Never Have I Ever

Never Have I Ever

"Never Have I Ever", also known as "I've Never…" or "Ten Fingers", is a drinking game in which players take turns asking other players about things they haven’t done. Other players who have done this thing respond by taking a drink. A version that requires no drinking, usually played by children and underage adolescents, has players counting score on their fingers instead.

Rules

The verbal game[1] is started with the players getting into a circle. Then, the first player says a simple statement about what they have never done before starting with "Never have I ever". Anyone who at some point in their life has done the action that the first player says, must drink.[2] Play then continues around the circle, and the next person makes a statement.[3][4]

An additional rule indicates that the player is allowed to change the question after drinking all player’s cups. If there is no one taking a drink, then the one who said the particular "Never have I ever…" must take a drink. This rule often forces the players to strategize more and makes for less disposable/pointless suggestions.

A further variation holds that whenever only one person is drinking, that person must give a detailed account of why they are drinking. Another variation of this game involves putting up five or ten fingers, putting one down whenever something mentioned has been done. Those who end up putting down all of their fingers must take several successive drinks.

"Never have I ever" can be played as a card game or online using mobile devices. The only difference is if no one has done the question then the online poll for the question is checked. If the majority of online voters has done it then everyone has to drink; otherwise, the person who asked the question has to drink. Even though "Never have I ever" is primarily a drinking game, depending on the questions it can be also used as an icebreaker. Especially helpful at work get-togethers to introduce new employees to the fold. "Never have I ever" can be played with children using appropriate cards or questions.[5]

Games such as this one can help to build friendships,[6] and players often admit to things that they previously had not. As with Truth or Dare?, the game is often sexual in nature. In some variations, the game may be incorporated into other drinking games, such as Kings

The game has been portrayed in many television shows and films including Basketball Wives, The Walking Dead, American Pie, 90210, Beerfest, Being Erica, The Boat That Rocked, Big Brother, Broad City, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Degrassi: The Next Generation, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, ER, Family Guy, Frasier, Game of Thrones, Girlfriends, Gossip Girl, Greek, Hell's Kitchen, House of Cards, The L Word, Lost, Loving Annabelle, The Lying Game, Private Radio, My Mad Fat Diary, One Tree Hill, The Other Guy, Outsourced, The Big Bang Theory, The Real World: Las Vegas (2011), Riverdale (2017 TV series), Skins, Survivor, The Vampire Diaries, Veronica Mars, Awkward, Good Trouble, the Bollywood movie, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, and in the 2014 horror film Unfriended. In addition it has also appeared in the video game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The game also plays a fairly prominent role in the 2011 Hallmark film William and Catherine: A Royal Romance, the story of Kate Middleton and Prince William. Beginning as a drinking game with William and his friends at Saint Andrew's in Scotland, the phrase 'never have I ever' appears at various moments in the film, including in loving and poignant ways towards the end of the movie.

This game is also demonstrated in the song "Ten Fingers" by San Francisco hip hop artist and poet, George Watsky.

In 2015 Under the Gun Theater, a Chicago based theater company, created an interactive comedy show based on the party game. This was in response to the closing of their show based on Cards Against Humanity