It's 10 p.m. on a Thursday night. College sophomores Sean O'Hara and John O'Connor are embroiled in a heated game of Beirut in a basement near campus, focusing intensely on dropping the tiny ball into a red plastic cup.
To O'Hara and O'Connor, Beirut is a natural way to begin a long night of partying.
But to some government officials, pregaming is a dangerous phenomenon that reveals much about hedonistic college culture - even if students don't see what the big deal is.
A recent study concluded that pregaming is a strategy college students use in order to save money on alcohol, to enjoy a bonding experience with friends and possibly to strengthen rapports that could lead to sexual experiences later on.
Students' response? Duh.
For students, pregaming is an integral part of a night - or day - out, and many don't see what the fuss is about.
"They came out with a study about pregaming?" O'Hara said. "Isn't what they said sort of . obvious?"
The study, conducted by the Center for College Health and Safety and the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, was presented at the Department of Education's annual conference on alcohol- and drug-abuse prevention.
"Pregaming isn't new," said Beth DeRicco, associate director of the Center for College Health and Safety. "But it's happening with greater frequency today than in the 1970s and also illustrates current dangerous patterns in alcohol consumption."
She added that the study was the first on pregaming on college campuses.
The study aimed to examine the drinking habits of college students at 10 different campuses in Pennsylvania by setting up focus groups.
One hundred and fourteen students took part in 10 focus groups designed by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Participants included alcohol-policy violators, volunteers and students who needed to fulfill an academic requirement.
And the results are leading some government officials to contemplate long-term policies to combat the effects of pregaming.
"Students said nothing could be done about pregaming from a law-enforcement level," said Ken Healy, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control board who coordinated with DeRicco. "But this an area we had never studied before, so now we can start enacting alcohol-policy initiatives."
According to DeRicco, pregaming is about cutting costs so students can save at the bar while also improving social relations.
"It's cheaper to pregame so we don't spend all of our money on drinks," College freshman Jake Palumbo said. "But we don't do it to get girls - it's to get drunk."
The study also said women are more prone to drink clear alcohol like vodka to save calories, while men consume more beer and darker varieties of alcohol.
O'Connor said he usually has about five to eight beers before leaving his house, but others don't shy away from imbibing more "feminine" drinks.
"There's nothing wrong with drinking rum and Coke," College freshman Mak Kemenosh said. "I'm not a frat boy yet."
For girls, the study says, pregaming represents a chance to hang out with their friends. And if Penn students' habits are representative, they may perhaps listen to music circa 1998 like the Backstreet Boys.
"Sometimes, you have to pregame the pregame," Wharton sophomore Sammi Cooper said as she danced to their classic "Everybody" and sipped boxed wine last week in an off-campus house. "Girls take a long time to get ready, so you have to take some shots while you're getting dressed."
