Urinal Video Game: Now That’s a Pisser

Generally, the term, “That’s a pisser” refers to some event that has gone awry. You oversleep and miss your ride to work – that’s a pisser. A cruder use of the term is the reference to a urinal (no explanation required).

The first time I saw entertainment at a urinal was in the mid-1970s at Chuck’s Steakhouse in Southwick, Massachusetts. Chuck’s management had affixed the front page of the day’s sports’ page to the wall above the urinal just at eye level. Cool … something to do while …

A number of years later, I used another establishment’s men’s room that outdid Chuck’s. These folks attached a television monitor to the wall above the urinal. Forget the stinking sports’ page, now I had ESPN!

The next advancement in urinal entertainment has been developed by Captive Media. Captive Media is a British company that has designed a washroom engagement marketing system. “What is a washroom engagement marketing system?” you ask. It’s a urinal video game. Yes, that is not a misprint – I wrote that it’s a urinal video game.

Courtesy Google Images

According to usnews.com two office complexes in the United States, and about a dozen companies in Europe, are using the system. Usnews.com reports that the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the triple A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Philadelphia Phillies, have installed the system in their ballpark. It will make its debut when the team has its home opener on April 4, 2013.

The video game that will be deployed at the IronPigs stadium is an alpine skiing game. The skier is controlled by where the player pees. Pee left, turn left; pee right, turn right.

Captive Media says that published research indicates the average male in the United Kingdom spends fifty-five seconds at a urinal – the near equivalent of two television commercials.

In my opinion this urinal video falls into the category of, “That’s a pisser.” I don’t like the idea of urinal video games. It’s bad enough that some guys try to text and use the urinal. Now, some guys might never leave the bathroom. If this gains popularity the men’s room could become as crowded as the women’s room. I can envision competitive guys, a beer in one hand, guiding the stream with the other, monopolizing the urinals trying to get highest score. So much for getting in and getting out.

Granted, I’m not a gamer so I might be biased. What do you think – is anyone interested in a urinal video game?