As the pingpong ball grazes the side of the can, players frantically rush to retrieve it. In the hustle of the frantic return, a can is knocked over, sending bubbly lager all over the carpet. An encompassing yell is heard by the crowd as a baby-doll arm flies through the air, and everyone screams, “Penalty!”

In a college world of drinking games like beer pong, circle of death and flip cup, there is a new contender — drinkball.

The basic concept of drinkball is having a team of two players throw a pingpong ball at the two cans of beer in front of the other team. When a can is hit, the partner of the thrower must drink as much beer as possible before the other team retrieves the ball and places it on the table, saying “Stop.” The winning team is the first one to finish both cans of beer.

As with all games, there are penalties. If a ball slips out of the hand of the defender as he or she slams it on the table or a beer is knocked over, the referee — someone not playing at the moment — can give the other team more time to drink.

Bryan Costello, a junior in graphic design at Wake Technical Community College, said the game was started by some of his friends from UNC-Wilmington. He ended up playing in a tournament, not knowing what he was getting into.

“It quickly became one of my favorite games,” Costello said.

Although he said he had heard of similar games, Costello said drinkball was his friends’ original idea, and they are constantly modifying it. One of the modifications added is the baby-doll arm.

The baby-doll arm is thrown at the beginning of the game to determine who goes first and to mark a penalty.

“We needed something that represented a yellow flag and found the nearest thing was a baby-doll arm,” Costello said. “Which is creepy but worked really well.”

The fact that the rules are still changing bothers some people, like Charlie Durham, a junior in economics.

“I will feel better once the rules are set in place,” Durham said.

For example, Durham said last week he was playing and encountered the first known drinkball overtime. He said all the players had to collaborate and make up an appropriate overtime ruling.

“It was by far the closest game,” Durham said.

Jordan Lyles, a junior in textile and apparel management, said she thinks the game will catch on because of how much more fun the game is than beer pong.

“Every time people play, they come back for more,” she said.

Unlike beer pong, drinkball provides entertainment and crowd involvement. When the ball ricochets off of a can, it often lands around watchers who are then attacked by the defending team. People watching also serve as referees, often arguing amongst themselves on a certain call.

“You are never bored waiting for a game,” Costello said.

Although drinkball has the freedom to be played anywhere with a table, certain places can be more challenging than others, such as cluttered areas, which provide more obstacles for the defenders, according to Lyles.

“Things will get broken easily if they are in the way,” Lyles said.

Drinkball eventually turns players ultra-competetive, according to Durham. He said this is one of the reasons the game is so addicting.

“When I play intense, I have more fun,” Durham said.

Drinkball is also one of the only games where injuries occur regularly, according to Costello. He said he has suffered a number of large bruises, and recently cut open his knuckle diving for a ball.

“It’s the only drinking game where I wake up sore the next morning,” Durham said.

According to Costello, the secret to drinkball is simply working on hitting the cans with the ball. He said while being able to chug very fast helps, accuracy is key.

“If you are hitting the cans every time, you are drinking every time,” he said.

Another bit of advice from Costello is “to make a balanced team” by finding a suitable counterpart.

“It is important to find a partner who exceeds where you are weak,” Costello said.

Drinkball is more like a sport than most drinking games, according to Costello.

“It’s fun because it combines athleticism with drinking,” he said. “You have to use reaction, speed and strategy.”

However, only time will tell whether drinkball is here to stay.

“Every school has its own game,” Durham said. “[Drinkball] is the flavor of the month.”