Never have I ever

For the television series, see Never Have I Ever (TV series).

For other uses, see Never have I ever (disambiguation).

"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 have not 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 scores on their fingers instead.

Rules

The verbal game ^[1] starts with all players forming a circle. The first player starts by saying a simple statement about something 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] Then the game continues around the circle, and the next person makes a statement.^{[ citation needed ]}

An additional rule says that if no one takes a drink, then the one who said the particular "Never have I ever..." statement must take a drink. This rule often forces the players to strategize more and makes for fewer disposable or pointless statements.^{[ citation needed ]}

A further variation holds that whenever only one person is drinking, that person must give a detailed account of why they are drinking.^{[ citation needed ]}

In the variation known as "ten fingers", players keep count on their hands rather than drinking

Another variety of this game known as "ten fingers" (or sometimes five) involves players raising their fingers at the start of the game, and putting one down whenever something they have ever done is mentioned.^{[ citation needed ]}

Versions of the game are available on cards or online with pre-written statements which players must admit to have done or not.^{[ citation needed ]}

Conversation games such as this one can help to build friendships, ^[3] 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. ^[3]

In popular culture

• In the Family Guy episode "The Perfect Castaway", Peter and his friends play the game (referred to "I never"). However, Quagmire has pretty much done everything the gang has said they never did. (e.g. "I never gave a reach-around to a spider monkey while reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.")
• 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. ^{[4] [5]}
• In the 2014 horror film Unfriended, the ghost of Laura Barns forces those who drove her to suicide into a game of NHIE, during which a number of secrets are revealed which severely damage the players' friendships. ^[6]
• The game is featured in the 2009 British comedy-drama film The Boat that Rocked . ^[7]
• In 2020, the game was adapted for the Game Changer game show episode of the same name, with the host reading a secret and players earning points for correctly guessing who it belongs to or successfully deceiving the others. In 2022, this episode's premise was spun off into its own series on Dropout, titled Dirty Laundry. ^[8]

See also

• In vino veritas
• List of drinking games
• Purity test

References

1. American Alcohol & Drug Information Foundation. Journal of Alcohol & Drug Education: "Ping-pong, endurance, card, and other types of drinking games: are these games of the same feather?". June 1, 2007.
2. Kate Prengaman. The Flat Hat: "Ten reasons not to hook up drunk". March 25, 2007.
3. Cody Ewers. The Collegian: "Beyond Beer Pong" Archived 2011-03-04 at the Wayback Machine . February 28, 2008.
4. Bauer, Kelly Cards Against Humanity Puts the Kibosh on Under the Gun's Show: Theater Archived 2015-06-16 at the Wayback Machine . DNAinfo.com. Retrieved on June 12, 2015.
5. Gillard, Caroline Never Have I Ever Improv at Under the Gun Theater. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on June 12, 2015.
6. Unfriended (2014) | The Truth Comes Out. pattdavid. January 20, 2020. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021– via YouTube.
7. "The Boat That Rocked".
8. Davis, Clayton (May 8, 2024). "Dropout Jumps Into Emmys With 'Game Changer' and 'Very Important People,' 'Dimension 20' Not Eligible for Submission (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 23, 2024.