Scott Rogowsky had just asked the first question: “Which of these is the name of a princess in Disney’s ‘Frozen’?” Three answer choices were being displayed on her phone screen: Frosier, Jack Frost or Elsa.

Her fingers twitched, but tapping Elsa, Grace Dunaway, Div. 976, breathed a sigh of relief. “Well that was easy!” Dunaway exclaimed.              

Millions of people “tune in” every night, to win up to $2,500 by playing a free online trivia game show called HQ. Players answer a set of 12 questions that increase in difficulty as they continue.

For every question, there are three potential answer choices, players have 10 seconds to tap on the correct answer. If a player misses a question, or taps on the wrong answer, they are eliminated from the game.    

At the beginning of each game, played at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. central time, the rules are stated by the host. If players answer all the questions correctly, they will win or split the cash with others who have also correctly answered all 12 questions.

While HQ is well-known, the meaning of its letters are ambiguous. According to Vox, the apps developers, Rus Yusupov and Colin Kroll, and HQ’s parent company, Intermedia Labs, have yet to confirm what the letters “HQ” stand for.

According to Variety, Yusupov and Kroll finance HQ with backing from venture capitalist firms, such as Lightspeed Venture Partners, and private investors. Additionally, Yusupov said that profiting off of HQ is not a goal or focus.     

The game can be downloaded as a mobile app, and is played concurrently worldwide.

When asked why he played HQ, Eric Andrews, Div. 852, described a certain level satisfaction that comes from playing.

“You never know how far you’ll make it,” Andrews said. “It’s incredibly satisfying to know that all the useless information I’ve attained over the years hasn’t gone to waste.”

The amount of money players receive depends on the amount of winners there are, as well as the amount of money the game designates for that round. Questions range in difficulty, covering one of 16 different categories, including Art & Design, Science, Nature, Sports, History and Technology.

Andrew Herman, Div. 055, said that as the difficulty level increases, guessing is required.      

“I think many of the questions, towards the end, are too random,” Herman said. “They are not based at all on prior knowledge. You would just have to guess to get them right.”

The amount of money for each game is usually $2,500, but on special occasions, the prize value is increased.

Holidays or sporting events usually raise the cash prize. According to HQ’s Twitter, the New Years Eve prize was raised to $18,000, and for the Superbowl, the amount was raised to $20,000.     

According to Everyday Money, players who win the game usually receive between ten and twelve dollars. Winners receive the cash prize through a PayPal account which is linked to their HQ account.  

Brendan Cahill, Div. 983, described HQ as “too good to be true,” because of the fact that the game rewards players who win.

“They willingly give away money,” Cahill said. “It’s for sure a business tactic.”   

According to Everyday Money, winnings have been recorded to be as as high as $6,000. This amount was won by Casey Donahue on Christmas Eve, when he was playing a special holiday edition of HQ, which increased the total prize value to $12,000. Donahue and only one other person successful answered all 12 questions of the game, evenly splitting the $12,000.     

Cahill described instances like Donahue’s or simply winning the game at all, as “impossible.”

“The questions are really hard and they are intended to try and trick you,” Cahill said.

He also commented on the content of the 12 questions, echoing Herman, calling them random.

“The game is not even knowledge based,” Cahill said, “But it’s still really fun to play.”

According to CBS News, the game’s success cannot only be linked to the thrill of playing, but also the main host of HQ, Scott Rogowsky.

The energetic and peppy Rogowsky, also known as “Quiz Daddy,” “Quiz Khalifa” or “Quizzie McGuire” by players, adds an element of excitement.

Rogowsky’s signature catchphrase, “Let’s get down to the nitty gritty”, which is said at the beginning of every game, and new coined terms have become integrated in the game.

Rogowsky refers to his fans as his “HQties,” and the world as the “HQuniverse”. He also uses the term “savage question” as a name for questions that eliminate a large percentage of players — all on the spot.

“I think Scott is a funny guy who does not get as much credit as he should,” Herman said.

Cahill, however, cited Rogowsky as one of the reasons why he moved away from playing HQ daily.

“That dude is super annoying,” Cahill said. “He has false enthusiasm and bad humor.”

Whether loved or hated, Rogowsky and HQ remain, ready to “get down to the nitty gritty” and give away cash prizes all around the “HQuniverse”, on a daily basis.