This is just throwing an idea out there...

I think the issue might be a matter of context. Ideally, you want the students to use information to complete a challenge instead of answer trivia questions. Video games, in particular, tend to be very good at this - this video [NSFW for language] demonstrates just how much the game Mega Man X teaches players within the first few minutes of playing, and none of it is "password" knowledge, because it gets reused almost immediately in slightly different ways.

Further reading: Digital Game Based Learning by Marc Prensky. Chapter 1 is available online and is probably enough that you won't need to buy the book.

Professor James Paul Gee has also written extensively on the subject of video games and learning.