This post was updated March 12 at 11:16 p.m.

Dan Ostrander is turning trivia into more than just a game.

Ostrander spends his Tuesday and Wednesday evenings in the nook next to the kitchen door at Barney’s Beanery in Westwood, where he hosts his weekly two- to three-hour trivia nights. Many UCLA students attend Ostrander’s trivia nights, forming teams to compete for gift cards and a Hot Wheels prize.

[Related: For the patrons of Barney’s Beanery, attending Trivia Night is a no-brainer]

Ostrander, a “Jeopardy!” enthusiast, said his passion for trivia started as a hobby, primarily sharing his talent through creating 61-question games for his family and friends. Ostrander said he accepted a position at Barney’s Beanery via Craigslist over three years ago and has since been working with the bar under his company Dan O’Trivia twice a week.

“I really appreciate being able to be fully in control of it,” Ostrander said. “It takes a little extra time, but I think it makes for a much better experience.”

When preparing for each night, Ostrander said he takes inspiration from his everyday life, paying attention to the radio or pulling from a bank of random knowledge facts his wife creates. Each round takes 45 to 90 minutes to create, with the music round – in which players have to guess a song and its artist – taking the longest, he said. He added that he does all of his own research, runs his Instagram account and designs the graphics.

Emmy Etlin, a fourth-year art history student, said that as a competitive person, she appreciates the time Ostrander puts into each round.

“Being a senior, it’s just a great place to spend time with my friends before we graduate,” Etlin said. “It’s something we can count on every week, and we all show up and spend time together.”

Teams are able to come up with their own names during the trivia nights, with names ranging from current event references and puns to UCLA inside jokes. Team names during the Feb. 18 event included “Department of Trivia Efficiency,” “Smarty Pints” and “UN Resolution: more shots!”

Ostrander said his favorite part about hosting is seeing the crowd’s reactions to each question. Students get fully involved, folding up their answer sheets as small as possible so other groups cannot see them and regularly calling out cheaters, he said. He added that the competitiveness can be intense.

“The UCLA student body especially (is) not just chronically online, but try-hards in the best way possible,” Ostrander said.

Gwen Sanders, a third-year climate science student, said coming to trivia is her favorite thing to do with friends. She said trivia is a nice change of pace from going out in Los Angeles. She added that she enjoys having the space to have an intellectual conversation and test her knowledge.

To keep the atmosphere light, Ostrander implemented a best name competition to set the tone of the night right away, he said. He especially loves it when players ask him to add in sound effects and accents, he added.

“If you set the mood to be raunchy … but also silly and funny, it gets people in the right space,” Ostrander said. “This isn’t a hardcore, extremely difficult, challenging trivia night. … I feel like the team names just set the stage for that.”

Fiona Choi, a fourth-year physiological science student, said she is constantly impressed by Ostrander’s creativity. She said she enjoys seeing all of the questions he creates.

Although the trivia itself is important, Ostrander said the people are just as integral to the overall experience. The bartenders, security and the Barney’s staff provide food, drinks and the essentials for keeping everyone happy, he added.

Wyatt Rose, a server at Barney’s Beanery, said he has enjoyed his time working with Ostrander, adding that he does a good job of interacting with players and keeping the energy up, despite the hectic environment of the bar. Rose’s favorite part of the night is hearing everyone’s reactions to getting the questions correct, he added.

In addition to the five rounds of trivia, Ostrander always reminds his customers to tip their servers prior to leaving, especially since tipping can make a huge difference to staff members facing the high cost of living in LA.

“When huge tables don’t tip, it severely impacts these people,” Ostrander said. “They keep it alive. It couldn’t happen without them.”

Anne Hogue, a fourth-year psychobiology student, said coming to trivia is the highlight of her week. Considering herself a regular, she said Ostrander always pulls out the best themes and creates a fun environment.

“I love Dan,” Hogue said. “He really just knows how to light up a room. He knows what the crowd wants.”

Ostrander said he is excited to continue to challenge the crowd and introduce a new set of trivia themes for the spring. He said building the community and keeping in contact with students is an essential part of this plan.

“I never thought I would get to do this,” Ostrander said. “Doing this and have the support of the crowd, all of the nice messages. It really is a dream.”