Inside Facebook

Facebook users love a challenge, especially when it involves virtual booze. At least, that’s what the sudden success of the application Chug It! would suggest. The virtual drink guzzling competition has caught on quickly, and developer Offbeat Creations, Inc. has definitely hit a nerve with this one, with the app picking up more than 1.8 million users in the last couple of weeks.

Chug It! is a fairly simple game: send friends a notice that you have just “chugged” one of the selectable beverages, and he or she will have 48 hours to respond by matching your drink and sending you one in return. Eventually, some wins or loses, and as you compile wins, you can unlock other drinks to pass along to your fellow chuggers. I’m only 251 wins away from the Appletini. As you win these virtual drinking contests, you’ll also climb up the ranking scale to eventually become Vicious Chuggilicious.

Every time a challenge is extended, the info shows up in your Facebook News Feed, so your friends will be alerted to the throw downs. The fact that this is a time sensitive challenge may have a lot to do with its success, and its simplicity makes it easy for anyone to participate.