The Best Movie and TV Trivia Board Games

I should begin with a confession. I am a trivia tragic. I spent 6 years writing and running a weekly pub quiz and I am also the organiser of the Australian Quizzing Association so I have a bit of a habit ;-) I also own every single version of Trivial Pursuit that has been released in Australia. Boxes and boxes of board games sit in the cupboard in our spare room waiting for any occasion I can find to get them down and spend a few hours playing with friends.

Since Trivial Pursuit was invented in Canada the 1980s, these have really taken off. In pubs and clubs around the world groups of friends sit around and test themselves on all things trivial, week in week out. Trivia can include everyone, you don't need to be super smart, trivia is about everyday things, which is why these make great gifts for family and friends.

Here are some of my favorites - you might like to check out for yourself or for your gift shopping list.

Photo Credit: Christian Heldt via Wikimedia Commons

Can you believe that Trivial Pursuit has been around for more than 20 years. It was invented in 1979 by 2 Canadian guys, Scott Abbot and Chris Haney when they found some of their Scrabble pieces missing. The game has now been translated into 17 languages and you can play it the old fashioned way with a board, online or on your i-phone. I still think the original way is the most fun.

Trivial Pursuit is THE classic quiz board game. Learn more about it by pressing play below.

If you are playing with less passionate trivia fans then this selection of games might be a good starting place. The idea with trivia is to feel good about what you know not end up feeling silly because you can not answer anything. I always try to match the game to the age or interests of the group.

Have you seen every single episode of Seinfeld? Are you a mad Simpson's fan? These TV themed games are perfect for a true fan, giving them the opportunity to show off their knowledge and impress their friends.

The "Scene it" series of games are perfect for the movie trivia format. Most are suitable for 2-4 players or 2 teams. Half of the questions use the DVD in the box and the others are card based. You have to name a film from a short scene or still clip or perhaps from a quote.

These these are perfect for movie buffs. You can buy versions that focus on one film franchise like Bond or Star War or you choose ones that are tailored to a decade or genre. These are great for large families and intergenerational games. A fun way to end Thanksgiving lunch or even Christmas dinner.

Another confession - I don't really like playstation or xbox. In fact I never played them at all and saw no reason to buy one till I discovered Buzz at a friends house one night and quickly became a convert. Adding a buzz to the game made it just like playing on TV and increased the excitement 10 fold. Needless to say I went and bought a second hand console and now have half a dozen quizzing games for it.

With the rise of console games trivia and quiz games are getting a new lease of life. I actually helped write some of the questions for the Buzz family edition and I can tell you it is a whole lot of fun!

Sometimes it can be hard to find friends who enjoy board games as much as I do - I can not understand why but some people hate them. At times like these online trivia games can be lots of fun.