Germs Don't Stop People:
The Best Drinking Games Around Campus

Nick Mordowanec

A few germs won’t stop most people. Despite the health hazards of drinking games, as reported by Robert McElwee, here’s a look at MSU’s most popular ways to enter the world of the inebriated.

The weekend has finally arrived, and you are all ready to party. You and your roommates just purchased a quarter-barrel keg at the local liquor store, along with a new tap to help break in the evening. A trendy Facebook event was even created to help inform your friends of the night you have in store…you know, just to show how awesome you are for throwing a party.

Suddenly you realize that besides the bass-bumping stereo system that blasts “Paper Planes,” you have nothing set up to give your guests that good time they are looking for. If you don’t have activities that mix drinking and competitiveness at Michigan State University, then people will almost always trek to another party.

This is where I come in.  Having experienced the best of both of worlds when it comes to house parties and ultimate keggers, I understand what it takes to throw the biggest bash on the street. It is a simple formula any host can comprehend: drinking + drinking games = fun.

And the most glorious aspect of the events that make up a drinking decathlon? You can do it within the comforts of your own abode! So let’s put on our beer goggles and dive into the foamy fun of the most notable drinking games to ever grace our countertops.

The first event on our list is called Flip Cup (also known as Flip the Cup, Cups). The game consists of a team-based relay race in which the first team to down all of its cups and flip them over wins. The components needed to play this game include at least six people (three on each team), a plastic drinking cup for each competitor, a countertop or rectangular table and your choice of alcohol. 

After teams have been assembled and cups have been filled with a predetermined amount of beer (or liquor), the game is ready to begin.  Both teams stand on opposite sides of the table and face the other team in a Western-style showdown. One side of the table is chosen to begin the game. The starting members line up in honorary fashion, giving cheers to their opponents and then downing the liquid in their cups. Once the beer has been consumed, the drinker then places the cup “mouth up” on the edge of the table and tries to “flip it” upside down. Once the cup has been successfully flipped, the next team member repeats the same process. The game continues until one team completes the cycle, becoming the new Flip Cup champions. Hooray for victory! And that huge buzz you just obtained.

The next event is a little more complicated, but I am sure even the most belligerent of human beings can comprehend the material that follows. It is politely named Kings (but also known as King’s Cup, Ring of Fire, Four Kings, Circle of Death). Kings is a card game in which in as many players can join as wanted, as long as each person has their own personal beverage. An empty cup or mug is needed for the “king’s cup.” A deck of cards is then shuffled face down all around the cup in the middle.

A player is chosen to start the game and picks a random card. This is when all the fun ensues. Each card has a different meaning, from two to Ace. Although you will find that different groups of drinkers follow a different set of rules (which is to be expected), the most primary rules are put into effect and the entire purpose of the game is all the same. Without further ado, here are my rules when playing Kings:

2:  Rhymes with “you,” so pick a friend to drink.
3:  Rhymes with “me,” therefore the player who picked the card drinks.
4:  Girls drink. Pretty self-explanatory.
5:  “Never have I ever…” Each player puts up three fingers and the person who drew the card commences. Players can say anything that begins with “Never have I ever…” Example:  If someone said “Never have I ever talked to Drew Neitzel about Mexican pizza,” I would have to put one of my fingers down. The round continues until one player has put down all three fingers, giving them the thumbs-up to take a few sips of their beverage.
6:  Guys drink. Take a sip to manhood.
7:  Seven’s heaven – last person to put their hands to the sky drinks.
8:  Pick a date (or a mate) - pick another player to drink with you.
9:  Nine is about the rhyme; the card-picker says one word that can be rhymed and the next player has to find a word to counteract. The player who cannot come up with a rhyme has to drink.
10:  Categories. The card-picker picks a category that all players must associate with. For example, the player can make a category entitled “Star Wars villains” or “Robert De Niro movies.” The player who fails to come up with an answer to the aforementioned category has to drink.
Jack:  Make a rule. For example, the card-picker can make a rule which states that every player must have one hand on the table while they are drinking their beverage. Those who do not follow the rule must drink more. Win either way, right?
Queen:  Questions. The card-picker begins and asks a random player a question.  The person must respond by asking another question to another player.  The first player who either fails to not respond with a question or takes too long to pose a question has to drink.
King:  King’s Cup. The card-picker simply pours contents into the cup in the middle of the table – beer, wine, Jack Daniels...anything your heart desires.
Ace:  Waterfall. Everyone drinks. The card-picker drinks first and the person next to him drinks for as long as the first person does, with the cycle continuing until the last person is done. “Waterfall” is just an easy, more precise way of saying, “I control how hammered you get.”
The game can last as long as the players want to reshuffle the deck and keep playing.  However, when the fourth King is drawn from the deck, the person who picked the card must knock back all of the contents in the “King’s cup.”

There are simple drinking games like Quarters and Edward Fortyhands.

In Quarters, players try to bounce a quarter (surprise!) into a glass filled with alcohol. If successful they tell another player to drink the beverage. If three consecutive bounces are made, the player can make a rule similar to the one in Kings.

Edward Fortyhands consists of both players duct-taping a 40 oz. beverage to each their hands. Both hands must stay taped until both beverages are consumed. So if you are a sorority girl always drunk texting or you “broke the seal” and have to relieve yourself, you must finish these beverages in a hurry. Remember, cheaters never prosper.

Finally, I saved the best game for last. I am sure you are aware what it is. The Super Bowl of drinking games, the Lindsey Lohan of bad acting. Of course I am speaking of Beer Pong.

I dare you to attend a collegiate party and not find a game of pong going on within the vicinity. It is easy to play, fun to watch and involves a decent level of skill (or luck).

Beer Pong is played on a long table. The game is usually played with four people, two on each team. Each team has 10 plastic cups on their side which are arranged in a four-three-two-one manner, with the four cups closest to the team. The goal is to shoot ping pong balls into the plastic cups. The team that first achieves to knock out all 10 cups is declared the victor.

To decide who shoots first, both teams face off in a blind shootout in which opponents look at each other’s eyes and try to make the ping pong ball in the cup. Whoever is successful gets to start the game.
Although rules are different in many different areas, some rules are agreed upon everywhere. One rule is when both members of a team make a cup, that team is given its balls back to shoot again. Another rule is when both members of a team make the same cup, the other team has to drink three cups AND give the balls back. Those shots are clutch.

Each team also gets two re-racks. A re-rack is basically a new formation for the cups to be aligned, usually done to achieve easier shooting lanes. Since each team gets two re-racks; I like to play re-racks only on three and six (cups remaining), but some people like to play with two re-racks anytime. However, it is agreed upon that re-racks cannot be called “mid-turn,” when a team has just made two cups in succession.

Another rule is for bouncing. Players can bounce balls into cups and, if successful, the other team must drink two cups. The opposing team can swat away bounces, but cannot swat balls in midair.

Some beer pong games are epic because they go into overtime from a rebuttal. A rebuttal occurs when a team has already eliminated all of their opponent’s cups and the other team gets a chance for retribution. The game becomes a “shoot-‘til-you-miss” contest in which each team member keeps shooting as long as they make a cup. If each team’s cups are all eliminated, then a three-cup overtime ensues to declare a winner.

In a world full of confusion and deceit, we are lucky enough to have games which still enforce the importance of rules during such a petty occurrence as drinking alcohol. I only described a few of many games that can be played while enjoying your favorite beer or boxed wine, although I personally believe that the games listed are at the top of their class when it comes to drinking. Sort of the Harvard of alcohol consumption. So before you go out to another party or try to throw your own, brush up on your skills as if you are studying for your next exam. For now, the keg is officially tapped.

Questions? Comments? Contact Nick Mordowanec at mordowan@msu.edu

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