Tom D, what I always most appreciated about NTN and BT trivia was the fact that people of all ilks could come together and contribute something. Everybody knows something, right ? Lawyers, Marines, German immigrants, National Guard members, librarians, restaurant servers, IT folks, professors and teachers, bankers and finance, police, Airborne paratroopers, receptionists, bartenders, doctors and nurses (two different versions of KIDSRN !), retirees, sales people, homeless who never had a job, criminals, swingers, drug addicts, alcoholics, accountants, stock brokers, newspaper business databasers, and a whole lot more were just a sampling of some of the regular players I was fortunate to share the games with.
Part of the magic was the structure of the game and quality thereof, including your thousands of questions. Time to play, time to talk about the question, time to sip a beer, and then looking forward to the next question. You could be social, and be competitive as much as you chose.
Everyone could feel a part, for those groups that shared answers. No one was looked down upon, as they could all contribute. I personally had a time in my life for years where BT was the only connection to a troubled family member. Gotta Play Tuesday was appointment playing, and all the sheer insanity of the previous week was suspended as we came together. I'll never know for sure, but I think having the outlet to still connect and communicate EVERY WEEK over years without arguing and judgement, while seeing value from all the assembled family members, contributed to saving my loved one's life.
Beyond my own personal gratitude there, was the fact that since everyone could contribute, everyone BELONGED and was NEEDED. Over the years, we had many broken people on our teams (after a while I discerned a pattern of attraction for them). You could tell that trivia was one of the few things in life that they still felt a sense of purpose about, that other people actually wanted them there and respected their knowledge. It certainly added to their well being, and improved their quality of life.
Some of those broken folks repaired their lives; too many others sadly have passed away, some tragically, but BT meant a whole lot to them.
Tom D, your part in quality sure had a big part in the magic; the results of your efforts have rippled far beyond what you would have imagined. My troubled family member has improved a lot over the last 20 years and I am forever grateful for BT's role in that; and for providing an avenue for my many friends who needed it to have some enhanced feelings of self worth in their lives.
So, let me add my heartfelt thanks to the others, I really do appreciate your years of efforts to make BT the quality offering we all loved.
Scar
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