- Thank you for agreeing to this interview with Webmazers. As a participant and a winner in all Webmazers online hunts, we reckon that you are a true hunter and game for all kinds of challenges. Is that a correct assessment?
Claire Chin: Yes that is true. I enjoy all forms of mental challenges, including treasure hunts of sorts. - Tell us a bit about yourself. Background, school, what you are doing now, and all your interests.
Claire: I have a BSc. in Mathematics from University Science Malaysia and Master in Business Administration from University of Ballarat (Australia). At work, I’m currently involved in enterprise risk management and business analysis in the general insurance industry.I’m most passionate about treasure hunts and will join as many hunts as possible, which are usually organized on weekends, and all online hunts by Webmazers. Perhaps it was the similar nature of my studies, work and treasure hunts needing us to think analytically and laterally at the same time which endeared me to this exciting sport.
- Since most participants of online hunts are actual treasure hunters, when did you start taking part in treasure hunts?
Claire: If memory serves me right, my 1st hunt was a closed motor hunt by invitation sometime end of 2006 and my 2nd hunt was an open walk hunt in March 2007.
- What was it about hunts that made you participate in more and more hunts?
Claire: Treasure hunts pose a wide variety of challenges which I simply love. The challenges not only test our analytical skills, but also our ability to manage our time properly during a hunt, make quick decisions, work together as a team without throwing anyone out of the car, and many other forms of challenges. Cryptic questions in treasure hunts sharpen our minds and train us to think out of the box.
It was also through participating in treasure hunts on weekends that I met many hunters with similar passion, and made several good friends who are hard to come by.
- Was there anything in your past that gave you any indication that hunts would be a regular feature in your weekends?
Claire: When I woke up every morning looking forward to the next hunt, and when I started getting “withdrawal symptoms” during weekends when there were no hunts, I knew I was addicted to it!
- What were the main difficulties you faced in the early hunts that you took part in
Claire: The biggest difficulty I faced when I first started hunting was forming a team. My friends and colleagues at that time did not share the same interest in hunts. Some would try out for once or twice and then called it quits. Most hunts (if not all), would require us to form a team of 2 to 4 persons. Finding 1 other person to join me was hard enough, let alone finding 3 others! I remember having to “drag” my friend to my 2nd hunt in 2007 until we lost our umbrellas because we were looking at something else instead of searching for the answers. Luckily we ended up with lucky draws.Once a team was formed, the next difficulty was actually solving the questions. Well, I wouldn’t call that a difficulty, but more of a challenge. At the beginning, many of the questions looked like Greek!Working as a team was another big challenge. It’s not just about solving questions, but also interacting with 3 other people in a small enclosed space (a car) for several hours. 4 different people and we’ll have 4 different views.
- What steps did you take to overcome specific difficulties encountered in Q6?
Claire: I was fortunate to have met up with several other novice hunters with similar interests through a treasure hunt blog in 2007. We were all solo hunters at that time. Hence, we decided to test the waters and formed a team with each other. From then on, there was no turning back. As we got to know more people in the hunting fraternity, our team members changed as well.
- Any specific advice regarding these difficulties for the new hunter?
Claire: If you have difficulty in forming a team, do sign up with hunters-inc, a Yahoo Group for treasure hunters. There is a list of solo hunters looking for others to form teams.As for cracking cryptic questions, there is no short-cut to that except to practice, practice and practice! Join as many treasure hunts as possible, be it a walk hunt, motor hunt, or online hunt. Sometimes you may obtain past questions and answers from friends, but it’s never the same as being there and trying it out yourself.And what if you face difficulties working within your team? Well sometimes the more we work together, the more we get to know each other better. Be open to opinions and ideas from your team mates.
- What is your opinion on the online hunts by Webmazers?
Claire: I enjoy the online hunts by Webmazers very much. I must admit that when there is an online hunt going on, I’ll be carrying the questions around with me everywhere. Sometimes I get inspiration (to crack a question) in the weirdest places.
- In what way do online hunts differ from treasure hunts in the area of questions?
Claire: In my opinion, Webmazers’ online hunt questions are generally more challenging than the usual weekend treasure hunts. In a normal hunt, the time allotted will only be several hours, but the time allotted for an online hunt is about 10 days, giving us more time to truly savor the tougher questions.Another difference is that treasure hunts require us to work in a team of 2-4 persons, while online hunts are individual-based.Oh yes, having an internet connection is a must for online hunts!
- Is time allotted (about 10 days) sufficient for the online hunter to crack the questions?
Claire: Yes, in my opinion. However I wouldn’t mind being given 2 weeks as weekdays can get pretty hectic.
- Any suggestions re the format of the 1st 3 online hunts? Is the cryptic and the quiz division an acceptable feature?
Claire: The division of cryptic and quiz questions is a good feature in Webmazers’ online hunts. In the 1st 2 online hunts, there were 12 quiz questions and 18 cryptic questions, while in the 3rd online hunt, there were 14 quiz questions and 16 cryptic questions. I usually enjoy having more cryptic questions. A division of 40% quiz and 60% cryptic questions is good.
- Any other comments on the format and scope of the questions? ( cryptic limited to the stand-alone phrases and titles and the quiz limited to detailed sentences)
Claire: Limiting answers of the cryptic questions to stand-alone phrases and titles or short words gives participants a fair chance of solving the questions. Probably the quiz questions can be opened to any page and part of the website.What I adore most about Webmazers’ online hunts is the usage of a wide variety of cryptic techniques, infused with general knowledge ranging from music to physics to English literature. We get to enhance our cryptic solving skills and learn new things at the same time.
- What were your favourite questions in each of the online hunts and why?
Claire:
Webmazers Hunt #1:
My favorite question from the 1st online hunt would be this:
Q: “Ideally, VP doesn’t change when son takes over joint.”
A: Coleslaw
The surface reading of this question is smooth and leads us to imagine a company where the Vice President remains the same when son takes over. However, the explanation is far from that! Here, we get to learn about Boyle’s Law where for ideal gasses, the product of the volume (V) and pressure (P) remains constant. When we replace “co” (which is joint) with “boy” (which is son) in “Coleslaw”, we get “Boyleslaw”. This question combines wordplay and some knowledge on physics. Brilliant, isn’t it?
Webmazers Hunt #2:
My favorite question from the 2nd online hunt would be this:
Q: “Post fight analysis after TKO!”
A: Gift Shop
Yet again, this question had a smooth surface reading. What came to mind were some sports analysts doing a detailed analysis of a boxing match after the winner gave his opponent a technical knockout. But what was actually required here was a play of words. The letter “T” was to be “knocked out” from “Post fight” and the remaining letters to be scrambled to get “Gift Shop”.
Webmazers Hunt #3:
I had several favorites in this edition. If I were to choose one, it would be this:
Q: “A mouldy chest is buried in the ground.”
A: Perfect Shield
Imagine carrying a shovel to dig for a buried treasure chest! A simple explanation of “mouldy” being the anagram indicator for “chest”, found within “field”, which is “ground” solves the question. I enjoy a question which tells an entirely different story from what it cryptically means, making us think laterally.
- Do you find the questions different in quality from the RR treasure hunts ? If so , what are the differences?
Claire: In term of questions, both RR treasure hunts and the Webmazers’ online hunts offer cryptic questions of the highest quality. Sometimes I do find that Webmazers’ online hunt questions to be a notch tougher, which is good seeing that participants are given several days to crack them.
- Do you think that in doing the online hunts, you get a better idea of the products and/or services of the websites concerned?
Claire: I certainly do! Before participating in the online hunts, I was not aware of some of the products/ services offered. Browsing through the websites concerned in search of the answers to the questions is certainly a more interesting way to attract visitors to the websites.
- Do you think online hunting is an effective way of telling people in an entertaining way , the value and qualities of the products/and or services?
Claire: As I have replied to your earlier question, online hunting is a more interesting way to attract people to browse through the websites. It is pretty effective too as it is not often that people read through the products/ services websites in such detail. In a nutshell, it is a good marketing tool.
- One of the differences between online hunts and treasure hunts is that the first is individual –based and the 2nd is team–based. Were you scared to take part in the beginning because it was individual based?
Claire: Scared to take part? No. I did wonder if I could answer the cryptic questions on my own. At first glance, the questions did look rather daunting. But after successfully cracking a few questions, the sheer satisfaction was enough to drive me on. Both team-based and individual-based hunts present their own unique experiences and set of challenges. In a team-based hunt, we work as a team, while in an individual-based hunt like Webmazers’ online hunt, we get to challenge ourselves.To those who have yet to give online hunts a try, there is nothing to be afraid about. It is ok to make mistakes, but practice more and you’ll get the hang of it. Challenge yourselves to persevere.
- In what personal way has the online hunt affected your approach to solving cryptic clues in actual treasure hunt?
Claire: Practicing on the online hunt questions sharpened my ability to solve cryptic clues in an actual treasure hunt. It kept my mind sharp when there were no hunts on the weekends.
- Any other comments on online hunts?
Claire: When’s the next one?
Thank you, Claire!.
16. October 2009
0 Comments