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Are Games and Drugs a Great Combination?

Are Games and Drugs a Great Combination?

Recently, on 4/20 no less, the Canadian government announced that marijuana will be legalized here by 2017. A few days later, a guildmate of mine in Final Fantasy XIV (yes, I know, they’re technically called Free Companies – don’t write in) reported “smoking a bowl” and then dying in-game because he forgot to heal himself. It made me think about gaming and drugs, since I know a lot of people enjoy playing games with an altered state of consciousness.  Is gaming while high a good idea?  Do games about drugs authentically replicate the experience? And do drugs and virtual reality mix at all?  Let’s take a look!

People have played video games while high since the dawn of the industry, and some games like Rez and Mario Party are reported to be even more fun if you’re stoned. At the same time, we all know the “I’m soooooo high” guy (and yes, it’s usually a guy) on voice chat. Nobody should want to be that guy. Smoking pot isn’t particularly cool or rebellious these days, it’s just something a lot of people do… including perhaps your grandparents. Y’all know that the Flower Children are senior citizens now, right?

I guess I’m saying that gaming while high is best when you’re playing single-player or couch co-op, so everybody involved has consented to and can enjoy the experience. Internet strangers don’t want to hear about how high you are, and nobody wants to be on an online multiplayer team with somebody who is more interested in what’s going on in their head than actually winning the game.

As somebody who personally doesn’t take drugs (I’m just too much of a control freak), I find the concept of drug use as presented in games an interesting one. Does it provide me with a window into what it’s like to have an altered state of consciousness? Based on knowledge from friends, most in-game drug trips seem to make a bit too much sense to be realistic, with characters having lucid hallucinations that give them insight into the past or future. Sure, there’s the occasional flying neon whale involved, but the actual experience of being high doesn’t fit very well into a narrative format. Perhaps the upcoming PSN game One Way Trip will be more like the real thing? Check out this bizarre trailer and see what you think:

I’m a bit leery of the whole, “discover who you really are” angle, as that tends to come off poorly in games, but the part where it resembles a really bad trip seems about right… but then, what do I know? I do think it’s neat that at least some developers are interested in exploring this area, though. Drugs have been a largely taboo topic in gaming, but why should they be? Playing a game about drugs is a lot less risky than actually taking them, especially when it comes to the hard stuff.

Are Games and Drugs a Great Combination?

Finally, VR is all the rage right now, but it’s also where I think we should probably steer clear of drug-induced experiences, at least for now. Virtual reality is already an altered state of consciousness. Research shows that our brain processes VR imagery differently than it processes the things you see in the real world. A few brave guinea pigs are experimenting with taking various drugs and playing VR games, but they note the potentially dangerous consequences of doing so. And really, considering that playing VR horror games while stone cold sober can provoke some intense psychological and physiological responses, doing so while high could be seriously hazardous.

I feel like drugs and gaming are a topic we should talk about more often. We’re totally over the idea that games are just for kids, right? So let’s be adults and discuss the pros and cons of gaming while high. People are doing it, so let’s talk about being a good gaming community citizen while doing so, and talk about how it’s ok for games themselves to explore the topics of drug use and tripping. Just be careful with those VR headsets, ok?

Snoop Photo Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images

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