Answering a call of nature in a pubic urinal usually involves staring blankly at the tiled walls while desperately ensuring your gaze does not absently wander over to the person standing next to you.

But boredom during a bathroom visit could soon be a thing of the past following the development of a urinal-based games console which allows men to aim, shoot and fire at targets with their stream.

British company Captive Media has been granted the patent rights for the technology, which allows screens to be fitted to the walls of public urinals and flips into gaming mode when approached by a visitor.

The device sits above the normal ceramic urinal bowl and plays a mixture of adverts and videogames for personal entertainment.

When a user approaches the urinal, he is presented with three targets to aim for, highlighted with stickers which read "Start", "Left" and "Right".

The console is able to detect where the urine is falling through the use of an infra-red device.

Games on offer include a skiing challenge and a multiple choice pub quiz.

Not only can players build-up an online score and compare their results with users across the country, they can also post their scores via their mobile phones onto Twitter and Facebook.

Research by trade paper Adweek suggests that men spend on average of 55 seconds relieving themselves, which equates to nine months over the course of a lifetime. Captive Media hopes to capitalise on the time spent at urinals to encourage businesses to take advantage of the uninterrupted audience.

Developer Gordon MacSween said: "It's notoriously difficult for brands to engage a young male audience whilst they're out socialising."

Co-developer Mark Melford added: "It is allowing brands to really engage in a fun and memorable way."

Drinkaware, a charity which promotes responsible drinking, has already signed up to the scheme, with machines up and running at the Exhibit bar in Balham, south London.

It remains to be seen whether the idea will prove to be a flash in the pan or a long-term strategy for engaging with audiences while they spend a penny.