Virtual pub quiz: Why Britain loves this trend 

A British pub does not sound like the perfect setting for a quiz. One can imagine a quiz happening in a coffee shop or a college campus. The pub quiz is a uniquely British event, and has remained unbelievably popular for over 40 years now. In fact, it’s not such a craze even in Ireland or Scotland. So when the pandemic forced pub quiz to go virtual, the rest of the world was astonished at how millions of British people were searching for it, but the Brits themselves were not surprised at all.  

What is a pub quiz in Britain?  
The pub quiz was born in 1976. The English pubs have been famous social hubs since the medieval ages. But on weekday evenings, they remained half empty with the regular crowd busy at work or college. So in 1976, marketing duo Burns and Porter threw in the excitement of a quiz with free drinks as prizes. They started with 32 teams, and rose to a mind boggling 10,000 teams per week in packed pubs! TV shows commissioned them to broadcast the quiz to the nation, and pub quiz became the fascination of millions.  

How did virtual pub quiz start?  
Virtual pub quiz was not a catch phrase till 2019. At the beginning of 2020, like most people all over the world, British quiz enthusiasts also thought the lockdown was not going to last too long, and they would be able to return to their beloved pubs. But by mid-2020, it was clear to everyone that certain virtual trends are here to stay in a changed world scenario. According to Google Trends 2020 report published in 2021, data for UK from March 29, 2020 to April 4, 2021 show that ‘pub quiz’ is the top searched phrase. It’s followed by ‘virtual pub quiz’, ‘pub quiz questions 2020’ etc. The trend continued in 2021.  

Does Britain’s pub quiz have a positive side?  
Quiz enthusiasts, internet researchers and even mental health specialists claim that the virtual pub quiz is more than a mere pastime. In a report of the BBC in January 2022, several British citizens and avid fans of virtual pub quiz were interviewed. Interestingly, many of them, especially young parents, claimed that they had not been active quizzers before. But virtual pub quiz also has kid friendly versions. These mostly happen on Zoom calls, and involve a safe circle of family, friends, and other kids form school. With kids and parents alike feeling isolated during the lockdown, the virtual pub quiz has become a chance for healthy online interaction.