am I just incredibly uptight compared to everyone else?

Yes, it's cheating, and no, you're not uptight.  That would irritate me too.

I have a reasonably good memory. In prehistoric days, this meant I was considered to be jolly clever: if I was asked a question I would either know the answer, or would remember a reference book related to the topic and go and look the answer up.

Then the internet and Google came along and changed all that, and I am now no smarter than the average person.  

This is why people cheat - everybody likes to look smart.  Same reason that people, yea even on this very forum, will pass off the fruits of the Google as their own knowledge.  

[Basil]

Of course you should go.  Its all about doing well, rather than winning - while having a good laugh with yer mates.

We were once asked which sport was participated in by Greg Lemond (promounced as Lemon with a d on the end)