If, like us, you have been annoyed by a dinner companion who incessantly checks incoming texts while you’re attempting to carry on a conversation, then the new game “The Phone Stack” aka “Don’t Be A Di*k During Meals With Friends” must be played. The rules are simple and begin after ordering: Each person at the table is required to place their phone facedown, (for dramatic effect you can stack the cellphone pile in the center of the table) at the beginning of the meal. While eating, incoming email and text notifications will sound, and the first person who picks up his/her phone also picks up the entire bill. If no one gives into temptation, every participant is declared a winner and pays for his/her own meal. If this doesn’t sound challenging enough for you, there are several variations and additional notes you may read about here.

The basic premise is to encourage friends to be open to the idea of remaining attentive while in one another’s company. Yes, this is a common sense solution and says more about modern manners than the discovery of a real social problem. But ultimately could this be the answer to the ever-ubiquitous annoyance of mobile phones intruding on social situations?

Phone Stacking