Trivial Pursuit: Any questions?
Willi Andresen
He ensures that wintry Denmark vacations do not get dull and rainy family Sundays no disaster. Since 1986, the Hamburg journalist Willi Andresen (52) invents the questions for "Trivial Pursuit". As Germany's sole author of questions, he has a lot to do: he has already come up with more than 120,000 quiz questions because the games are updated every one and a half years. On good days he creates 50 to 60, on others "nothing works".
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde.com: How do you get your questions?
Willi Andresen: I try to inform myself extensively. I read the newspaper all over the place and rummage through suggestions in the Brockhaus. Even when watching TV, I have always extended a small antenna. Actually, I'm constantly checking to see if a question or event makes a question develop, so I rarely switch it off. I also take notes of things on the way, if necessary on a beer mat in the pub.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde.com: Your job is only available once in Germany. How did you get it?
Willi Andresen: That was a great coincidence. I am a music journalist and got the offer with two other colleagues to make the music edition for Trivial Pursuit. We should develop example questions. Unfortunately, I missed the deadline. A manager called me to tell me that they had chosen someone else. Of course that annoyed me very much and I handed in my questions. Then he called again and I was allowed to do all six fields of knowledge for the Junior Edition. Today I do all the games.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde.com: Do you have a better education than others?
Willi Andresen: I can not say that. In any case, today I have a better general education than before the job.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde.com: "Who's going to be a millionaire?" Surely you would have good cards to pocket the million. Have you ever applied?
Willi Andresen: I applied once to get to know the mechanism. I called and was informed that a random generator would make the selection. I never heard from them again.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde.com: What happens to other people ...
Willi Andresen: Yes, but I'm pretty sure I will not be on the air because they'll find out who I am.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde.com: What is your explanation that quiz games and game shows are so in demand? At school, knowledge tests are not popular ...
Willi Andresen: They are so popular on TV because you can win money. In games, it's probably because people like to check each other's knowledge and are willing to learn something. Trivial Pursuit offers a playful way of checking knowledge. There is an intensive communication and if you can take one, two things in an evening that you did not know yet, that's nice.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde.com: Are there any people still playing Trivial Pursuit with you?
Willi Andresen: Few. The interest is of course not so great to play with me. But that's not bad either. I hardly switch off in the job anyway, so I do not have to spend my free time with the game.
Interview: Susanne Arndt
