401 | Games by Genre III (Platformers, Sims, and MMOs)

Here we go with more video game trivia. It’s our third installment of Games by Genre. This time, we’re covering three new genres: Platformers, Simulators, and MMOs or Massively Multiplayer Online games.

We have lots of other Video Game trivia on the site, so be sure to check that out. Also, be sure to subscribe and never miss an episode of Dorky Geeky Nerdy.

Book of the Week

Super Mario Encyclopedia: The Official Guide to the First 30 Years

Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia: The Official Guide to the First 30 Years is jam-packed with content from all seventeen Super Mario games–from the original Super Mario Bros. to Super Mario 3D World. Track the evolution of the Goomba, witness the introduction of Yoshi, and relive your favorite levels. This tome also contains an interview with producer Takashi Tezuka, tips to help you find every coin, star, sun, and mushroom–even explanations of glitches! With information on enemies, items, obstacles, and worlds from over thirty years of Mario, Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia is the definitive resource for everything Super Mario!

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Episode Transcript/Quiz

Episode Intro

Each genre gets its own round, so no one feels left out.

If you’re looking for the other two Games by Genre episodes (or anything else from the show), visit DorkyGeekyNerdy.com.

I’m your host and guide, Brian Rollins and this is episode 401 of the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia podcast. Let’s begin.

The Dorky Round

Platformer Games

Mario went open world for what 2017 game?
a. Super Mario Odyssey
What 1982 Activision platform game for the Atari 2600 let the player hunt for 32 treasures over 255 screens?
a. Pitfall!
Considered the first Platformer, what 1981 arcade game introduced Mario?
a. Donkey Kong
What Sega platform game features an insanely fast blue hedgehog?
a. Sonic the Hedgehog
What platform game debuted in 1989 on the Apple II and was rebooted in 2003 with a game subtitled, Sands of Time?
a. Prince of Persia
What 1986 NES game first introduced us to Samus Aran?
a. Metroid
Originally released in 1996, what action-adveture platform game series revolves around Lara Croft?
a. Tomb Raider
Before he went 3D in 1996, what Apogee Software character was a 2D platform hero who fought Dr. Proton in 1991?
a. Duke Nukem
Faith Connors is a parkour courier evading government surveillance in what 2008 first person platformer?
a. Mirror’s Edge
What endless runner platform game became the fastest spreading mobile game with 50 million installations in January 2013?
a. Temple Run 2

The Geeky Round

Simulator Games

Selling nearly 50 million copies, what 2020 Animal Crossing game was a massive hit during the pandemic?
a. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
What 1990 space simulator (and its sequels) pit the Terran Confederation against the Kilrathi?
a. Wing Commander
What 1993 Star Wars game let the player fly the titular space craft and other ships from the Rebel Alliance?
a. X-Wing
What 2014 space game had a 1:1 scale Milky Way galaxy with over 400 billion procedurally generated systems?
a. Elite Dangerous
Created by Will Wright with numerous sequels and spin-offs, what 1989 game let you run your own city?
a. SimCity
What life simulator game, if you bought all the DLCs and add-ons, would cost nearly $1500?
a. The Sims 4. Actual life might be cheaper.
Released in 2005 for the DS, what game let you raise and train your own canine companion?
a. Nintendogs
What 1982 game let players fly a Cessna 182 Skylane over four regions of the US?
a. Microsoft Flight Simulator
What 1980 arcade tank simulator was repurposed as The Bradley Trainer for the US Army?
a. Battlezone
What 1999 game lets you build and run your own amusement park?
a. Roller Coaster Tycoon

The Nerdy Round

MMO Games (Or MMORPGs)

Released in 2004, what is, to-date, the biggest MMO game on the market?
a. World of Warcraft. The last published figures show over 7 million subscribers
Published by Sony in 1999, what was the first commercially successful MMORPG to use a 3D engine?
a. Everquest
Released in 2001, what MMO is set in the fantasy world of Gielinor?
a. RuneScape
What D&D based MMO ran on AOL from 1991 to 1997?
a. Neverwinter Nights
What MMO featured the in-game alter-ego of Richard Garriott named Lord British?
a. Ultima Online
What sci-fi MMO features expansion packs like Delta Rising, Agents of Yesterday, and Victory is Life?
a. Star Trek Online
Created in 2003, Linden Lab insists what virtual world is not a game?
a. Second Life
Which MMO has, as of 2026, the most players online?
a. ROBLOX
What MMO has biological combat units like Loki, Ember, Excalibur, and Rhino?
a. Warframe
First released in 2013, what MMO has realistic combat vehicles from pre-World War I to modern day?
a. War Thunder

Episode Conclusion

We are done with Games by Genre III. How did you do? Any games I missed? Let me know in the comments. I do need questions for the Season finale this coming February.

Thanks to everyone who has joined me over at Tome Cast. If you haven’t yet, search Tome Cast in your podcast app and subscribe. There are now two complete audiobooks available and a third underway.

Next week, it’s October (yes, already). That means things start getting creepy around here. Here’s a clue:

What do the movies Deep Star Six, Leviathan, and The Shallows have in common?

It’s one of my personal favorite subgenres of horror. Take a deep breath and I’ll see you back here next Wednesday.

This was the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast. If you’d like to help support the show and get extra stuff, consider becoming a patron at Patreon.com/dorkygeekynerdy.

This podcast is written, produced, and hosted by Brian Rollins. If you love audiobooks or are looking to have a book turned into an audiobook, contact me at TheVoicesInMyHead.com.

The theme music is Punchfunk by the band, Punchfunk. Listen to all their music on Spotify.

Thanks for listening.