The Penis Game

The penis game is a chicken-like game meant to be played in a public place. A number of participants take turns saying "penis"—or another publicly awkward word; vagina is another common choice—at increasingly loud levels, starting from a whisper, and possibly ending with shouts. Each player must be noticeably louder than the last, but what qualifies as noticeable is only subjectively measured. The game generally ends when one person either declines to say "penis", says it at an inadequate volume, exhibits embarrassment related to others' taking notice, or gets into trouble if at a school or classroom setting. In American culture, to say or yell the word "penis" in public is generally considered taboo, contributing to the choice of this word for the game. Depending on the situation, one may yell words other than simply "penis."