In recent months, a free smartphone application called “Trivia Crack” has gained a great following in North America, especially among teenagers.

Available in several languages, the trivia question game features a virtual spinning wheel which players use to randomly select a category. Categories include history, geography, science, art and sports. Players can compete against friends or random users around the world.

The game encourages players to obtain and retain more knowledge about what used to be mundane school topics.

Trivia Crack also puts a new and original twist on trivia games, which are often limited to TV shows such as “Jeopardy” and “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” Anyone with a smartphone can participate in trivia games.

Teens are finding this new game addictive and educational.

Junior Sylvia Nguyen said, “I play Trivia Crack in my spare time because it’s fun to challenge different types of people. I especially like playing against my friends because it’s nice to beat them, and we just have a lot of fun.”

Freshman Sara Cheng said, “I feel like I gained some educational benefit from Trivia Crack. If I got a question wrong, it told me the correct answer and I learned something new, especially in the sports section because I don’t know much about sports.”

Created in Argentina and released in October 2013, the game first gained popularity in Latin America. However, Trivia Crack only topped the North American charts in recent months and is currently in the #1 spot for Free Apps in the App Store and in the Google Play Store.