the choking game

"The fainting game, also commonly known as the choking game, is a loose term
that covers dangerous activities designed to induce a partial or complete
loss of consciousness brought about by the intentional deprivation of oxygen
to the brain for a period of time. There are two distinct methods used to
achieve oxygen deprivation: strangulation and self-induced hypocapnia."

My own TRANSLATION: a sick game played by teens to choke themselves till they pass out.

I first heard of it when in one of my review classes, our teacher told us about this dangerous game that kids in America and UK had been playing. Its been called different names such as Pass-out game, Purple Dragon, and Flatline among many others. The objective is to deliberately cut off oxygen supply to the brain through strangulation which induces dizziness that is misinterpreted by these kids as a sense of euphoria or being high.

Now I don't know about these boys but, WHAT THE *&$# ARE THEY THINKING? Whose bright idea was it to choke themselves for FUN? Honestly, when our teacher related to us the mechanism of the game, i thought it was one of those dumb games that kids play. We were laughing at the thought of it but as i looked it up on the Internet, it was not something to laugh about. What appalled me the most is that there is actually a video teaching the kids how to do it! The game is so stupid and dangerous. It has claimed the lives of 82 kids in the US. But researchers say that there is a possibility that there could be more fatal cases because deaths due to this game are sometimes mistaken as suicide.

After reading the articles related to the Choking game, I looked back on all the games we used to play when i was a kid. Sure i thought i was invincible but nothing like this ever came across our heads when we were in search for new games. I remembered playing tumba lata, shatong, PS i love you, Chinese garter, and 7UP among many others. But all the "hazards" of all our games were the occasional cuts and bruises on the knees not strangulation, or neurological damage to the brain or cardiac arrest. What happened to the swings and monkey bars? Are kids these days suicidal or just plain dumb? what would they do next? "hey stacy, wanna play stab-me-in-the-back-till-i-bleed-to-death?" stacy: "maybe tomorrow johnny". Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.

for more information on this sick game go to:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choking_game