I'll start by confessing that I put off checking out Charitable Bliss because the L$15-per-question payout did not constitute an especially persuasive pitch. And to be sure, with only around fifteen questions during the game, this is not the event to go to if you're trying to pay your rent. But curiosity won out, and as it turns out, the event fills a particular niche that might appeal to people hoping to ramp up their trivia karma.
In many ways, this is a pretty standard game: the questions follow broad themes (I was there for flag trivia and for television trivia), and as at Destiny's, longtime players will find them familiar; the crowd is perfectly nice and the music perfectly enjoyable; the sploder is perfectly splodery.
Charitable Bliss's distinguishing element, though, is right there in its name. This club's events are all geared toward raising money for the real life charities they support, currently the Breast Cancer Foundation and Autism Speaks. The club provides several means of contributing to these causes. You can donate money directly, of course, at displays on the premises. If you'd like something for your trouble, however, you can purchase women's clothing priced at L$25 per item provided by QT Clothing, including lingerie, casual apparel, and breast cancer ribbon pasties. Finally, if you'd really like some bang for your buck, you can participate in the ongoing silent date auctions for members of the staff, both male and female. Receipts on the walls indicate that they've managed to raise approximately US$65 for St. Jude and US$90 for Big Brother/Big Sister in recent months, which calculates to over L$40,000 in contributions.
Bliss's other main feature is to hook people up. From owner Jasmina Kline's description: "Looking for a date? Or true love? Charitable Bliss is here to help. People from all over come to our club to find true love. Whether it be a blind date, a charity date auction, or just to hit on the dancers. Everyone is welcome." (As an aside, this makes me want to conduct a dual interview with Jasmina and David Tuck, the other club owner on the circuit who aspires to be matchmaker to the masses.) So if courting members of your preferred sex(es) through out-answering, out-smartassing, or out-typoing them (or letting them do the same to you) hasn't been working out for ya, then maybe they can be of assistance over that-a-way.
As far as the trivia itself goes, as I said, there are no bells or whistles, no gimmicks, no huge payouts or goofy costume themes. The events have live DJs and dancers (not the stripping kind as far as I'm aware). Jasmina begins the game at half past the hour and moves at a brisk but not rushed pace thereafter. Both times I was there, the questions wrapped up in under 45 minutes. The time slot coincides with Double Standards' usual weekday slot, but the trivia is scheduled only two days a week, Mondays and Thursdays, so that with DS's currently abbreviated schedule, only one of those days poses a conflict.
Sample questions from the TV theme event:
[2009/06/29 16:39] Jasmina Kline: Q: What company was the original sponsor of I Love Lucy?
[2009/06/29 16:45] Jasmina Kline: Q: What is NBC's longest running soap opera?
[2009/06/29 17:05] Jasmina Kline: Q: What popular TV personality claims he was once fired as a weekend TV weatherman for describing a storm as having "hailstones the size of canned hams"?
Drop in at Charitable Bliss if you get a hankering for it, but take note that if my previous visits are any indication, the trivia will likely happen between 4:30 and 5:15, so don't arrive at 5:00 expecting a full hour to go. Those who are not specifically there for the trivia will still be around, and they're certainly fun to hang out with, but in case that's not you, just saving you that potential disappointment. I began with the admission that I am a bit of a payout snob, but after learning of Charitable Bliss's non-profit focus, I felt humbled. If you need someplace better to drop your lindens than the latest hair mega-sale -- possibly the lindens you just won from Jasmina -- Bliss provides an option.
The Specs:
=> Location: Charitable Bliss, http://slurl.com/secondlife/Kensington/50/18/502
=> Times/Days: Mondays and Thursdays, 4:00 to 6:00pm SLT
=> Host: Jasmina Kline
=> Prizes: L$15 per question, 17 questions were asked the last time I was there
Answers to sample questions:
=> Philip Morris
=> Days of Our Lives
=> David Letterman
********
No comments:
Post a Comment