Inspiration
Growing up, I spent weekends at my local pub’s trivia nights—laughing with friends, arguing over answers, and chasing that top spot on the leaderboard. But I always wished there was a way to take that energy online: to play with friends across the country, host private games for family, or compete in real-time with other trivia fanatics. That spark led me to build Trivia Night Pro—something that blends the joy of in-person pub trivia with the flexibility of digital play, for everyone from casual players to competitive enthusiasts.
What it does
Trivia Night Pro is a all-in-one trivia platform for every kind of quiz lover. Whether you’re playing solo in timed History or Science challenges, hosting a team battle with a shareable room code, competing in 1v1 real-time PvP, or joining weekly tournaments for badges and rewards—we’ve got it all. Hosts get a streamlined dashboard for live pub events, and players can create custom quizzes, track achievements, and redeem points for virtual rewards like avatar frames or room themes.
How we built it
We started with core user stories: pub hosts needing live score tracking, friends wanting private games, solo players chasing leaderboard glory. We built the frontend with React (for smooth, responsive UI) and styled it to match the warm, energetic vibe of a pub—deep navy, gold accents, and bold red CTAs. The backend runs on Node.js/Express, with MongoDB for storing user data, quizzes, and scores. Socket.io powers real-time multiplayer, Firebase handles Google auth, and AWS hosts the platform for reliability. We iterated with feedback from local pub hosts and trivia fans to refine game modes and the host dashboard.
Challenges we ran into
The biggest hurdle was syncing real-time scores across multiplayer modes—especially when players disconnected mid-game. We had to build logic to save partial scores and resolve ties in PvP (replaying rounds with new questions). Another challenge was validating custom quizzes (ensuring at least 3 questions) and making room codes (6-character alphanumeric) unique and non-expiring prematurely. We also struggled with responsive design—making sure the host dashboard worked on pub projectors and mobile phones.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We nailed the real-time multiplayer experience—players now see scores update instantly, and the host dashboard is used by 3 local pubs for their weekly trivia nights. We’re especially proud of the badge/ rewards system: users love earning progress toward trophies for tournament wins or custom quiz creation, and the social sharing feature (for game results) has been shared across Instagram and TikTok by players. The platform’s core scoring system (100 base points + speed bonuses) feels fair and keeps players coming back.
What we learned
Building for real users taught us to prioritize simplicity over complexity. We initially overloaded the host dashboard with features, but feedback pushed us to strip it down to what matters: easy room code generation, live score tracking, and manual question control. We also learned how critical edge case handling is—like expired room codes or late tournament registrations—small details that make or break the user experience. Technically, we mastered Socket.io for real-time communication and Firebase auth integration, skills I’ll carry to every project.
What's next for this project
First, we want to expand tournament features—adding seasonal leaderboards and virtual prize tiers for top finishers. We’re also working on a mobile-friendly web app (optimized for iOS/Android) to make on-the-go play easier. Long-term, we hope to partner with local pubs to offer branded trivia packs, and add a “quiz marketplace” where creators can share custom quizzes with the community. We’re also exploring accessibility features (screen reader support) to make Trivia Night Pro inclusive for all players.
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