Why do people relate "hardcore" gamers to pot-heads?

[ideitbawx]

I've never even heard of someone relating games to drugs.

...

psychonauts ...

i wouldn't be surprised if some people at rockstar were stoners

There's something I didn't know.

Psychonauts is pretty crazy, but I have to go with Killer 7 for drugiest game.

...

i always wondered what it would be like to play a game where your character is in the middle of a drug trip. kind of like when you get drunk in grand theft auto 4, or getting knocked out (punch drunk?) in fight night and having to get up. what if it's a salvia trip gone bad, and walls are collapsing around you? what if you have to drive a car on mushrooms or acid?

i have a feeling some strange research is being conducted somewhere. and for once it's not me doing it.

...

Showing a drug trip in a game would be cool, but it needs a lot of work on the visual aspect because a drug level could play the same, but you need to work on the asthetics.

nevermind the visual aspects, how would controls change? while this visual/audible chaos is going on, would the controls become looser/tighter/randomly swerve between both extremes? i'm about to blackmail myself--oh well: i once drove a car on mushrooms (ONCE!!) and a certain visual, something that reminded me of a gyroscope, matched up in my vision to help me focus on the road and not the crazy shit going on around me; how would something like that be mapped out? maybe like recovering from a knock-out punch in older versions of fight night where you have to restore your vision? what about someone doing a line of ketamine and falling into a k-hole? (it's kind of like a watercolour painting of a whirlpool that sucks you in deeper and never ends. until you open your eyes).

plus, you would almost need to run two engines at once: one for the hallucinations, and another for the unchanging physical world. people hate hearing this no matter what the topic, but until you experience something for yourself, you've never experienced it, and drugs--any drug, illegal or otherwise--are no exception. i'm not a programmer, but would it be possible to distort the visuals of the drug world using the engine to run the physical world, without distorting any parameters of the physical world? maybe certain variables could be added to the engine that changes what the camera can see.

and before i forget, sound and music would also play a huge role. even though frank zappa never did drugs, he wrote many freeform-sounding songs that feel closer to an acid trip than most artists you'd hear today. ketamine and many similar drugs are often the influence for bizarre electronica like breakbeat, some modern danceable hip-hop/club music and whatever you'd call Prodigy. mushrooms and acid? c'mon, like i've even gotta say it: the best of the best of hard, heavy, classic rock. cocaine? you don't really trip from cocaine, but "white blues" (eg eric clapton and the like), or older depressing acoustic music like neil young. weed? hip-hop. duh.

wow. i've thought about this way too long. i need a toke. excuse me a minute ...

 

[Davey106]

it is just a case of people being morons

 

[randommaster]

Showing a drug trip in a game would be cool, but it needs a lot of work on the visual aspect because a drug level could play the same, but you need to work on the asthetics.

nevermind the visual aspects, how would controls change? while this visual/audible chaos is going on, would the controls become looser/tighter/randomly swerve between both extremes? i'm about to blackmail myself--oh well: i once drove a car on mushrooms (ONCE!!) and a certain visual, something that reminded me of a gyroscope, matched up in my vision to help me focus on the road and not the crazy shit going on around me; how would something like that be mapped out? maybe like recovering from a knock-out punch in older versions of fight night where you have to restore your vision? what about someone doing a line of ketamine and falling into a k-hole? (it's kind of like a watercolour painting of a whirlpool that sucks you in deeper and never ends. until you open your eyes).

plus, you would almost need to run two engines at once: one for the hallucinations, and another for the unchanging physical world. people hate hearing this no matter what the topic, but until you experience something for yourself, you've never experienced it, and drugs--any drug, illegal or otherwise--are no exception. i'm not a programmer, but would it be possible to distort the visuals of the drug world using the engine to run the physical world, without distorting any parameters of the physical world? maybe certain variables could be added to the engine that changes what the camera can see.

and before i forget, sound and music would also play a huge role. even though frank zappa never did drugs, he wrote many freeform-sounding songs that feel closer to an acid trip than most artists you'd hear today. ketamine and many similar drugs are often the influence for bizarre electronica like breakbeat, some modern danceable hip-hop/club music and whatever you'd call Prodigy. mushrooms and acid? c'mon, like i've even gotta say it: the best of the best of hard, heavy, classic rock. cocaine? you don't really trip from cocaine, but "white blues" (eg eric clapton and the like), or older depressing acoustic music like neil young. weed? hip-hop. duh.

wow. i've thought about this way too long. i need a toke. excuse me a minute ...[/quote]
Holy shit, someone call the FBI, this person's now the most wanted man in the freaking world!

Um, I mean, uh...yeah.

As far as the controls go, here's an example for a racing game. You're on the track, and when you trip out, the track and controls stay the same, but what appears on the screen changes. Thew reasoning behinf this is that when you get high, the world and your body operate the same, but your brain is not percieving the world in the same way, so it tells your body to act according to its new perception. The portion of the track you can see would suddenly start moving everywhere, or you would be in space for some reason, or a giant enemy crab would try to block your path. Basically, stuff would happen that changes what you percieve, but the reality stays the same. To use a milder example, if you trip and the track suddenly mirors itself, the actual track is still the same, and you still function the same, but what you see is not the same and trying to navigate through the world based on faulty perception is going to be hella tough.

 

[Asciotes]

I've never related games to drugs... well except for Noby Noby and Katamari.

I've never done drugs, but yes, Katamari is probably the closest I've come (awesome game though).

 

[vamp rocks]

ehhh.... i would class myself as a hardcore gamer.... and i smoke weed....

PS: do not base my userpicture on my normal atire... lol

 

[Sun Flash]

My theory?

20 something college douchebags play "hadcore" games.
20 something college douchebags are, on the whole, pot heads.

therefore;
HC Games = Douchebags = Potheads
HC Games = Potheads

oh and by "20something douchebags I mean those who are of the "W00T! EPIC NO SCOPE! WUT? DIE ****** DIE!! HA HA LOL! GIMME SKIN BRO! SHIT WAS SO CASH!" disposition.

 

[roboosh]

it is just a case of people being morons

Yes

 

[vortex30]

I know a lot of pot heads who play games. I think A LOT of people into drugs, are also into gaming, because games are as good of an escape as drugs, and both at once is like OMFG ORGASMZZZ! But are most gamers pot heads? Hell no, that isn't my experience at all. In any given server there are 1 or 2 people talking about what drugs they're on, but there's also always 1 or 2 people telling them drugs are bad, mkay, and then the silent majority probably just don't give a shit either way, maybe smoke up on occasion but at this given time aren't high and don't really care who is or isn't.

But I can tell you in some drug forums I'm on, there is a solid gamer population, but the reverse isn't true for gaming forums I am on.

 

[Troublesome Lagomorph]

oh and by "20something douchebags I mean those who are of the "W00T! EPIC NO SCOPE! WUT? DIE ****** DIE!! HA HA LOL! GIMME SKIN BRO! SHIT WAS SO CASH!" disposition.

You just validated your hypothesis. You did not even have to do testing for that. Good job, sir.

 

[jasoncyrus]

Because stoners are about on the same rung of the social ladder as the stereotypical video game-loving nerd.

I kid, it's really because marijuana and video games are like peanut butter and chocolate.

A horible horrible combination that ends in many kids being irreprably harmed from side effects?

just because you don't like reese peanut butter cups doesn't mean the rest of us can't enjoy them. just be responsible with your choices

Ah but peanut buttercups don't make you retarded and lower your brain activity permanently. As has been proven with pot.

Thats why you never see any stoners doing complex jobs. Because they are quite literally now too stupid to do them.

 

[LongAndShort]

Some of the best gamers I've ever played against were pot-heads or stoners or blind drunk at the time. I think they're just able to focus so much more on the task at hand (in this case the video game).

 

[-Orgasmatron-]

what if games were associated with something like a severe longing for cake?
Parents would be like dont bring the cake eater around here.
did you see how excited he got when he learned your birthday was fast approaching?
He smells like flour.

Ah Mitch you'll live forever. /teardrop

LMAO

I tried telling someone that joke the other day but couldn't finish cus I was laughing so hard.

RIP Mitch Hedberg

OT: It's because gamers sit infront of the tv eating junk food alot, so do stoners, or atleast that's how the stereotype goes.

Thats why you never see any stoners doing complex jobs. Because they are quite literally now too stupid to do them.

Hasn't like half of the US senate admited to smoking weed? I'd say that's a pretty complex job. It damages your brain, but not that much. Think you need to educate yourself abit more before coming out with such rash claims.

Also, I don't smoke weed, I did afew years ago, but I don't enjoy it.

 

[ideitbawx]

Strange. I always thought hardcore gamers were virgins not stoners

/thread

i know, i'm a bastard, i know. /thread anyway

 

[ideitbawx]

Because stoners are about on the same rung of the social ladder as the stereotypical video game-loving nerd.

I kid, it's really because marijuana and video games are like peanut butter and chocolate.

A horible horrible combination that ends in many kids being irreprably harmed from side effects?

just because you don't like reese peanut butter cups doesn't mean the rest of us can't enjoy them. just be responsible with your choices

Ah but peanut buttercups don't make you retarded and lower your brain activity permanently. As has been proven with pot.

...

no, it'll just give you diabetes and destroy your health permanently. as has been proven with chocolate. plus, the peanut butter used is very high in sodium, bad for your cholesterol.

see? i can make unfounded claims too. though am i the only one who thinks the peanut butter in a reese cup is really salty?

 

[jasoncyrus]

Because stoners are about on the same rung of the social ladder as the stereotypical video game-loving nerd.

I kid, it's really because marijuana and video games are like peanut butter and chocolate.

A horible horrible combination that ends in many kids being irreprably harmed from side effects?

just because you don't like reese peanut butter cups doesn't mean the rest of us can't enjoy them. just be responsible with your choices

Ah but peanut buttercups don't make you retarded and lower your brain activity permanently. As has been proven with pot.

...

no, it'll just give you diabetes and destroy your health permanently. as has been proven with chocolate. plus, the peanut butter used is very high in sodium, bad for your cholesterol.

see? i can make unfounded claims too. though am i the only one who thinks the peanut butter in a reese cup is really salty?

Actually it's not unfoudned, as I have said there have been plenty of studies, google it and you'll get plenty.

But in comparison to claims.

I'd rather have diabetes than be retarded =) Diabetes can be treated, brain damage alas cannot.

 

[ideitbawx]

Because stoners are about on the same rung of the social ladder as the stereotypical video game-loving nerd.

I kid, it's really because marijuana and video games are like peanut butter and chocolate.

A horible horrible combination that ends in many kids being irreprably harmed from side effects?

just because you don't like reese peanut butter cups doesn't mean the rest of us can't enjoy them. just be responsible with your choices

Ah but peanut buttercups don't make you retarded and lower your brain activity permanently. As has been proven with pot.

...

no, it'll just give you diabetes and destroy your health permanently. as has been proven with chocolate. plus, the peanut butter used is very high in sodium, bad for your cholesterol.

see? i can make unfounded claims too. though am i the only one who thinks the peanut butter in a reese cup is really salty?

Actually it's not unfoudned, as I have said there have been plenty of studies, google it and you'll get plenty.

But in comparison to claims.

I'd rather have diabetes than be retarded =) Diabetes can be treated, brain damage alas cannot.

in all honesty, i never cared that much about this discussion in the first place. you seem to be quite involved, though. you just seem so determined to be right.

anyway, i'm gonna watch the new zp, haven't had the chance to see it yet. nice chatting with you, mr cyrus

 

[Husky.Gnoll]

I don't really see why some people relate Gaming to Potheads, but I shouldn't be talking.
Actually, I was a Pothead Skater before I was a Geek.

 

[Headless Zombie]

Never really knew of that stereotype, in fact, a few of the hardcore gamers i know are some of the 'cleanest' people i know. My guess is that they were too obsessed with games to ever be interested in drugs.