British pub offers urine-controlled gaming, Wii puns make a resurgence

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Is this the next wave of motion-control? (Dear God no)

A South London pub has unveiled an innovation which it hopes will create a steady stream (oh boy, here we go) of punters between the bar and restrooms. Moisture-sensors and eye-height screens adorn The Exhibit's urinals, allowing players to supply their own joystick for quick-fire minigames. Pong famously debuted in a California tavern, whose coin bucket had to overflow before Atari realized it was onto something; for the sake of The Exhibit's cleaning staff, let's hope we're not looking at the next big innovation.

The technology, patented by British outfit Captive Media, mixes gaming content with adverts, and can currently play a variety of short games including third-person skiing and a trivia-based pub quiz. High scores are stored for urinal heroes, and can be shared via Facebook and Twitter. Captive Media points to research that suggests the average man will spend nine months urinating over the course of his lifetime, saying this is time that could be spent gaming or taking in an advertisement or two.

Players wanting to return from the toilet with bragging rights ought to consider that while there's little danger of permanent health damage from “holding it in,” neglecting the call of nature can lead to urinary tract infections or kidney problems; also that “returning from the toilet with bragging rights” is not something we, for one, look for in a drinking buddy. While the means to allow women in on the fun is readily available (nsfw?), so far the technology is only being marketed to an enthusiastic male audience. Take from that what you will.