Simple but intense! A quick-and-easy penalty game that hypes everyone up
Many people probably like to play games when getting together with friends, or at year-end and New Year parties.
And when it comes to games with winners and losers, punishments are a must! A little something scary that awaits the person who loses.
In this article, we’ll introduce some of the heavier punishment-game ideas.
We’ve gathered a variety—from absolutely mortifying ones you’d never want to do to those that pack a psychological punch.
Be mindful of your relationships and choose ideas that, while heavy, still let everyone end with a laugh!
Embarrassing Punishment/Prank Ideas That Cause Psychological Damage (1–10)
Pocky game
The Pocky Game is a surefire penalty game that will liven up gatherings with friends or drinking parties.
The rules are simple: two people eat a single Pocky stick from opposite ends, so anyone can join easily.
As your faces get closer, the excitement builds, and it gets especially lively when two men take on the challenge.
The slight embarrassment of almost kissing is part of the fun, making it something everyone can enjoy together.
Even the person who loses can end with a smile—give this charming penalty game a try.
It’s guaranteed to get the party going!
Embarrassing line reading
It’s a simple penalty game where you have someone say embarrassing lines inspired by various works like manga and TV dramas.
The key is not to water down the lines—have them deliver the lines with full commitment while imagining the situation, and look forward to their reaction afterward.
Some people may find certain lines less uncomfortable than others, so it could be interesting to notice which types each person finds most embarrassing.
If you repeat the game and penalties quickly, players might get used to the embarrassing lines, so having a good variety of lines is also an important point.
Put on pantyhose over one’s head
A truly embarrassing punishment game: wearing pantyhose over your head! You often see it on variety shows, but there probably aren’t many people who’ve actually seen someone do it in real life.
It deals a big psychological blow and is perfect as a punishment game, but showing it off outdoors is pretty much torture.
If you’re doing it as a penalty at a friends’ drinking party or a year-end party, please keep it to a private room or inside the venue only.
Also, thick tights can make it hard to breathe and are dangerous, so if you’re going to put something over someone’s head, make sure it’s thin stockings!
A dance competition held in the city (for beginners)
Having your performance watched by others feels especially embarrassing when the people around you aren’t interested in you.
This dare focuses on being seen by those uninterested onlookers: performing a dance in the middle of town.
Choose a setting where as many people as possible will see you, improvise a dance on the spot, and take in the reactions around you—along with the embarrassment.
Since the police are likely to show up without prior permission, it’s also important to pick a location where you won’t cause too much trouble for others.
Change the name for a certain period
It’s a punishing game where, for a set period, you must go by a different name and your friends present must keep calling you by that name—making it tough because it doesn’t end when the moment passes.
You can choose a pattern where the name includes embarrassing words you wouldn’t want to call yourself, or a simpler name that lets you experience a longer-term rename.
Aim for a good balance between the words and the duration.
Emphasize clearly introducing yourself with the new name and responding when others address you by it; adding extra penalties when someone fails to respond also sounds harsh.
To avoid bothering outsiders, it’s best to keep the rename strictly within your group.
Doodles on the forehead
It’s a traditional, simple punishment game where you draw on someone’s forehead with a marker.
Some of you may have done this to a sleeping friend on a school trip.
Since you can’t check what’s been written on your own forehead and it’s hard to remove if it’s done with a permanent marker, it can cause serious damage both mentally and physically.
Depending on what you draw, it could go beyond a harmless prank and turn into a fight, so keep it within a range that everyone can laugh about.
Change the sentence ending
The penalty game where the loser has to change their sentence endings for a set period can be really embarrassing, depending on what those endings are.
Whether it’s something quirky like an anime character’s speech style or, for standard speakers, adopting dialect expressions, it can be mentally tough.
It’s fun because you can adjust the duration—from a few days to a month after the game, or just until the next person loses—based on the number of players and your relationships.
It’s a sure-fire, laugh-out-loud penalty game that I hope you’ll try, from standard options to ones with real impact.
one-shot gag
It’s a punishment game that tests both creativity and quick thinking, where each person has to come up with a gag on the spot and perform it.
Deciding what kind of material to do is also crucial; if creating something original is tough, have them perform an existing gag in their own style, with their own movements and energy.
For people who aren’t used to it, performing a gag can feel embarrassing, but if you steel yourself and just go for it, you’ll minimize the damage afterward.
Using existing material works too—set a theme like “whose gag do you want to see,” or have everyone come up with an original gag based on a chosen theme.
That flow is recommended.
Shopping in a bodysuit
This is a punishment game where the person wears a full-body suit—strongly associated with comedy sketches—and has to go about their business in that state.
Even people who can tolerate being seen like that by friends will find it tough when unrelated strangers start paying attention.
The contrast between the flashy appearance and the completely ordinary activity of just shopping also heightens the embarrassment.
Since wearing only a full-body suit can sometimes cause trouble for those around you, it’s recommended to wear regular clothes and let the parts that stick out be covered by the suit for the visual effect.
Take a purikura photo alone
Purikura are really only fun when you take them with friends or a partner, right? This punishment game is to go take purikura alone.
Just imagining heading to the purikura corner by yourself, while most people around you are there in groups, is terrifying.
People nearby who don’t know what’s going on would probably see someone taking purikura alone and think they must be a huge narcissist.
Enduring those stares from others is what makes it so tough.
Since all you have to do is go to a game center, it’s an easy punishment to carry out.
