Don’t Be A Dick: New Mobile Phone ‘Game’ Improves Your Dining Etiquette

Some people find it hard to switch off the mobile, even when out to dinner with friends. So one Tumblr user decided to create a game to try and improve relationships over the dinner table. He calls it, “Don’t Be A Di*k During Meals With Friends.”

The rules of the game are simple. Everybody puts their phone down on the table face down, and the first person to check their phone over the course of the meal picks up the bill for everybody. If the bill arrives before anybody caves to their Twitter craving, everyone is declared the winner and you pay your own meals.

It’s a great idea. I for one would have a lot of trouble avoiding the allure of checking Facebook during a meal, so the incentive of not having to buy everyone else’s dinner might actually keep me engaged with the people at the table.

Introducing our new game called:

“Don’t Be A Di*k During Meals With Friends.”

The first person to crack and look at their phone picks up the check.

Our (initial) purpose of the game was to get everyone off the phones free from twitter/fb/texting and to encourage conversations.

Rules:

1) The game starts after everyone has ordered.

2) Everybody places their phone on the table face down.

3) The first person to flip over their phone loses the game.

4) Loser of the game pays for the bill.

5) If the bill comes before anyone has flipped over their phone everybody is declared a winner and pays for their own meal.

Variations/house rules:

-Starting the game after everyone is seated.

-In the rare event that multiple people flip their phones simultaneously, the bill is split between said players.

- Feel free to invoke penalties/strikes systems.

Notes:

- No touching or messing with anybody else’s phones.

- You don’t have to stack the phones. This was done for picture taking purposes.

- I realize I should perhaps think of a different name for this awesome game. Because I don’t mean to imply that everyone who checks their phone during meals is a di*k.

- I recommend not being such a stickler or hardass on people about the rules and even initiation of the game. Basic premise is to just get people open to the idea of staying active and attentive to one another. But if someone has to take a call; they have to take a call =).

- Have fun! It’s really more of a fun concept in this new age high tech life of ours. Conversation is the spice of life.

[lil-b Tumblr]