Whether it is flinging irascible birds at green pigs or attempting to fly between protruding green pipes, teenagers have a tendency to become hooked on addictive games. In order to keep ourselves occupied between classes, passing periods and meetings, games on cellular devices have become an integral aspect of our daily lives. Currently, the social craze is on a new application by Etermax – Trivia Crack.

For students who do not have a smartphone or are just out of the loop, the premise of the game is that one spins a rainbow wheel with seven different sections: entertainment, art, sports, history, science, geography and crown. The section spun to is the topic for the following question. During the game, one spins the wheel and answers questions until one has answered a question incorrectly. Basically, the more trivia one knows, the better off one will be.

This is one of those rare opportunities where knowing random facts that no one cares about will serve an actual purpose. This is also one of the times where the subjects learned some time in the midst of eight or more years of schooling will directly apply to a teenager’s life. Questions range in topic from World Wars to authors and novels to anatomy, so channeling one’s past self and remembering these random facts will ultimately lead to success in the game.

However, for those with terrible long-term memory and a limited knowledge of sports, entertainment and culture, succeeding in this trivia-based game is problematic. However, if one can productively utilize one’s resources, there are definitely methods that will lead to success.

First, the best time to play Trivia Crack is at school (think of it as inciting learning). Teachers actually know who wrote The Color Purple (Alice Walker, obviously) or which president got stuck in his own bathtub (good ole William Howard Taft) or even the name of the condition characterized by sensitivity to specific volumes (clearly, symptoms of hyperacusis). Let’s put Palo Alto High School’s educators to the test and see what they really know. They test students all the time. Perhaps it is time to reciprocate.

The technique is simple: once you receive a question, immediately raise your hand and ask the question. This is especially effective if you are in the corresponding class, but even if you are not and the teacher does not know the answer, there is always that prodigy in the front of the room who basically reads the encyclopedia. They will probably chime in just because they can, which works out perfectly. Remember though, you only have 30 seconds, so you are going to need to be quite the efficient hand-raiser.

That should cover it for anything related to history, science, geography and art. You would be surprised by how many questions you wil be able to answer by asking the educated Palo Altans around you. For entertainment and sports, one must put one’s fate in the hands of one’s socially aware classmates.

My personal weakness is sports, but fortunately, there is always someone in my class that has analyzed every single play of every single sport ever. Whether it be a student with a shameless obsession of fantasy football or just someone who loves watching the Olympics, finding someone who is genuinely passionate about sports is usually not a cumbersome task. That just leaves entertainment. Luckily, people follow a diverse array of celebrities, so there is a good chance that someone in the class has a strange obsession with whatever movie or actor the question brings up.

Let’s just say the player is at home and he or she does not have the luxury of Paly’s didactic teachers and classmates. There are two options. The first is to abide by moral code and just get really good at guessing. Remember to use the power ups, but this is nonetheless living on the edge. With only a one in four chance of getting it correct and against the steep competition,  those odds are not comforting.

The other option is to abandon morals and develop one’s typing speed to Google answers efficiently. With this top-notch reliablility, this is the route to take when in doubt.

Whether students prefer to play the game morally or not, Trivia Crack is the perfect mix of an enjoyable time-waster and educational activity, giving students an interactive way to become more aware about the world.