Disclaimer: College Blender.com does not promote or endorse underage or binge drinking. All of these games are intended for those of legal drinking age and to be done in moderation.

While drinking alcohol isn’t a prerequisite to having a good time in college, let’s be realistic: a comfortable majority of students enjoy a beer…or many on a semi-regular basis.  It’s not hard to see why: freshmen are celebrating their liberation from their parents, sophomores and juniors are stress-balling about making the excellent grades they need to graduate with honors, while seniors are freaking the hell out about their pending release into the Real World … and the start of those dreaded student loan payments.

But let’s forget about all that tonight, as we are all collectively in the present moment … why not be one big happy drunk family together?  As fun as normal socializing is while consuming your favorite alcoholic beverage,  sometimes a little stirring of the pot is necessary to elevate a party from awesome to epic.

This is where drinking games come in, as it adds equal parts of social interaction, shared laughs, and most importantly, wanton consumption of alcohol! So get started on that hefty pre-game meal to soak up the punishment that your liver is about to take, because after playing one or more of the games below, your head will be feeling the effects the next morning if you don’t prepare properly (drink water regularly through the evening as well, and have fun!)

1) Flipcup

Beer pong is so ten years ago.  The plastic drinking glass game that is sweeping the nation these days is the intense, fast-paced game of Flipcup.  The object of this contest is simply this: you take two teams, and line them up down a table (3 per side minimum).

Filling the cups halfway (all the way if you’re truly ambitious) with beer, the first grouping of drinking combatants chugs their beer, placing the cup upside down on the edge of the table when finished.  The player then has to flip the cup so that it lands on its proper bottom without falling over.  When this task is successfully completed, the next person down the line can drink.  First side to complete these tasks successfully to the end wins!

2) Card games

There are many card games that can be made into drinking games, or were invented with drinking in mind. Asshole is a prominent one, where the deuce is the trump card, with values descending A,K, Q through to the worst cards, 4 and 3. The first player can lead with any card (the worst one(s) they have is the smart play), and the next player has to get rid of the same card or better.

Combos add more excitement to the game, where a player getting rid of three 5’s for example would compel the next to play a three card combo or higher, lest they have to pass on their turn. The president is the one who finishes first, vice president is 2nd, and the last two players are saddled with the titles vice asshole and asshole, compelling them to drink half and chug their beer respectively.

3) Drinking games based on movies or TV shows

These types of games proliferate widely throughout the internet, with combos of drinks and chugging being assigned for the cliché actions and sayings that actors/actresses in common movies and TV shows perform on a regular basis.  An example out of the infinite number that exist: In one particular Walking Dead drinking game, one of the cues to drink includes when Rick tries to restore hope to the group (all the time without success, it seems!), and chugging happens whenever somebody gets killed by a zombie (even if they are a redshirt).

4) Quarters

This game seems simple enough at the start, but the sorry state of most people’s coordination skills (made worse by all the drinks you’ll consume by losing to someone more experienced than you) and understanding of physics make this a challenging but fun contest.

In order to play, start with a glass in the middle of the table.  You then take a quarter and attempt to bounce it off the table and into said glass.  A successful shot means you get to pick who takes a drink. The shooter keeps taking shots at the glass until they miss, whereupon the quarter goes to the next player.  If you wish to try again after your first attempt, some versions allow you to declare “chance”.  Hitting this shot allows you to keep going as per usual, but missing results in a penalty of at least two drinks.

5) Century Club (attempt with beer ONLY)

Also known as Power Hour in a toned down version of this game, players attempting to join the Century Club bring a shotglass and at least eight beers with them to the event.  A song list with splits that occur once every two minutes needs to be prepared beforehand, as when the song switches, a drink of beer from their filled up shotglass must be taken.  A fun thing to do during this 3+ hour boozefest is to pass around a pen and a large notepad/scribbler, noting the thoughts of participants as they descend the downward spiral into excessive drunkeness!

What other fun drinking games do you know? Share them in the comments below!