An Anti-Binge Drinking Game We Can All Learn From. Or Not

The Australian government’s disdain for mature video games notwithstanding, they’re totally cool with a video game in which you get hammered, sing karaoke, throw up all over yourself, get in a fight and end up with the hospital. That was my experience, at least, with “Drinking Nightmare,” a government-sponsored game that presents you with an evening full of choices about boozing, all in the name of learning a lesson.

“It’s Saturday night and it’s time to let your hair down,” the game says. “But will you be reckless or responsible?” I chose the former option, grabbing a drink at every possible turn. Drinking Nightmare sends the player around a game board, making decisions at key points in the night. Do you grab another drink before playing pool or sit this round out? Do you drive or walk to the next party? Along the way, the game presents little factoids about alcohol consumption. Apparently four Australians under age 25 die every week due to alcohol-related injuries.

Thing is, the game’s half decent, but it either succumbs to its inherent desire to drive home a message, or it’s just poorly designed. On my first playthrough, I drank as much as possible, got ill and stumbled into some people while leaving a party. This resulted in a fight, and making “a complete fool of yourself through embarrassing actions, leaving you with a deep sense of regret, all because of your drinking,” said the game.

But on the second playthrough, I kept things under control, not exceeding my real-life limits and avoiding drunk driving. Guess what? I still bumped into someone while leaving the final party, again turning me into a complete fool even though I had a great time and even scored a date. The message? No matter how much you drink, you’d better not bump into anyone, especially in Australia. [via Reddit]