Turn your voice assistant into Alex Trebek with this interactive trivia experience
Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest ones. Reo Tseng looked at his OpenHome device and thought: what if this thing could host a proper game of Jeopardy? Not just answer trivia questions, but actually run the whole show... keeping score, tracking questions, making you feel like you're on stage under those bright studio lights.
The Jeopardy Game ability transforms your OpenHome assistant into a full-featured game show host, complete with categories, point values, score tracking, and that unmistakable Jeopardy format we all grew up watching. It's one of those abilities that makes you realize how much potential lives inside these voice-first devices when someone gets creative with them.
In this spotlight, we'll explore what the Jeopardy Game ability does, where to find it, how Reo built the whole experience, and how you can start hosting your own trivia nights through voice alone.
What is Jeopardy Game?
Picture this: you're sitting around with friends, maybe after dinner, and someone says "let's do some trivia." Instead of fumbling with phones or pulling up websites, you just say "play Jeopardy" to your OpenHome device. Suddenly you've got a proper game show happening right there in your living room.
The Jeopardy Game ability recreates the classic TV game show experience through voice interaction. Five categories, questions worth 200 to 1,000 points, proper scoring that accumulates as you play, and question tracking so you never get the same question twice in a session.
What makes this ability special is how it captures the rhythm and feel of the actual show. The host announces categories with that familiar cadence, you choose "History 400" just like the contestants do, and when you get an answer right, there's that satisfying score update that keeps you coming back for more. It's not just trivia... it's the whole Jeopardy experience compressed into a voice interaction that actually works.
The ability handles the classic Jeopardy format where answers are given as questions ("What is gold?" instead of just "gold"), and it tracks your progress through a complete game board with multiple categories and difficulty levels.
Where to Find It
The Jeopardy Game ability is available for installation on the OpenHome platform. Search for "Jeopardy Game" in the abilities marketplace to add it to your account.
Once installed, any OpenHome personality can access this game functionality while maintaining their unique voice and style. Whether you're using a friendly assistant, a trivia enthusiast character, or a professional game show host personality, they can all tap into the same Jeopardy mechanics while keeping their distinct conversational approach.
The ability works seamlessly with OpenHome's voice-first interface, enabling completely hands-free gameplay perfect for group settings, family game nights, or solo brain training sessions.
How It Works
The Jeopardy Game ability responds to the simple voice command "Play Jeopardy" to initiate a full game session. Once triggered, it presents five categories: History, Science, Geography, Literature, and Sports, each with questions valued from 200 to 1,000 points.
Players select categories and point values using natural speech ("History 400," "Science 600"), and the ability delivers questions in proper Jeopardy format. The system expects answers phrased as questions ("What is..." or "Who is...") just like the real show, adding authenticity to the experience.
The ability maintains several key game mechanics:
Real-time score tracking that accumulates throughout the session
Question state management so previously asked questions aren't repeated
Category availability updates as questions are completed
Proper validation of answer formats and category selections
Currently, the ability includes a robust question database covering the five core categories, with questions designed at different difficulty levels corresponding to their point values.
How It Was Built
Reo built this using OpenHome's development tools, creating what's essentially a complete game state management system inside a voice ability. The tricky part isn't just having trivia questions... it's managing all the game logic that makes Jeopardy feel like Jeopardy.
The technical implementation involves maintaining game state across multiple voice interactions, tracking which questions have been asked, managing the score accumulation, and ensuring the category selection system works smoothly with voice recognition. There's careful attention to the pacing and presentation that makes it feel like you're actually playing the game show rather than just answering random trivia.
The ability uses OpenHome's ability builder with custom logic for game flow management, question randomization within categories, and score persistence throughout a game session. Reo had to think through edge cases like invalid selections and ensure the voice responses maintain that game show energy that keeps players engaged.
The question database and game logic are currently housed within the ability itself, making it self-contained and immediately playable after installation.
How to Use It
Getting your own Jeopardy game running takes about thirty seconds:
Find the ability: Search for "Jeopardy" in the OpenHome Abilities marketplace
Install it: Click "Install" to add it to your OpenHome account
Start playing: Simply say "Play Jeopardy" to your OpenHome device
Choose categories: Select using the format "Category [point value]" like "History 400"
Answer as questions: Remember to phrase responses as questions ("What is..." or "Who is...")
The game flows naturally from there. Pick your categories, answer questions, watch your score climb. The ability handles all the complexity behind the scenes while keeping the voice interaction smooth and engaging.
For the best experience, speak clearly when selecting categories and point values. The ability recognizes natural speech patterns, so you don't need to be overly formal, but clear pronunciation helps ensure smooth gameplay.
If you need a refresher on abilities in general, check out https://openhome.com/blog/openhome-abilities-guide
Why It Matters
The Jeopardy Game ability demonstrates something important about voice-first experiences: they can recreate complex, stateful interactions that we usually associate with screens and buttons. Managing game state, tracking progress, maintaining engagement across multiple turns... this stuff is genuinely challenging to get right in a voice interface.
What Reo built here shows how OpenHome Abilities can transform familiar experiences into something entirely new. Instead of staring at a phone or computer to play trivia, you're having a conversation with your AI that happens to be running a complete game show. It's more social, more engaging, and honestly more fun than clicking through a trivia app.
This ability also highlights the potential for voice-based entertainment in group settings. No need for everyone to crowd around a screen or pass devices around. The game exists in the shared audio space where everyone can participate equally.
Watch the Walkthrough
Reo's demo video shows the complete Jeopardy experience in action, from initial game setup through multiple question rounds. You can see how smoothly the category selection works, how the scoring system updates in real-time, and how the ability maintains that authentic game show feel throughout the interaction.
The walkthrough demonstrates both successful answer sequences and how the ability handles edge cases like invalid selections, showing the robust error handling that makes the game actually playable rather than just technically functional.
Try It Out
The Jeopardy Game ability shows what happens when developers take familiar concepts and reimagine them for voice-first interaction. It's not just trivia... it's a complete entertainment experience that transforms your OpenHome device into something that brings people together around shared challenge and fun.
Ready to host your own game show? Search for "Jeopardy Game" in the OpenHome Abilities marketplace and start turning your living room into a trivia arena. Whether you're testing your knowledge solo or challenging friends and family, this ability brings the excitement of America's Favorite Quiz Show right into your conversation with AI.
Got ideas for other game show formats or interactive entertainment abilities? The OpenHome community loves seeing creative applications like this. Voice interfaces have barely scratched the surface of what's possible for social gaming and group entertainment.
After all, the best technology doesn't just give us new capabilities... It gives us new ways to connect with each other. And sometimes that connection happens when someone shouts "What is the electron!" at their smart speaker.
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