A fair game starts on the server.
KaBooom sends the question and choices to players while keeping the correct answer on the server until reveal. Players submit their answers; the server records the timing and calculates scores.
See what the phone receivesSet clear rules for prize games.
KaBooom cannot stop outside research, shared answers or someone using another browser. It does not verify who is behind a nickname. For a prize round, agree on those rules and how you will check the winner before play starts.
Options first. Correct answer after.
Before the answer reveal, the phone receives each option’s ID and text without an indication of which is correct. The colors and shapes identify the options. They do not reveal the answer.
While answers are open
The phone receives the question and each option’s ID and text. The player sees four answer buttons, with no correct option marked.
Which of these animals has three hearts?
The server holds the answer key until the question closes.
After the server closes the question
The shared screen reveals the correct answer and how the group answered. Each phone then receives the player’s result and the correct option’s ID.
- Correct2858%Octopus
- 817%Dolphin
- 715%Jellyfish
- 510%Seahorse
Static recreations of the current game screens. The question, 48 players, answer counts and score are examples. The game interface is in English; the sample question matches the page language.
One answer. One server clock.
Scoring uses the time the server receives an answer. Changing the phone’s clock does not change that time.
- Phone
Send a choice
The phone sends a question number and option ID. The server uses its own clock to record when the answer arrives.
- Server
Accept one answer
The first answer the server accepts counts and cannot be replaced. Network delay means the first person to tap may not be the first answer to arrive.
- Room
Close once, then reveal
The server closes the question when time runs out or when all expected players have answered. If several requests to close it arrive together, the server processes the transition only once.
How timing allowances work.
Small timing allowances reduce network penalties. They do not make every connection equally fast.
- 500 ms
Full speed points for the first half-second
In Classic and Survival modes, answers received in the first half-second earn full speed points. After that, speed points decrease to half the question’s base points at the deadline. Streak bonuses are added separately.
- Pause
Paused time does not count
When a question resumes, the server adjusts its start time and deadline by the duration of the pause. Time spent paused does not count toward response time.
- 250 ms
An extra quarter-second in Survival
Survival mode allows an extra quarter-second for answers still in transit after the timer reaches zero. An accepted answer can keep a player in the game, but earns late-answer speed points. Classic mode has no extra window.
You set the rules for joining.
Use the hosting controls to decide who can join and manage players during the game.
Decide who can join
The player limit is checked at entry, with a current maximum of 500. After the game starts, new players can join only if late joining is enabled. Survival mode does not allow new players after the start.
Understand what removing a player does
Removing a player blocks their current session from reconnecting unless the host lets them back in. It does not block the person or device. If the room is open, they can join again from a new browser session.
Names are checked at entry
Players cannot join with a nickname already in use in that room, regardless of capitalization. Nicknames do not verify identity or prevent similar names.
Understand the optional join check
Cloudflare Turnstile can check a browser before it joins. It is off by default. When enforced, a missing or failed check blocks entry. Players can still join if the verification service is unavailable. This check cannot guarantee that every player is human. Turnstile also runs on the contact page; a missing, failed or unavailable check prevents a beta form submission.