May 17, 2026: So You've Heard Of PowerPoint Parties . . .

By now, the PowerPoint party has achieved legendary status as a geeky get-together gimmick. I've been thinking about event themes in a similar vein, and I think I've come upon a fun one! So here's the vision: I want to host a Jeopardy! party.

So hear me out. This would work best with a group of at least 8-10 people.

Each person comes up with a theme – the more esoteric, the better – and writes five questions of increasing difficulty. Then, they write their five questions on 3"x5" index cards, with the question and answer on one side, and the $100-$500 question value on the other. A sixth card has the theme on it.

If guests want to bring an extra category, it could allow players who hadn't prepared to join the game as well.

When the party starts, divide the guests into two groups of 4-5 players. Each group will then make a combined board of their questions. In this example, Group 1 arranges all their categories together into a 5x5 board and then hosts a game of Jeopardy! for Group 2. Afterward, Group 2 plays Group 1's trivia board. Ideally, everyone learns something new and also gets an opportunity to nerd out about a specific interest.

Anyway, I am planning such an event . . . so I'll have to update you all on how it goes! And tell me on the forums – if you went to a Jeopardy! party, what category would you bring?

-- Irene Zielinski

(If you're wondering why I came up with this idea, it's because I have a set of trivia buzzers lying around that I have never once used, and I'd really like to change that.)