Initials Game Live Tips & FAQ
How does the Initials Game Live app select initials for my game?
The Initials Game Live app pulls rounds from a large database of items that is constantly being updated. It pulls these rounds from the database at random, but first it filters out all rounds that have previously been played by anyone who is currently logged into your game. Then it filters out any rounds that have been played within the last year at your venue. The remaining rounds in the database are the pool from which the app draws content when creating a game.
This is very different from the Trivia Mafia app, which always uses new content that is uploaded regularly throughout the week. The upshot is that two IGL games could be running simultaneously using completely different content, and rounds written months ago could still be used months from now.
This guarantees that we get as much mileage out of our content as possible, while also doing our best to guarantee that players never play the same round twice. There are a couple of loopholes to remember, though: If your players were logged into a different account the last time they played, the app won't know which initials they've seen. (This is why players should always log in with the same account whenever possible). And hosts (who are not logged into their games as players) may host repeated content, especially if they are hosting at a venue that is not their regular venue, with teams who are not their regular teams. This can be a little alarming at first, but just remember: The app remembers which initials your players have seen before!
TL/DR: The app knows which initials your players have seen and which initials have been played at each venue, so it can always create games with fresh content for your crowd.
Do articles (such as "a," "an," and "the") count as possible words in The Initials Game?
Short answer: Sometimes!
Longer answer: An article will only be part of the answer if that answer is the actual, generally accepted title of the item in question. If it's not part of the title, an article will never be included in the answer. In general, "A" and "An" are almost never part of the answer. "The" is more common. And non-English articles for "the," such as "El," "Los," and "Las," also qualify.
Examples of articles that would NOT be an answer in The Initials Game:
- A TREE
- THE SCHOOL
- AN APPLE
Examples of articles that COULD be an answer in The Initials Game:
- THE NUTCRACKER
- THE BEATLES
- THE FLINTSTONES
- EL NIÑO
- LOS ANGELES
"A" and "An" will almost never be a part of an answer in The Initials Game. (A movie like "An Education," were it a more widely known title, would qualify.) The article "The," as well as non-English variants, do appear sometimes, but only when they are part of the accepted name or title of the item.
Where can I find the join code?
The join code (also known as the "game code") is created after you select your venue and hit Create a New Game. You are then taken to a page that shows you the join code, the players/teams who have joined the game, as well as the initials for the first round.
Once you have begun the game, the join code can be found at the end of the browser URL.
Can two hosts co-host the same game?
Yes.
If multiple hosts are logged into the same game, only one host should have the audio enabled.
Can multiple devices join the same team?
No. Due to the speed element of the game, and the complexities that would result from allowing multiple users to log in with multiple devices and join the same team, we have decided to make Initials Game Live a one-device-per-team game.
Where can I find the games I've previously hosted?
If you remember your games' join codes, you can always log back into any previous games by going to the URL play.initialsgamelive.com/host/CODE, replacing "CODE" with the game's join code.
If you do not remember your join code, email Chuck (chuck@triviamafia.com) or send him a Slack message (if you're a Trivia Mafia employee) and he'll find it for you.
What should I do if the app doesn't seem to be working properly?
Before you try anything else, your first step should always be to refresh your screen. This will solve about 90% of app issues. This goes for players as well as hosts.
Additionally, if you are using a cell phone and you're connected to a business's wifi network, try switching to your cellular network. Using cellular data is generally more reliable and faster than the sort of spotty wifi networks you often find in bars/restaurants.