A party forfeit that gets everyone hyped
Games are a staple of any party, whether it’s a birthday party or a Halloween party! But rather than just deciding winners and losers, things get even more exciting when there’s a penalty game for the loser.
In this article, we’ll introduce penalty game ideas that will take your party to the next level.
From classic ones you often see on TV to options that might reveal an embarrassing side of yourself, we’ve gathered a variety of punishments.
Be careful not to go overboard or force anyone, and enjoy them as one element to liven up your games!
Party-Pumping Punishments (1–10)
butt-letter
When you were a kid, didn’t you try “butt writing” at least once? It’s where you write the given word using your butt.
Instead of being given a prompt, it might also be fun to write something on your own and have others guess what it is.
It’s a slightly embarrassing punishment game because of the movements.
Russian cream puff
It’s like Russian roulette, but with cream puffs—Russian cream puffs.
You take bite-sized mini cream puffs and inject something that isn’t sweet cream, like mustard or wasabi, from the bottom.
It’s recommended for situations where a few people out of a large group have to do a penalty game.
It’s not good to leave food, so even if you get the mustard or wasabi one, make sure to eat it!
eat extremely spicy food
You often see scenes on variety shows where people have to eat insanely spicy food as a penalty, right? For those who aren’t good with spicy food, “extremely spicy” can be pretty rough…
Even for people who like spicy food, “extremely spicy” is quite a challenge.
Of course, the rule is to finish everything without leaving any food, so do your best!
doodles on the face
A classic punishment game: drawing on someone’s face.
Coloring the cheeks red, sketching a mustache under the nose, drawing eyes on the eyelids—doesn’t that already sound hilarious? These days, you can even buy special pens that wash off easily with water, so be sure to make good use of them.
imitation
If you want to spice up a party game with a fun penalty, impressions are a great choice.
How about doing impressions of celebrities or famous people? Distinctive personalities like Masahiro Nakai from SMAP or Matsuko Deluxe are especially recommended.
If you mimic their voice, gestures, and even catchphrases, you’re sure to get everyone laughing.
If you can, try adding your own twist, too.
The key is not to be shy—throw yourself into the role and go all out! Just be sure to avoid impressions that might hurt someone’s feelings.
Choose ones that keep things fun and lively.
funny face
The classic punishment game: making funny faces.
If it’s just a single funny face, it’ll be over in a flash, so it might be good to set rules like how many variations to do or how many minutes to keep it up.
A funny-face photo contest on smartphones could really liven things up too! It’s a bit scary that the photos might stick around, though…
bad-tasting drink
You often see this on variety shows as a punishment game—the loser has to drink something nasty.
Aojiru used to be the go-to, but it’s been getting tastier over time.
These days, it seems you can buy bitter teas made specifically for punishment games at variety shops, so using those is an option.
I also recommend quirky local specialty drinks.