Teen drinking is a big issue in the current climate, as it has been for some years now. This means we need more positive role models in our culture to discourage teenagers from thinking that drinking to excess is an acceptable way to live.

However, a new game on the Nintendo Wii does exactly the opposite. ‘Beer Pong’ is a student game whereby ping pong balls are tossed into cups of beer, which is then consumed as quickly as possible. It’s a popular drinking game around Universities. The Nintendo has a version of ‘Beer Pong’, where the same principle of the game applies. However, the game came under fire from mental health experts who believe that it will just encourage drinking among teens.

JV Games developed the game, where players have to toss a ping pong ball into their opponent’s cup, thus teaching all of the necessary skills to play the real Beer Pong.
Eva Levine is a New York psychologist:

When a behaviour is modelled or practiced in any form, it becomes more likely to be practiced in the future Kids are very susceptible to this type of media. I see it all the time with young kids and adolescents. It’s definitely true that children that are exposed to alcohol use are much more likely to engage in alcohol behaviour.

The fears of teenage drinking are very real, as an analysis of US federal records showed that a staggering 157 youths, between the ages of 18-23, killed themselves through alcohol abuse between 1999 and 2005.