Quiz of the Day
Video Games
Wednesday, 8 July 2026
National Video Game Day — gaming history, iconic games, esports milestones
1. What is widely considered the first commercially successful video game, released in arcades in 1972?
- Pong
- Tetris
- Pac-Man
- Space Invaders
Atari's Pong was so popular that the first prototype machine, installed in a bar in Sunnyvale, California, broke down within days — because the coin box overflowed. The game was essentially a digital version of table tennis with two paddles and a bouncing dot.
2. Which Italian plumber became Nintendo's mascot and one of the most recognisable characters in gaming?
- Mario
- Toad
- Wario
- Luigi
Mario was originally called 'Jumpman' in Donkey Kong (1981) and was a carpenter, not a plumber. He was named after Mario Segale, the landlord of Nintendo's US warehouse. His moustache exists because early pixel art couldn't render a mouth clearly.
3. What was the best-selling video game console of all time as of 2025?
- Nintendo Switch
- PlayStation 2
- Xbox 360
- Nintendo Wii
The PS2 sold over 155 million units worldwide between 2000 and 2013. Part of its success was that it doubled as an affordable DVD player. It had a library of over 4,000 games and was still being manufactured until 2013 — a remarkable 13-year production run.
4. Which 1980 arcade game features a yellow circle eating dots and avoiding ghosts?
- Pac-Man
- Galaga
- Donkey Kong
- Frogger
Creator Toru Iwatani designed Pac-Man to appeal to women and couples, since arcades were dominated by male-oriented space shooters. The shape was inspired by a pizza with a slice removed. Pac-Man became the first gaming mascot and generated over $2.5 billion in quarters by the 1990s.
5. What block-stacking puzzle game, created by a Soviet programmer, became a global phenomenon in 1984?
- Dr. Mario
- Puyo Puyo
- Columns
- Tetris
Alexey Pajitnov created Tetris in Moscow during the Cold War. Due to Soviet rules, he received no royalties for years. The game was so addictive that the term 'Tetris effect' was coined to describe seeing falling blocks when you close your eyes after extended play.
6. Which game, released in 2011, allows players to build anything from blocks in a procedurally generated 3D world?
- Roblox
- Terraria
- Minecraft
- Fortnite
Minecraft has sold over 300 million copies, making it the best-selling video game ever. Originally created by one person — Swedish developer Markus 'Notch' Persson — it was later acquired by Microsoft for $2.5 billion in 2014. It's used in schools to teach everything from maths to urban planning.
7. What does 'NPC' stand for in gaming?
- Networked Player Connection
- Non-Player Character
- New Player Character
- Non-Playable Content
NPCs are characters controlled by the game's AI rather than by a player. The term has crossed into mainstream slang — calling someone an 'NPC' suggests they act without independent thought. In early games, NPCs could only repeat the same few lines; modern AI is changing that dramatically.
8. Which game series, featuring Master Chief, helped establish the Xbox as a major console brand?
- Gears of War
- Halo
- Forza
- Call of Duty
Halo: Combat Evolved launched alongside the original Xbox in 2001 and was a system seller. Bungie originally developed it as a Mac strategy game before Microsoft acquired the studio. The game popularised console-based online multiplayer through Xbox Live and its iconic 'Halo parties.'
9. What is the total prize pool record for an esports tournament, set by Dota 2's The International?
- About $60 million
- About $40 million
- About $10 million
- About $20 million
The International 2021 (TI10) had a prize pool of over $40 million, funded largely by player battle pass purchases. The winning team, Team Spirit, took home over $18 million. For comparison, the 2021 Wimbledon men's singles prize was $2.4 million.
10. Which 1996 Nintendo 64 game revolutionised 3D platforming and is considered one of the greatest games ever made?
- GoldenEye 007
- Super Mario 64
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Banjo-Kazooie
Super Mario 64 pioneered the analogue stick for precise 3D movement and a dynamic camera system. Shigeru Miyamoto spent months just making Mario fun to control in 3D before designing any levels. The game shipped with only 15 levels but set the template for every 3D platformer that followed.
11. What was the 'video game crash of 1983' caused by?
- A government ban on video games
- An oversaturated market flooded with low-quality games
- A patent lawsuit between Atari and Nintendo
- A hardware shortage
The crash wiped out 97% of the US home video game market — revenues fell from $3.2 billion to $100 million. The infamous E.T. game for Atari 2600, produced in just five weeks, became a symbol of the crash. Millions of unsold cartridges were literally buried in a New Mexico landfill.
12. Which mobile game, released in 2016, used augmented reality and GPS to encourage outdoor exploration?
- Pokemon GO
- Clash Royale
- Angry Birds
- Candy Crush Saga
Pokemon GO was downloaded over 500 million times in its first year and generated $1 billion faster than any mobile app in history. It caused stampedes in Central Park, a 26% increase in pedestrian injuries near Pokestops, and was credited with adding 144 billion steps to US physical activity.
13. What is the name of the iconic puzzle-action game where players guide lemmings safely to an exit?
- Lode Runner
- Worms
- Pikmin
- Lemmings
Released in 1991 by DMA Design (later Rockstar North, creators of Grand Theft Auto), Lemmings was inspired by a tiny animation created during development of another game. The team noticed the walking characters looked like lemmings and built an entire game around the concept.
14. Which country is the largest video game market by revenue?
- United States
- South Korea
- China
- Japan
China's gaming market generates over $45 billion annually with nearly 700 million gamers. The Chinese government has imposed strict rules limiting minors to three hours of online gaming per week (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings only) to combat gaming addiction.
15. What open-world action game, set in a fictional US state, became the fastest entertainment product to gross $1 billion?
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- The Witcher 3
- Cyberpunk 2077
GTA V earned $1 billion in just three days after its 2013 launch — faster than any film, book, or game before it. By 2024, it had sold over 200 million copies and earned over $8 billion total, making it the most profitable single entertainment product in history.