Inside Social Games

Oh alcohol, you are the bane and the savior of entertainment – you are the cause and solution to all of life’s problems. Okay, maybe not, but surely most of you have heard sayings like this before; and with the plethora of college humor, movies, and ads surrounding alcohol, it is no surprise that some form of drinking game would come about.

Pass a Drink is one such “game.” However, the term “game” is not entirely accurate, as there really isn’t any game play involved. This application is more intended to be a social drinking simulation. You start out with a couple of classic drinks that range from beers to shots to those colorful “girly” drinks most men are too “macho” to even touch, and you pass them around to your Facebook friends as gifts.

As you receive these so-called “gifts,” you begin to get “drunk” as your “drunk-o-meter” rises with each drink you… well, drink. That’s really all there is too it as far as functionality goes. All Pass a Drink really is, is a means to socially interact with your virtual friends using a form of virtual goods. Considering that drinking tends to be a social activity anyway, it makes for a rather synergistic marriage.

In light of the social goals of this application, you can add it to your profile directly in order to show the world just how much of a virtual alcoholic you really are as it displays the drinks your friends send to you and just how drunk you are getting.

The application is by no means some earth-shattering discovery that is going to change the course of human history, but for what it is meant to be, it’s a nice addition to Facebook. The graphical representations of each drink are pleasant to look at, and there is always a fun and entertaining blurb about the drink to check out as you buy and unlock new beverages using a finite amount of points and improve your alcohol mastery.

Sadly, there are still many favorite drinks missing from the 40 that are currently available (though it wouldn’t be surprising to see them added at some point). With around 2.6 million monthly users, one can see that people do enjoy using this app. It’s not some amazing game or thought invoking quiz, nor is it trying to be. Pass a Drink is merely a simple virtual gift sharing application among Facebook friends that has included a few extra features, and is certainly worth adding to your profile if you are into this sort of thing. Just remember, be it virtual or real, always drink responsibly, but if you are going to do it irresponsibly, please do it here.