Mobile phones bring a lot of conveniences for everyone. Gone are the days when you have to desperately look around for a phone booth (you still remember those?) if you need to call someone. Mobile phones allow people to reach us wherever we are. It’s a great benefit, but also one that has become a great annoyance, as attested by anyone who has attended a dinner party and everyone’s more busy playing with their phones than talking with the people in the same room.

This exact scenario was the reason why 25 year old Brian Perez developed a game that would foster communication between people and make them forget all of this silly phone addiction.

The game, called Phone Stack, is a relatively easy game to play. Before the dinner (or any meal, for that matter) begins, all of the guests will be required to put their mobile phones in a pile on the table. The object of the game is simple – the first person who gets their phone – regardless of the reason, is the loser and will have to pay for everyone’s meal. If, on the other hand, no one gets the phone until the meal ends then everyone splits the check.

It’s a very ingenious way of removing the mobile phone from the social situation and, as an effect, encourage the people around the table to actually communicate and carry a conversation.

Perez initially posted the mechanics of the game on his web site over the New Year holidays. But it has begun to get a lot of attention and more and more diners are actually picking up the game to jumpstart the old-fashioned way of communicating – with each other and not over the phone.

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