What is the choking game?

The choking game – also known as airplaning, America dream game, black out game, breath play, breathing the zoo – is not technically a game but a schoolyard activity which involves deliberately inducing unconsciousness or near-unconsciousness by restricting the supply of oxygenated blood to the brain. Mostly teenagers and adults indulge in this game. The activity has been responsible for a large number of juvenile deaths and permanent neurological disabilities. The attractions are manifold; it is known to induce a brief sense of euphoria and is even reported to enhance erotic feelings. It is also popular as it is legal and appears innocuous to those without a proper understanding of the mechanism involved in cerebral hypoxia and cerebral anoxia.