A new game is popping up in some Iowa bars.

Put in a dollar, blow into the straw for six seconds and then hit the colored buttons in the order they light up.

The prize? A readout of the player’s blood alcohol level.

Although these games are not yet available in Ames, area bars have seen similar devices in the past.

Some bartenders, however, report the machines had an opposite effect than what was intended.

“We had one here years ago,” said Mike Adams, manager of Welch Ave. Station, 207 Welch Ave.

“But instead of it being used to determine if they’re too drunk to drive, people liked to see how high they could score.”

Adams said he feels bar patrons shouldn’t depend on a machine to determine their sobriety.

He feels they should be held personally responsible for the amount of alcohol they consume.

“Knowing your own limits is the best way to determine if you should drive or not,” he said.

ISU Police Capt. Gene Deisinger would not comment on the use of breath-testers in Ames bars.

But, he said, in general, strategies that heighten the awareness of the risks of drinking and driving are good things.

ISU students, however, seem to be mixed on the issue of whether a breath tester would be a good addition to the Ames drinking scene.

“I used one in Las Vegas over spring break, and it was a good time,” said Danny Hays, senior in finance.

“I probably wouldn’t use one frequently here, but it’s cool because it’s something you don’t normally get to know.”

Although some students think breath-testers could increase camaraderie through the entertainment they could possibly provide, others think the money spent on discovering the blood alcohol level could be better used elsewhere.

“It’s a dollar you can’t spend on beer,” said Emily Kennicker, sophomore in sociology.

These breath-testing games are becoming available in Iowa City bars, mostly as a form of entertainment for customers.

“People find it pretty enjoyable,” said Maggie Baker, manager of RT Grunts, a bar in Iowa City that houses a breath tester.

“The problem is that it’s not very accurate.”

Despite the machines’ lack of accuracy, bar operators see a benefit in having them in their establishments.

Baker said bar owners want the machines to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving.

Lt. Mike Laing of the University of Iowa’s Department of Public Safety said the machines can easily give false information. He said if people think they are too intoxicated to drive, they shouldn’t rely on the breath-testers to tell them if they are sober enough to get behind the wheel.

“They are supposed to be a game,” Laing said.

“Hopefully, the machines do raise awareness, but, if someone thinks they’ve had too much to drink, they should call a cab or have a designated driver.”