Media Consumes Me

For those not familiar with the television show, 1 vs 100 is a trivia game, where one contestant is pitted against 100 other players, referred to as “The Mob.” Now, XBox Live Gold Members can play on their consoles for real prizes.

Currently in beta, 1 vs 100 allows players to compete against one another in a game of trivia for prizes ranging from Microsoft Points to Home Theatre systems. Topics include film, comics, physics, chemistry, drink recipes, current events and many many more. The game can be a bit confusing to first timers, so here’s what I learned after playing this unique approach to online trivia gaming:

• 1 vs 100 can be played in one of two ways: Live or “Extended Play”
• When playing the Extended Play, the game acts much like a party trivia game. There are no prizes, but this method of play is still very important: Your stats (percentage of questions answered correctly and time to answer) are calculated and can help you get into either the mob (the 100) or become the one in a live game. More on that below.
• When playing the live game, you will be in one of three roles:
  • The Crowd. This is the most common way of playing. You will play against up to 3 other players, and will not be eligible for prizes, though it is still incredibly fun. “The One” can use one of his help lines (similar to Who Wants to be a Millionaire’s “Lifelines”) to call on the crowd’s help. Primarily, the “Trust the Crowd” help line, where he automatically chooses the same answer the crowd picked most.
  • The Mob. As part of the mob, you have a chance to win prizes. In a typical game, there will be two prizes: An arcade game and Microsoft points. The number of Microsoft points up for grabs depends on how many members of the mob are left: 0 for 100 mob members, then it ranges from 100 for 90 members, to 10,000 when no members of the mob remain. If a member of the mob gets an answer wrong, he is immediately removed from the game, and the jackpot goes up. If “The One” gets an answer wrong, the points he was vying for get divided among the remaining mob members, as well as the arcade prize. In addition, the top three members of the mob, regardless of who wins, will receive that week’s arcade title.
  • The One. If you are lucky enough to become The One for an episode (each hour long episode will typically consist of 5-6 rounds, each with a different player as “The One”), you stand a chance to win the jackpot. For every 10 members of the mob you knockout, you have a choice: The money or The Mob. If you choose the money, you take your MS points and the next player comes up as the one. If you choose the mob, the game continues.
• Stats reset every week, so each week you have a chance to become part of the mob for the next live show. The schedule for the live show can be accessed via your dashboard.

The game/show is incredibly addictive, and I believe represents a huge leap forward in the way gameshows are played. In this respect, I give Microsoft huge props for what they’re doing with the 360 platform, blurring the lines between television and video games. The live show has an actual host (not pre-recorded), and comes complete with commercials (which are actually quite welcome, giving the players a chance to relax). There are also numerous opportunities to win prizes just for getting involved (emailing in, calling in, etc.).

So hop in and see if you have what it takes to be the one. Just don’t make the same mistake I made, and remain sober during play. Otherwise, you may be one of the thousands tonight who said “West Nile” was the online diamond retailer, isntead of “Blue Nile”. D’oh.