Jeopardy Game Maker

How to Use the Jeopardy Game Maker

1. 1. Write the board. Start each category with a line beginning #, then add one clue per line as clue | response. Load example fills the box with four categories of four clues so you can see the layout.
2. 2. Set the points and teams. Choose how many points each row adds (100, 200 or 500), how many teams are playing, and, if you like, their names.
3. 3. Play. Start the game, choose a clue from the board, and read it out. Show response reveals the answer; the plus and minus buttons beside each team add or take away the clue's points.
4. 4. Fill the room. Full screen makes the board and clues large enough to read from the back of a classroom. Back to the board returns to the grid, where the clue you played is now blank.

How to Type the Board

The board is plain text so you can write it in a document and paste it in. A line starting with # names a category. Every line under it is a clue, with the clue first and its response after a vertical bar. Points rise down each column by the step you choose, so with a step of 200 the first clue is worth 200, the second 400, and so on.

# Citation styles
The humanities style whose list of sources is called Works Cited | What is MLA?
The numbered style widely used in medicine | What is Vancouver?
750 | A clue with its own value | Its response

To give one clue its own value, put a whole number and a bar before it: 750 | clue | response. A board holds up to six categories and six clues in each, which is enough for the classic five-by-five and a spare row. Lines that cannot be used are listed under the box with their line numbers, and the game still starts with the rest.

Playing the Game

A clue opens in a large panel with the category and value above it. Read it aloud, let the teams confirm, then show the response. Award points with the buttons beside each team, or press a number key. A clue counts as played once you have shown the response or awarded points, and its cell on the board goes blank. If you open a clue by mistake and close it before doing either, it stays on the board. When the last clue is played the game shows the final scores and who is leading.

Scoring is deliberately manual, because classroom rules differ. Add the points for a right response and, if you play with penalties, take them away for a wrong one. Use the minus button to correct a slip.

Writing Clues That Work in a Room

• Make the rows climb. The cheapest clue in each category should be one every student can answer; the most valuable should need real recall or reasoning.
• Keep clues short. Under about 20 words reads comfortably on a projector. Put detail in the response, not the clue.
• Phrase responses as questions — What is a DOI? — if you want the show's format. The tool prints whatever you type, so a plain answer works just as well.
• Mix the kinds of question. Definitions, examples, dates and applications in one category keep it from becoming a recall drill.

Your Board Stays in Your Browser

The game runs entirely in your browser. The categories, clues, team names and scores are never sent to CitationEasy or anyone else. If you tick Remember this board on this device, the board and your settings are saved in this browser's own storage so you can reuse them next lesson; nothing is uploaded, and unticking the box or pressing Clear board deletes the saved copy. The box is off by default, so on a shared school computer you can leave it that way. Scores are not saved; reloading the page ends the game.

Jeopardy! is a trademark of its owner. This tool makes a generic categories-and-points review board and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the television show.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make my own Jeopardy game for class?

Write your categories and clues in the box above, with a # line for each category and a clue | response line for each question, then press Start the game. You do not need slides or a spreadsheet. The board, the clue panels and the scoreboard are built from your text.

How many categories and clues can I have?

Up to six categories and up to six clues in each, so a board can hold 36 clues. Columns can be different lengths; a shorter category simply has blank cells at the bottom. Anything beyond the limits is left out and reported under the box.

Can I choose my own point values?

Yes. Pick a step of 100, 200 or 500 and the values rise down each column from it. To give one clue a different value, start its line with a number and a bar, such as 750 | clue | response. The automatic values then carry on by position for the other clues.

How does scoring work?

You decide who earns what. After a clue, press the plus button next to a team to add its points or the minus button to take them away. The number keys do the same, and holding Shift reverses the sign. Totals appear under the board, so scores are always visible, and the final screen names the leading team or teams.

Does it include Daily Doubles or Final Jeopardy?

No. The tool is a plain categories-and-points board. For a wager, set up a category of your own and award or deduct points by hand with the plus and minus buttons, or give one clue a high value of its own.

Can I use it on a projector or interactive whiteboard?

Yes. Full screen enlarges the board and the clues, and every control is a large button that also works with a touch screen or a keyboard. On devices that do not allow full screen, the game fills the browser window instead.

Is my content saved or uploaded?

No upload ever happens. If you tick the remember box, the board is saved in this browser on this device only, and unticking the box deletes it. On a shared computer, leave the box unticked.