Hey folks, I thought that I would just create this simple guide to help folks figure out how to participate and play in the totally awesome #StateChallenge organised by @Denise_Barlock and @Kwiksatik .
What is the #StateChallenge?
You can read the introduction post here but basically, it’s a fun virtual quiz using both Google Meet and a website called Factile. It is held most weekends usually on Saturdays at 12 noon (GMT-4/US Eastern Time) and participants get to answer 30 questions based on a specific state in America. Hence, the name #StateChallenge. Occasionally, the organisers, with the help of guest hosts, may put on a #WorldChallenge where the topic switches to a city/state/country somewhere in the world.
Information about the American states are provided by any Local Guide who is willing to write a post. You don’t necessarily have to have visited the place as you can do some online searching to find cool and exciting information! Think of it as researching for a holiday to a new place! 
From those posts, questions are then created and usually there is a guest host to help read out the questions during the quiz! It obviously helps that participants read the posts too so that it’s easier to answer the questions during the quiz!
The quiz normally lasts no longer than an hour and it’s a fun activity to learn some cool facts about America (and sometimes about the world) and it’s a great opportunity to get to know other Local Guides! 
If you haven’t tried it, you should!
How do you sign up to participate?
You will need to sign up to this Google Group (https://groups.google.com/g/local-guide-statechallenge) and before each quiz, an email will be sent out with the link to the Google Meet call. The reason for this is to stop spammers and strangers from joining the call (it’s happened before!) so the Google Group helps to filter out bad people! If you don’t join that group, you won’t get the link!
How do you join the quiz?
A few minutes before the quiz starts, the Google Meet call will become active and you’ll be able to join. Once you’re in the call (and after greeting folks), the host will provide further information in the chat window. This information is usually a link to Factile (https://game.playfactile.com/join) plus a PIN code that you will need to join the right quiz. Every quiz has a unique PIN code.
Note: The Factile site is for playing the quiz only. The Google Meet call is to allow everyone to chat with each other and see each other too. It’s more fun that way!
How do you play the quiz?
Once you’ve joined the quiz using the link and the PIN code given by the host, there are a few things that you should do.
- Firstly you will need to select an avatar that represents you. Usually it’s a fruit but you can browse and find other types too.
- Once you have selected the avatar, you must change the name to match your name so that it is easy for the host to keep track of who’s who and for score keeping.
- With your avatar selected and your name showing, just wait for the game to start.
- When the game starts, the host will be presenting a screen in Google Meet showing the game board. The game board consists of columns (categories/topics) and rows (questions that are worth different points). The number that you see in each row represents the points that you can win should you answer correctly.
- The host/co-host will use a spinner to pick who amongst the participants will select the question. This is a fairly new thing but it helps to randomise who gets to pick the questions!
- If you are selected, all you need to do is to choose a category and select the question that you would want to answer. For example, you can say, “I would like to choose Food for 400 points”.
- The question for Food (400 points) will then pop up in your Factile window and the co-host will read it out. Each question comes with four possible answers: only one is correct! You will have 30 seconds from the moment the question shows for you to read and select your answer! To be very clear, you must select your answer before the timer reaches zero. The timer can be seen clearly in your Factile window.
- Once the timer hits zero, the answer will be shown. If you have answered correctly, you will get the points (400 points in this example).
- Then the spinner is spun again for the next participant to select the next question. Each category-point can only be answered once. So if “Food 400” was answered in a previous round, you cannot select it again.
- Participants with the most points win the game (after deducting any handicap if applicable). Participants who have won in previous quizzes are given a handicap number to make it easier for new players to win! Well, that’s the principle anyway!
Some things to note in case it wasn’t clear enough: once the timer starts counting down, you should start reading the question and selecting your answer before it reaches zero, anybody who have selected the correct answer will get the selected points (there is no “first to answer” rule here) and even if you do not know the answer, you should pick any one because you will at least have 1 in 4 chances to get it right!
Well, I hope that helps answer any burning questions about #StateChallenge and about how to participate and play the quiz! As Factile is new to most people, we usually get folks who do not know what to do to set up their avatar and name. That makes it a bit harder for the host to keep track of who’s winning. The quiz is also presented in English and it helps if you have a good enough understanding to follow and have fun! You don’t have to be a fluent speaker as the host can speak slower to make it easier.
Note: Some of the rules to the gameplay may change from time to time. The host is usually trying to make it easier for everyone to have fun learning about the various American states and have a laugh, so some tweaks may occur. Obviously, the host will go through the rules before the quiz starts.
That’s it! I hope this guide will help you all! #StateChallenge is an amazing and fun initiative and it’s been great seeing it expand globally with the #WorldChallenge! The hosts/organisers are always looking for volunteers to help out by writing posts or by being a guest host so feel free to get in touch with Denise or Megan! And if you have any feedback, suggestions or questions, feel free to pop them in the comments below. Thanks and I hope to see you there this weekend! 
