A View on the Food and Drink in Gaming Culture

Gamer fuel. Tasty food and drink directed at gamers. There have been quite a few options on the market as gaming culture grows, and these options continue to grow as time passes. There are the typical classic grub choices of delivery pizza or Chinese food, but gamers also thrive on sugar and (fairly recently) caffeine-infused products that would give them an edge in a game (most often MMOs) and allow them to play for extended periods of time. However, are these types of food and drink considered bad for gamers? Maybe, but it is
no different than if X food or Y drink is bad for any person. It depends on the lifestyle, what is eaten, the genetics of the person, and how much is eaten.



There are definitely some interesting food and drinks that are considered specialties in gaming culture. In fact, just recently I have heard from a friend about the new experiment (though not directly marketed toward gamers) from the makers of Mountain Dew called "Dewitos."  It sounds pretty terrible considering what the drink is. For quite a few gamers, they like to drink Mountain Dew and/or eat Doritos during a gaming session. So why not combine the two?

Because that, my friends, sounds gross and probably is gross. I want to try it badly, but I could not bring myself to do it. I can't even drink bubblegum flavored drinks, or eat rootbeer flavored candy. But Doritos-flavored Mountain Dew? I can't imagine the cheesy nacho flavor in Mountain Dew. I am attempting to do so right now, but just... urp. Would the soda actually be savory rather than sweet? Or sweet with a savory tinge? What in the world would it taste like? Can soda even have a cheesy flavor? Are there other sodas out there with savory flavors? Actually, yes there are. I looked to the Google search engine, and found a list here - Apparently curry, salty watermelon, black garlic, and ranch dressing flavors have existed in soda, and as curious as I am, I do not believe I can bring myself to taste them. I've certainly been prodding friends to actually try the "Dewitos" flavor of Mountain Dew, but I doubt they will be willing to try it. Honestly, it is probably for the best that they don't. But I am not saying that the gaming culture is weird when it comes to food and drink. There have been, of course, a variety of food and drink geared toward gamers, such as Mountain Dew. But there are not just official products that are geared toward gaming culture. There is also some creative fandom behind gaming and food/drink. For example, refer to the website, The Drunken Moogle and look through the variety of drinks. There has recently been a "Destiny"-themed drink that even looks pretty tasty and is quite creative.



For gaming-related recipes, you can always check out The Geeky Chef, though you will also find other recipes that relate to books, movies, and television. Some gaming-related recipes found on the site are Rock Sirloin, a take on the dish in "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time," "Grog," inspired by the Monkey Island video games, "1UP Cupcakes" resembling the 1UP Mushrooms from the Mario series, "Sea Salt Ice Cream," from the Kingdom Hearts series (which began in KHII), and a few more. I personally am dying to make the Sea Salt Ice Cream, since I have been wanting to make the ice cream since Kingdom Hearts II released.
Besides game-themed food and drink that are created by fellow gamers, but gaming-food culture is expanding into restaurants, i.e. EXP in Vancouver or the Eorzea Cafe in Japan. These restaurants serve game-themed food, like the Titan Burger in the Eorzea Cafe.



However, what I want to talk about the most in gaming-related food culture is about the food and drink that is commercially sold and is catered to gamers. For example, there is a product called Gamer Food that has video-game themed (edgy patterns with bold colors) packaging, but contains flavored seeds and nuts that help keep the gamer full, energized, and satisfied during a gaming session. There is another product called Gamer Grub, which is a performance snack mix stuffed in bold video-game themed packaging. There are some interesting flavors for Gamer Grub too: Pizza, PB&J, BBQ, and S'mores (I am interested in the Pizza and PB&J ones myself). Then there are drinks that are even advertised toward gamers. BAWLS is one of those drinks that I have never had but am curious to try. Mountain Dew, Red Bull, and Monster Energy are also three famous brands that advertise and support professional gaming. Then there is neither food or drink, but caffeine supplements such as BAWLS mints.



I am sure there will be a lot more food and drink that will be introduced to the gaming world, and I want to explore these foods. Honestly, I love the fact that gaming culture is becoming more noticeable, and I love that new foods and drinks are being introduced into that gaming culture. Gamers, like people in other professions, want to be in top shape when being competitive. Even when wanting to complete a game in a day, gamers will rely on certain foods to help them out. I definitely realize this, as I have relied on Red Bull once or twice while completing a task, such as farming items for hours for money, with friends at four in the morning on Final Fantasy XIV.

In conclusion, food and drink is becoming a major part of gaming culture. I definitely want to throw myself into the food division in gaming by recreating some Culinarian recipes from Final Fantasy XIV and introduce these foods into the real world, but when it comes to actually playing the game, I will rely on a can of Red Bull once in awhile to get me through a jam.