I have been an avid gamer my whole life. My earliest gaming memories are playing Toy Story on the original Playstation and trying to play Pokemon on my original Gameboy while dealing with the horrific glare on the screen. And I have loved watching gaming evolve and grow over the years. Gaming is an art. And every year we see game creators try new and interesting things. Pushing the boundaries of what gaming can be.
One of the biggest advancements in the history of gaming was the creation of the home console. As console technology improved, so did the bounds of what was possible for game designers. With fewer limitations, designers could create truly wondrous works of gaming art. Seeking inspiration from many different sources. And today we are going to be looking at one source of inspiration particularly. Marijuana.
Gaming And Marijuana
Gaming and Marijuana have always gone hand in hand. Stoners like nothing more than to sit back with a large selection of snacks and lose themselves in a good video game. Whether it be a FPS like Call Of Duty, or an intense story driven epic like The Last Of Us. Marijuana heightens the joy we get from gaming.
But it isn’t just the players who use Marijuana either. It is well known that consuming Marijuana helps boost creativity by combatting anxiety and boosting the user’s mood. Without being constrained by the anxious voice of self-criticism, game designers take bigger creative risks and try new and exciting things. But most game designers won’t openly admit to having used Marijuana during the design process because, for the longest time, Marijuana was illegal. But Marijuana is now legal in Canada and a host of other nations. So what effect has this had on the gaming community?
Weed Culture In Gaming
One of the most noticeable changes to the world of gaming since Marijuana became legal is how much stoner culture is now appearing in games. And in no franchise can this be seen more than the Call Of Duty series. Since weed became legal in Canada and the USA, CoD has added a number of skins containing Marijuana imagery. Guns with the classic weed leaf emblazoned on them. Costumes with ‘420’ on the lapel in a distinctive green. And, most notably, was the recent release of the Snoop Dog skin. Snoop Dog is one of the biggest advocates for Marijuana in the world.
And it isn’t just Call of Duty that is getting in on the trend. There are now games about owning your own medicinal Marijuana dispensary and having to grow your own weed. As well, a lot of games include more scenes of Marijuana consumption like the popular game ‘High On Life.’ As the social stigma against Marijuana slowly vanishes, we will see more games include weed skins and scenes of weed smoking.
The Social Impact
Stoner culture is one of friendship and community. Everyone knows that consuming Marijuana is far better with others. And the same can be said for video games. There is a reason that multiplayer games, on average, sell far better than single player games. And the most popular form of multiplayer game is couch co-op.
Couch co-op is the term given to a game that can be played on the same system using multiple controllers. Split-screen FPS games and party games such as ‘Jackbox Party Pack’ are great examples of this.
So it is only natural that couch co-op games and Marijuana go hand in hand. There is no better feeling than getting slightly stoned with your best friends and enjoying a night of gaming together. It is a fantastic way to bond. But before it wasn’t always that easy to get ahold of Marijuana in Canada to do this. But now that companies like gastownmedicinal offer same day delivery for marijuana in Vancouver and many other cities have similar stores offering delivery, people are coming together more often.
And in a post covid world this is huge. The separation we all experienced over the last few years was devastating to many people’s mental health.Gaming has always been a great way to connect with people socially. But legalizing weed has brought people together without fear of criminal prosecution in a whole new way.
Accessible Gaming
One of the major positives that Marijuana has is its use as a medicine. It is a potent pain reliever and has been used to treat a number of ailments. Particularly it is being used to help people with Parkinsons, or other motor-degenerative diseases. And for gaming this is a huge plus for accessibility.
People who suffer from motor issues may be restricted in what games they can play. But a lot of people are now able to enjoy gaming to its fullest with the use of Marijuana. It helps steady their hands and mind. Gaming should be enjoyed by everyone. And anything that makes it more accessible is a huge win in our eyes.
