Buzz In!

On Easter, my extended family organized a trivia session on a Zoom video conference where there was one host and lots of teams trying to be the first to answer a question by typing it into the group chat. While this was a lot of fun. I thought to myself that it would be better if we had the opportunity to buzz in instead of just frantically typing away. A buzzer approach would even the playing field more by allowing the teams that were slower typers to still participate by only needing to hit a single button. This approach would also allow for more social interaction by allowing the first team that buzzed in to answer aloud.

So, soon after that game finished, I searched for buzzer applications that would meet this goal and was surprised to see that there were not any (at least on Google Play). The only other similar apps required users to be on the same WiFi network or same room using a Bluetooth connection, but this solution does not work well for family video conferences where people are in different cities and states.

Since I found an application that did not sound overly complicated to make that had the potential to bring a lot of joy to people, I set out to make the Buzz In! app. All in all, the app took me a few weeks to create working on it off and on. You can now find it published on the Google Play Store here.

Buzz In!

Technical Details

The buzzer requires at least one host device and one player device in order to use. Only one device should be the host at any point in the game in order to accurately keep track of which player was the first to buzz in.

The host device is able to view the timestamp and order of every player that buzzes in. The host is also able to clear the round to allow for new buzzes.

Each player device can buzz in and celebrate with confetti and exploding tacos whenever they are the first to buzz in.

The Buzz In! app requires an Internet connection for every device in the competition.

Getting Started

Open the app then enter a Group Name and a Player Name. The Group Name needs to match with everyone else playing, so ensure everyone uses the same group (watch out for typos). The Player Name should be the name you would like to use when buzzing in. This name will be shown to the host when you buzz in so make it as creative as you like!

After entering the Group and Player Name fields, go to the Host or Player screen depending on which role you want to be. The host device will need to initiate the group and round by clicking on the "New Round" button before anyone will be allowed to buzz in.

What about non-Android users?

Currently, the game host has to use the Android app, but I have created a web friendly version that players can use to buzz-in if they do not have an Android device. If you are interested in this arrangement, please contact me, and I will happily share the link with you.

What types of games can I play?

The app is a great addition to any type of game show, such as Jeopardy! or Family Feud. It also works well in quiz bowl or general trivia type settings.

I have personally used it to play Jeopardy with friends by creating my own question board using Flippity. Flippity allows you to create a trivia board that you can easily screen share with friends using a video conference platform, such as Google Meet or Zoom. Check out Flippity here: https://www.flippity.net/QuizShow.htm