We all know that men tend to be competitive, and that they enjoy gadgets and games. Often you go to the pub to find them gathered around a fruit machine or electronic game competing with each other or just enjoying themselves trying to beat the game. In Japan this has been taken a step further, with Sega (the creators of Sonic the Hedgehog) launching a range of electronic games that can only be played in the men’s toilets.

These games are fitted into the men’s toilets in the urinals and allow patrons to compete with each other as they use them. These devices, known as “toylets,” work by fitting sensors onto each urinal and adding a small digital display at the eye level of the patron, above the urinal itself. Sega have apparently sold 130 of these devices in 100 bars and restaurants across Japan. These devices don’t come cheap, with each one costing about 150 000 Yen (about £1200) but the devices are capable of showing advertising as well as displaying scores, which is clearly how the purchasers intend to make their money back.

The initial range includes 5 different titles, some of which are:

“Hold, Manneken, Pis!” is named after the famous Brussels fountain of a small boy caught in mid act. The players compete on the volume that they manage to deposit into the urinal.

“Splashing Battle” pits players against one another, where they compete on the pressure of stream against a leader board of previous users.

“Violent wind warning has been issued” again measures the pressure of the player’s stream, but this time the aim is to cause a virtual wind that blows up a virtual girl’s skirt.

As well as showing the adverts, Sega say that there is a soft benefit to the purchaser as men will step closer to the urinal in order to compete and read the messages displayed on the digital scoreboard, which will mean they are far less likely to miss and keep the toilet cleaner. Something we’re sure many people who have to keep the family bathroom clean can appreciate.

While we applaud the innovation and find this all very interesting, we’re not in a hurry to add it to our growing collection of new products, such as our freestanding baths range.