“I thought I was in control of my own destiny,” he said dejectedly.
May 25, 2014 6:45 PM Subscribe
...felt more emotionally engaged, emotions may help with concentration… [there are several more sentences, but unfortunately I’m not able to decipher my stoned paper-and pencil scrawl.]
This sounds right. I would characterize this as a heightened sense of spatial awareness, emotional intelligence, and a sense of all-encompassing holistic intuition that... er... [trails off incoherently]
posted by naju at 6:56 PM on May 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
This sounds right. I would characterize this as a heightened sense of spatial awareness, emotional intelligence, and a sense of all-encompassing holistic intuition that... er... [trails off incoherently]
posted by naju at 6:56 PM on May 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
When playing MechWarrior Online (brilliant free stompy robot action, amateurish developer, aggressively awful mechlab UI) high, I tend to alternate between a perfect crystalline awareness of all robots in play and a bewildered disgruntlement that they are all shooting at me.
posted by Sebmojo at 7:04 PM on May 25, 2014 [12 favorites]
posted by Sebmojo at 7:04 PM on May 25, 2014 [12 favorites]
Sebmojo- That describes me playing Mass Effect 3 online. Sometimes when I'm in the proper stoned zone, I'm just picking off enemies at will, headshot after headshot. However, that only lasts so long... Time to spark up again!
posted by Saxon Kane at 7:07 PM on May 25, 2014
posted by Saxon Kane at 7:07 PM on May 25, 2014
Have you ever looked at your videogame controller? I mean...really *looked* at your videogame controller?
posted by uosuaq at 7:09 PM on May 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by uosuaq at 7:09 PM on May 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
What if the GAME is playing ME?!
(suitable also for Yakov Smirnoff impressions, just add "in Soviet Russia...")
posted by Saxon Kane at 7:11 PM on May 25, 2014 [2 favorites]
(suitable also for Yakov Smirnoff impressions, just add "in Soviet Russia...")
posted by Saxon Kane at 7:11 PM on May 25, 2014 [2 favorites]
These findings support my, uh... extensive research in this area.
I think it also rather depends on the type of game. The more intense the game (I'm looking directly at you, STALKER and Dark Souls), the better.
posted by neckro23 at 7:12 PM on May 25, 2014 [2 favorites]
I think it also rather depends on the type of game. The more intense the game (I'm looking directly at you, STALKER and Dark Souls), the better.
posted by neckro23 at 7:12 PM on May 25, 2014 [2 favorites]
Anyone playing State of Decay? Oh man.. it's like stoner crack.
posted by ReeMonster at 7:18 PM on May 25, 2014
posted by ReeMonster at 7:18 PM on May 25, 2014
I can't speak to playing any video games high, but I imagine its similar to something I have used while playing.
Back when GTA was only up to Vice City I used meditation (particularly the Zen variety) to beat the paramedic and vigilante missions. It puts you in a nonfocused mode that prevents you from getting distracted. The fundamental principle was NOT to try and hyperfocus, but instead to let any random stray thoughts you have run their natural course. By allowing your mind to drift you don't get distracted by forcing thoughts out of your head.
It is very possible a similar state is reached while high.
posted by Twain Device at 7:18 PM on May 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
Back when GTA was only up to Vice City I used meditation (particularly the Zen variety) to beat the paramedic and vigilante missions. It puts you in a nonfocused mode that prevents you from getting distracted. The fundamental principle was NOT to try and hyperfocus, but instead to let any random stray thoughts you have run their natural course. By allowing your mind to drift you don't get distracted by forcing thoughts out of your head.
It is very possible a similar state is reached while high.
posted by Twain Device at 7:18 PM on May 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
So my oldest pal and I (who I've been friends with for about 35 years, although much of that time we've lived on different continents) have developed a new thing we do on Friday evenings/late Thursday nights (my time/his time).
We've been drinking together for more than 30 years, when we've been able to, and we both love driving. Driven untold thousands of kilometers together on road trips in various vehicles over the decades, mostly back in Canada.
I recently helped him build a new, long-overdue gaming PC, and we've been drinking together and (even though we're like 4000km apart) driving around in the massive (14,000 square kilometer) open world of FUEL (a much overlooked driving game and honestly not very good game-qua-game from 5 years back or so that MefightClub members will know I have an enormous amount of love for). Here's a video (with some buttrock soundtrack) of us riding around the Friday before last. It takes literally 3 or 4 hours of driving to cross the FUEL world across its shortest segments, so we're well and truly liquored up by the time it's his bedtime over in Canada.
It's kind of tangent to this post, I guess, but this combination of booze and video gaming is just a pure joy to me -- chatting about whatever comes to mind over the headsets with my old old buddy, drinking beer (or rye, in his case), stopping occasionally to enjoy a particularly breathtaking vista, saying 'see those mountains waaay over there in the distance? Let's switch to dirt bikes and race there!'
It's not something back in our days of actually sitting beside a lake somewhere in Northern BC drinking Royal Reserve that we could have ever imagined possible, but here we are. I'm very much opposed to drinking and driving (though we did our fair share when we were young and stupid), but I'm very much enjoying drinking and virtually driving these days.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 7:18 PM on May 25, 2014 [13 favorites]
We've been drinking together for more than 30 years, when we've been able to, and we both love driving. Driven untold thousands of kilometers together on road trips in various vehicles over the decades, mostly back in Canada.
I recently helped him build a new, long-overdue gaming PC, and we've been drinking together and (even though we're like 4000km apart) driving around in the massive (14,000 square kilometer) open world of FUEL (a much overlooked driving game and honestly not very good game-qua-game from 5 years back or so that MefightClub members will know I have an enormous amount of love for). Here's a video (with some buttrock soundtrack) of us riding around the Friday before last. It takes literally 3 or 4 hours of driving to cross the FUEL world across its shortest segments, so we're well and truly liquored up by the time it's his bedtime over in Canada.
It's kind of tangent to this post, I guess, but this combination of booze and video gaming is just a pure joy to me -- chatting about whatever comes to mind over the headsets with my old old buddy, drinking beer (or rye, in his case), stopping occasionally to enjoy a particularly breathtaking vista, saying 'see those mountains waaay over there in the distance? Let's switch to dirt bikes and race there!'
It's not something back in our days of actually sitting beside a lake somewhere in Northern BC drinking Royal Reserve that we could have ever imagined possible, but here we are. I'm very much opposed to drinking and driving (though we did our fair share when we were young and stupid), but I'm very much enjoying drinking and virtually driving these days.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 7:18 PM on May 25, 2014 [13 favorites]
Seconding Dark Souls. Booze just makes you sloppy and useless; weed turns you into a golden god.
posted by naju at 7:24 PM on May 25, 2014
posted by naju at 7:24 PM on May 25, 2014
I've been having trouble getting through Dark Souls. I know now what I must do.
posted by squinty at 7:27 PM on May 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by squinty at 7:27 PM on May 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
I haven't bought Dark Souls. I know now what I must do.
posted by Saxon Kane at 8:16 PM on May 25, 2014
posted by Saxon Kane at 8:16 PM on May 25, 2014
I can absolutely not play Nethack for shit stoned. Having to remember which random thing you picked up is good for which random situation is really difficult when your short term memory's already impaired. Alcohol is really bad for surviving any roguelike as well.
posted by fnerg at 8:19 PM on May 25, 2014
posted by fnerg at 8:19 PM on May 25, 2014
One word and a number: Robotron 2064
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:23 PM on May 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:23 PM on May 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
TRY IT DRUNK! Has anyone tried it drunk? I mean for science! I can try it drunk for science riiiiight now. Now. Riggggght... naaaaaaooooooooowww... wow, that's big. A big thing I'm supposed to be shooting or belly-bouncing, I forget...
posted by Slap*Happy at 9:27 PM on May 25, 2014
posted by Slap*Happy at 9:27 PM on May 25, 2014
If you're especially susceptible to marijuana-induced paranoia, that might actually make you a better EVE player.
posted by ryanrs at 11:22 PM on May 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by ryanrs at 11:22 PM on May 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
So does that mean that weed is banned for tournament Spelunky play?
posted by Pyry at 11:24 PM on May 25, 2014
posted by Pyry at 11:24 PM on May 25, 2014
Sebmojo: "alternate between a perfect crystalline awareness of all robots in play and a bewildered disgruntlement that they are all shooting at me."
You just have to accept that everyone trying to kill you in particular is the fair and natural outcome of being better than them. Once you have done that, you have achieved Gaming Nirvana. No more moments of doubt or anguish at how unfair is is that every person on the Battlefield has it out for your gunship. And death is merely short moment to collect yourself before the God of War is wreaks his Terrible Vengeance anew.
posted by pwnguin at 12:14 AM on May 26, 2014
You just have to accept that everyone trying to kill you in particular is the fair and natural outcome of being better than them. Once you have done that, you have achieved Gaming Nirvana. No more moments of doubt or anguish at how unfair is is that every person on the Battlefield has it out for your gunship. And death is merely short moment to collect yourself before the God of War is wreaks his Terrible Vengeance anew.
posted by pwnguin at 12:14 AM on May 26, 2014
I haven't had a lot of time to game lately but when I do it's usually accompanied by such a party favour. I find that in order to get that weed sort of focus I have to be in the right zone stone. Too little and I'm all fumbly and clutzy. Too much and like in the case of Elder Scrolls I'll start on a quest and then 1/2 hour later find myself somewhere on the other side of the map, just wandering around and looking at the pretty pictures.
posted by Jalliah at 4:56 AM on May 26, 2014
My view is that success in all sorts of things is correlated with interest.
And video games are a lot more interesting when you're high.
posted by Fists O'Fury at 6:02 AM on May 26, 2014
And video games are a lot more interesting when you're high.
posted by Fists O'Fury at 6:02 AM on May 26, 2014
Not surprisingly, this "research" ties slower reaction times to much higher scores. Sometimes getting "the left brain" to STFU helps!
posted by Twang at 1:03 PM on May 26, 2014
posted by Twang at 1:03 PM on May 26, 2014
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what?! we've been using PVP wrong this whole time!
posted by sxtxixtxcxh at 6:49 PM on May 25, 2014