The name "Trivial Pursuit" was likely coined to be tongue-in-cheek. No doubt they were playing to the fact that "trivial" contains the word "trivia", but someone at Hasbro must have intended the self-deprecating connotation. Namely, that pursuing victory in a board game with random trivia questions isn't an achievement with any real substance.

In an era when most of us have a computer in our pocket, capable of looking up the answers to any of these questions, what is the point of this game? Sure, the one thing that keeps us from cheating is the fact that we're playing with friends or family. They keep us honest, because if we tried to pull out our smartphone to look up an answer, they'd balk. "Where's the fun in that?" they'd ask.

If someone asked me to play Trivial Pursuit, that's the question I'd ask them. If it's just as easy for me to look up the answer, why bother memorizing it?

A worthwhile pursuit (as opposed to a trivial one) is one with higher stakes. It's one that involves self-expression instead of merely spewing memorized facts. It's entering a painting into an art competition to be judged by peers. When it really matters, there is no card to tell you whether you were right or wrong.

The name "Trivial Pursuit" wasn't just a joke at the game's own expense; it was prescient nomenclature. The name was way ahead of its time.