"Look all those pretty colors" @_@

SewerShark

Smoking steadies your hands so you don't shake like a chihuahua in the Arctic when you are sniping someone.

rockntrumpet

I'm no pro gamer, but a big fat joint is the best way (for me) to get into the zone.

Some of my best performances in games have been achieved while VERY stoned. However, it does seem to make it more difficult to play games where you have to remember things due to the short term memory loss.

fluxlasers

When I would play Starcraft after a few beers in college. I was usually in the zone. I would rarely loose 1:1 matches and usually be the dominating force in 2:2's. This is what games are about--winning by any means!

Joseph

when i first got cod4, which wasnt long ago, i leveled from a Master Sergent to Captain on one mushroom trip. It was pretty nuts everything around my monitor was going crazy and everything about the game just made sense.

forty4

Now what about professional eaters - do they take something - other than food?

propertius

@wiggatron: Seriously, it sounds like the gamer responded appropriately.

UofITom

I'm better at halo drunk, up to a certain point anyways. After you hit a certain point its useless though.

Dooosh

We keep focusing on things that make you mellow but I wonder about the uppers. Do you really want to increase your reaction time that much? Liable to frag your own team member as well as the opponent or get too click happy when building troops and the next thing you know, you've got a bunch of peon troops who get wiped out by the one advanced guard.

phoenix6666

420 ftw ...
but it's true that if you can't recharge another joint up ... you kinda loose focus...
so ... kids ... stay out of drugs, can't you see it's a downward spiral...

madlogik

So what drug is it that makes Johnathan Wendel such a dick?

mhlaxp

"I know one tournament overseas where a player was denied permission to go to the toilet"

Why the fuck not? I would have pissed on the floor.

wiggatron

smoking + games does not work for me either... take cs or cod4 for example... i tend to start looking at buildings or getting distracted easily by the environment ie. shooting boxes or cans around, in the end i just die but w/e.

graphx

...and if you give me
weed, whites and wine
and you show me a sign

I'll be willing
to be movin'...

strider_mt2k

Nothing get's me going like a hearty bowl and a heath bar before I start merkin' fools....

Jimbuck

Do not have a 'shroom peanut butter smoothie before playing any game that involves flying.

You will suddenly lean in and yell "Whooaaaaaaaaaa!!!!"

Kaiser-Machead's Apostrophe's Power

@ALT: Hahahahaha! You would think that a depressant would screw up your reflexes.

maven2k

@ronnsprocket: the only problem is you have to piss between every match

ronnsprocket

I tried playing CS drunk multiple times, it does not work out.

A friend though gets drunk and gets better somehow, espeically at Robotron. I don't get it.

And actually most of us are pretty good at DrunkHunt.. but I think we were all great anyway.

Log1c

adderall and lots of water were the keys to success for Halo 2 in college.

ronnsprocket

Its true! I play better as well... as for the guy who couldn't pee! Now that's the real crime.

Quicksandman

Who the fuck is better after a bong hit? I want THAT super power.

ALT

Some vapo rips and I'm zen - I killed it in Halflife 2...

NagChampa

@KaiserMachead:
ALSO, do NOT take shrooms while playing Metal Gear Solid 2. I fucking learned that the hard way. It had just come out and I was playing through for the first time. I chomped down a few but then my buddies bailed, so I sat down to play, because I was still pretty excited to play it.

All of a sudden, Raiden I was being choked by an octopus man, he starts running around NAKEDS doing cartwheels while covering his genitals, some army guy shouted at me "I LIKE SCISSORS! SIXTY ONE!!!!" and when he finally told me to unplug my PS2 and turn off the console I full on bolted out of the room.

That was one of my worst trips ever. I actually found a cardboard box and hid inside it for what seemed like 4 hours (likely five to ten minutes).

ALT

@nutbastard: I have found that getting burnt before playing an intense war game confuses the shit out of me. I prefer getting stoned and playing LEGO Star Wars or something dumb like Turok where I don't really have to aim or be tactical.

Hectorvex

@ALT: I am for sure, but it only works for video games.

Captain Angry

on a similar note, while it will do nothing for YOUR gameplay, eating a bunch of xanax will enable you to WATCH someone else play Final Fantasy for 4 hours and not be bored.

nutbastard

@nutbastard: It's a disaster...among other things.

ANYWAYS

I once got drunk and played video games, I never got passed the start menu as I passed out.

I smoked pot and played guitar hero and I was friggin amazing.

I'm just an all around better person when I'm stoned.

CarmenLovesHerNewCanonDSLR

adderall + pot is nearly unbeatable.

leemajors

@graphx:

word, COD4 does not work for me after the volcano - although about 3 pints of guinness actually improves my play, going the herbal route is enough of a disaster that ill pass shit up for hours if im playing.

nutbastard

dude! i know someone like that, he's awesome at Halo normal, but when they're baked they're fricken insane, you can't get a shot of on 'em.

UrIt

@Duc:

I often wonder, when im sober and driving through the mountains, how i manage to haul my car so goddamn fast when i've had a couple of pints - sober it's impossible to replicate, we're talking 105mph in a 45mph with hard cornering at over 80mph. But the next day, sans drink i can't pull even close to that - it FEELS like my car won't do it.

nutbastard

@sgt_sm00th: Funny post..sad sad ending.

CarmenLovesHerNewCanonDSLR

Always better after a bong hit or two!

SoundSystem

@ALT: Best post ever

sgt_sm00th

OK, I can see an invention coming on... A USB powered vaporizer. Discreet... maybe just a one hitter that resembles a thumb drive. A chamber holds the smoke until you eject the drive and nonchalantly start "sucking" on the end of your thumb drive.

Hmmm...

hypereric

@strider_mt2k: That only applies to drugged up 18-wheeler drivers. Which is really really scary all on its own.

catfewd

So I read an article on the effects of alcohol and motorcycle riding. They started on a closed track that contained certain objectives (emergency stop, slalom, etc.) being completely sober. After the control they had one drink and repeated the course. Wash, rinse, repeat. Based off the control their times from 1-2 drinks were much better. 3+ resulted in a decline of performance. The idea was that under the control you ride with reserve and at 1-2 drinks you take the fail safe off and ride right at the edge of your limits. Anything past that and the alcohol will actually impair you ability to process info.

I would think the same applies to gaming (and anything for that sort) and that 1-2 drinks will remove the fail safes you place on yourself. Usually I put in a big fat dip and nurse a few beers when I play and find that the dip gives me of enough increased alertness to do much better than being completely sober. Usually once I get passed 3 beers I just start grieving.

Duc

One word. Brownies.

Come in backed. Leave.... more baked. Everyone wins. (except for everyone that doesn't get first place)

catfewd

I usually play a bit better while high. Being stoned relieves tension and lets me react instinctively to what's going on in-game as opposed to over-analyzing situations and second guessing my actions.

Weed doesn't affect your short-term memory. Smoking it actually results in "no-term" memory loss, which is basically an inability (or lesser ability) to remember things that happened a few seconds or minutes ago. Essentially marijuana affects the part of the brain that allows memories to be created, and thusly you're not forgetting anything, your brain simply never gets the chance to properly store the info. Short-term memory relates more to what I ate for breakfast yesterday or that sick lesbian porn I found last week.

The more you know!

Tastic7

Idk i play better drunk surely. It's just like beer pong. when i get drunk i get better, it gives me much more focus. you focus on just that one little cup (or head to bust open) and you nab it.

as for playing high......no comment

Ryanraven

I doubt anyone actually plays better after smoking pot. Now if you tell me that they play better when not dealing with pot cravings, that I'd believe!

Especially when playing the game and smoking pot are probably so closely linked in the players mind. The brain that is accustomed to lighting up after a kill may begin to get testy when the reward is suddenly disrupted.

Not that I know anyhting about that :-/

stwf

@Aoi: But at the same time unlocking the unused portion of our brains

^^

NagChampa

often I hear people hitting a bong during late night COD sessions. But it never makes them better... No matter what I hear them telling me, they just suck. Lighting up might make it more fun, but I always see stoners scores in the dirt. Real talent prevails, tempers will ruin you, and sabatoge should be removed from "team tac"

patsfan07

Okay, I get the concept of gaming tournaments in the contexts of online gaming and LAN parties, but I don't fucking understand how there could possibly be such a thing as a pro gamer with professionally sponsored tournaments. It's a fucking contradiction. Video games are entertainment. If we have pro gamers, why don't we have pro readers or pro moviegoers?

Oh sure, they equate themselves with athletes, but athletics represent the pinnacle of human physique. Pro gamers are the polar opposite: pasty, light-sensitive losers with a twitchy mouse hand. Most of the ones I've met don't even bother looking into the story or the lore of the games they play (provided it's not some mod like Counter-Strike). All they live for is to master the gameplay mechanics without any context and possibly get paid doing it.

What the fuck?

DisposableInterloper

@ALT: Snipers.

Seriously.

shiftyeyedgoat

Wow, a lot of Giz readers are on drugs. That could explain how so many of the posts get so off topic.

Aoi

I get better after a bong rip or two... for about 15 minutes. Then it takes another one to keep up the performance level, and after I repeat that a few times it's no longer effective. I don't think marijuana is a good long term solution to keeping your competitive edge.

Enochrewt

Way back... we're talking about 1994 or so here... I was hanging out at a friend's house and we decided to drop Acid. After a while, we decided we wanted to play Mortal Kombat. So, we head out to the arcade. Usually, I was the guy who always lost. But, I got into this weird LSD induced zone and just started dominating. No one could beat me, no could even win a single round against me. The weirdest thing? My hands were moving of their own accord. I wasn't actually consciously playing. It was freaky.

So yeah, sometimes drugs do make you better at games. and also make you wonder if you're possesed by some alien entity who really kicks ass at Mortal Kombat.

falandil

Reminds me of the All Drug Olympics from SNL back when it was good...

Shikestarr

a few years ago, I was lanning with a buddy, we decided to take a couple hits of acid and play some counter-strike while waiting for it to kick in.

We were teaming up against 4 other people, so it was 2 on 4, we both were at about 34 - 2 when we decided to go exploring the woods :P

oh and coke and meth definantly help your reaction time!

fogmaster

I'm usually better at Mario Kart while drunk. I can concentrate better.

I wonder what mental disease I have.

helldiver

Oh how many sleepless nights have i spent gaming thanks to Adderol. I may not play better, but i can lpay longer and it is much more intense of a gaming experience.

Direct_Port

I think Laxatives should help a lot and make you a better gamer!!!!.

Either you are fast to finish the game quickly or you crap out.

aec007

@Myself and DisposableInterloper: Haha i just realized that I'm responding to you again. I swear I'm not trying to pick on you lol.

YourHero

@DisposableInterloper: There are pro gamers because some people are better at games than others. No one is better at watching a movie than anyone else. Anything competitive can have professionals.

YourHero

@shiftyeyedgoat: it was Snipers? Not Snippers or something? I specifically remembered scissors...

ALT

this is relevant to programmers too. [xkcd.com]

s0crates82

A 2 Liter bottle of Mountain Dew will have me dominating in most any PC FPS.

N@tedog

A comment on the pro gamer thing: People win a LOT of money gaming, but it is a small nitch in the US. In Korea they have 7 TV stations that play nothing but tournament games, and gamers that win those tournaments are Celebs for real.

Gaming will take off here, but it will be a slower movement. I remember when TV was not as accepted as it is today ;)

Portalis

I smoke pot and Frag, and it does help a LOT. What it does is helps me focus in on every single detail, and I don't even need to think before pulling the trigger when someone comes around the corner. It does not mess me up with friendly fire either.

A friend of mine @ halo tournaments takes radalin because apparently it does a better job then pot =D

Portalis

I will be sorely disappointed if I find out my favorite Korean Starcraft gamers are doping. :(

ビッグ ボス

I started taking adderal recently (I have a prescription, don't worry) and when I'm on it I do notice an improvement in my gaming skills. Higher alertness, faster thinking and better reflexes are all important in most games. I've mainly noticed that it makes me better at Soul Calibur IV, but I need to give something like Call of Duty 4 a whirl while on it too.

Luziphir

I play tournament Counter Strike Source, and I win when I am high.

My Kill to Death Ratio is usually 1 to 1 when I am sober, and when I am high it is 2 to 1. It is a HUGE increase. There is a point where you get "too high" and then your performence goes down of course.

Portalis

@YourHero: I do have experience, however my experience was very much to the opposite. I was -horrible-. However, I didn't pull that out, since I don't believe everyone does quite the same as I. It is just a pattern I noticed while living in a house with a bunch of guys who would do it all the time. They would have good days and bad days, evenly distributed through their time sober and high. Doing poorly while sober was, "@#$%(@#(*@() THESE GUYS ARE HACKING!!1!1!1!" Doing good while sober, "Hahaha, I rule!" Doing bad while high was just, "Oh well, I'm too stoned." Doing good while high was, "I always play so much better after smoking!"

Null42

@YourHero: For some credibility, I should say that lately weed has somehow improved my golf game. How it does it, I have no idea...

YourHero

@Null42: Do you have evidence? From what I can tell, it seems that weed does indeed help some peoples' performance. I have had experiences where weed has helped me perform better, although not in gaming.

You can't really say it doesn't help if you haven't actually experienced it. It reminds me of when children say they don't like foods they have never tried.

YourHero

now what really works is to take a couple hits off an epinepherin inhaler b4 starting a match! oh yah!

Takkune

I'm going to maintain that pot itself does not help anyone become a better gamer. You may do better because you think you should, or because you want to be able to say you game better on pot, but I don't believe the actual substance does anything to improve your ability. Stoners always love to say that they do (*insert any sort of activity no matter how little sense it makes here*) better when high.

Null42

Is this really a surprise? Besides it pro gaming who cares if they are high. Is pot even a drug anymore?

rjupiter

@Aoi:

Word. Am I the only one disgusted?

- PR-0927

PR-0927

LOL Smoking weed is the best part of gaming, I love smoking up and playing Mass Effect its like I'm in the game! Far out duuude. On a serious note smoking weed is kick ass, as long as your not a dumb fuck and are responsible about it.

Crash Override 777

This is as screwed up as the fact that two Olympic medals were revoked from the same guy in the sport of freaking _pistol_shooting_.

Purple Dave

they wouldnt be gamers if they didnt dope lol... are they actully taking this crap seriously?

urbanturban666

this shouldnt be surprising. im really sick of people makin fun like "whoa brah, this is sooo intense and surreal"

can you be sober and play a video game well or badly? yes. so it shouldn't really be a mindfuck that some people do it on drugs with the same mixed results a la reality.

dedalus987

@rjupiter: was it ever???

sgt_sm00th

I do have a friend whose skills rises up when he is drunk when playing Quake 3

Its a fact, the bastards moves a lot and for some reason, has a hit rate of 90% whit almost any weapon

He gives me a hard time, still can't beat me, xDDDDD

KristenBal

Adderall w/ a giant coke and some vitamin water.

Your reflexes are so tuned up. Sniping is so easy. You don't even think, it's just "twitch" dead.

HAH!

cepheusfilms

Man, you guys are hardcore. The other day I drank two fingers of Redbreast and played Mario Kart. Long story short, Yoshi is now in critical condition and my Sugarscoot was totaled.

aseriesoftubes

My team has collected 5 CAL championships in "BattleField 1942/Desert Combat" when it was in its prime. Our team was "Network of Exceeding Tactics" or [:NET:] 90% of our players were DEFINATELY baked off primo herbs prior to each and every match. It does help.

tehronin

This is, of course, Nintendo's fault!
Screw Mario and his mushrooms, LSD stars, and so on

Bokusatsu_Tenshi

i play like that of a god on Halo when im on Adderall

Hamburger-helper

Weed and games with me seems to be like weed and anything else for me. If you've practiced it while stoned, you'll do fine and maybe even better than normal. But if you haven't practiced it stoned, you'll probably fail pretty badly.

If a new character/game element was introduced in the middle of one of these pro games, I'm willing to bet that the stoners wouldn't be able to grasp the new mechanics as quickly as the sobers.

That being said, I lost my way quite a bit while playing Ratchet and Clank for the first time, after smoking a few bowls.

generall

state-dependent learning anyone?

it would certainly be the only logical reason someone would play better when high.

snowlock

Playing Oblivion while baked is awesome..

smeee

@ALT: Video games is probably the one activity where being baked actually does work. The trick is finding the motivation to play when baked...Dark Side of the Moon always helps.

smegz

Weed. Definitely weed.

zingbot

I can safely say no one can beat me at Smash Bros Melee when I'm high. When I'm not high I'm good but when I'm high I'm godly. It's like I can slow the time down and anticipate moves way better.

Alex

haha @aseriesoftubes

/golf clap

Maced

I think the real issue here isn't whether people play better on drugs, but why would you try to regulate it? Why would you try to stop any kind of athlete from taking "performance enhancing drugs"? If professional athletes are the pinnacle of human athletic achievement it seems kind of counter productive to stop them from doing anything that would make them better. After all, if you wanted to see people play half-assed sports you can go to your local park any time you like.

Frizzaper

Thats hilarious. I could imagine people coming in smacked out their mind and just bust out laughing when they get the first head shot and then when they get killed them flip out and start slamming things. xD
Thats motivation to go see a tournament and spot the drunkies

SneakerFiend

Most people are just looking for an excuse to "allow" themselves to perform better, a method of zoning. Allowing a primal kind of focus... And if you've read all the way to the 92nd comment you already possess this. way to go champ.

Mike8606

Reminds me of a time when at Uni, playing some Lotus racing game with a friend on his Commodore Amiga (it was a long time ago). I'd just taken a hit from a bong, and was absolutely in the zone, absolutely murdering my friend! Half way through the race I went catatonic - couldn't speak, couldn't move a muscle - just dragging along the edge of the track. My friend didn't realise, he sped past me, and only after doing a couple more laps, he realised that I wasn't responding, and that something was wrong...

shaq

@stwf:

Pot cravings? It would seem that someone has never tried it before. If I ever get a "craving" to smoke pot, I can turn it off within moments. Same with alcohol. Your argument would be best suited to nicotine if anything, that stuff is hard to kick and the cravings will get you in a bad way.

You remind me of that doctor at the police convention in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

enabler118

Elite pro gamers use Adderall for focus, even time-release XR capsules to lock it in for 10 hours. Plenty of them smoke weed, too -- even ducking out right before big-money matches to "warm up their hands under warm water in the bathroom," which is code for smoking a quick bowl.

I immersed myself in the subculture for a year, and it's all detailed in my book "Game Boys: Professional Videogaming's Rise from the Basement to the Big Time," published in June.

Kaneski

Elite pro gamers use Adderall for focus, even the time release XR tablets for long-lasting effect (10 hours). They also smoke plenty o' weed. Many duck out right before matches, even using the excuse of "warming up their hands under warm water in the bathroom," to smoke a quick bowl.

I wrote about all of this in my book about the subculture "Game Boys", published in June. See www.gameboysbook.com for more.

Kaneski

Don't forget your towel!

logie

"so in his drunken state he decided to urinate in a plastic bottle instead which got him ejected after he placed the bottle on a table in front of the admins"

good to know that all those douche bags i meet online are actually still douche bags in person.

spider2544

@fluxlasers:

Hell yeah man. TF2 or COD4 after a few rips makes everything that much better...but anything that isn't hardwired into my DNA (aka killing and taking someone else's shiz) can't happen...

HeL0