Like peanut butter and jelly, weed and gaming belong together.
Lots of people feel that they are better at video games when stoned. Whether cannabis really does make you better or worse at gaming is still up for debate, but the most accurate answer, at least so far, is: it depends.
It depends on the game and the player. One player, call him Joe, may perform better overall at video games while sober. Another player, Gus, may perform better overall when stoned. Still another player, Lucy, may perform better on some games stoned and on other games sober.
The only way to tell whether you are better at video games when stoned is to test yourself. Say you’re playing a Formula 1 racing game. Record the time it takes you to complete a few racetracks when sober, when stoned, and compare. To make things more fun, have your friends join you. Who beats who when sober, and who beats who when stoned?
If you game better when cannabis is running through your system, here are two possible reasons why.
#1 Flow
Consuming cannabis that you buy from an online dispensary in Canada may increase your chances of entering what psychologists call a state of flow, otherwise known as being in the zone. When you’re in the zone, you’re locked into what you’re doing.
Say you enter a flow state when playing a Formula 1 racing game: you lose track of time and forget about your surroundings. Your vision becomes tunnel vision. You forget yourself and merge with your surroundings. Typically, flow feels very good.
A flow state has several benefits:
- Greater happiness: flow states are linked to increased levels of happiness and overall feelings of well-being
- Skill development: when you’re skilled at something, you’re more likely to experience a state of flow when doing it; and when you’re experiencing a state of flow while doing something, you’re more likely to get more skilled at doing it
- Greater fulfillment: when you’re playing video games in a state of flow, you enjoy it more than when you’re not and this, in turn, can lead to a greater sense of fulfillment
- Greater creativity: flow states make you more creative
So, if you experience a cannabis-induced flow state when playing a Formula 1 racing game, buckle in and enjoy the ride. You’re going to game better than usual. You’re also going to do good things to your brain and soul.
#2 Focus
Increased focus is a common symptom of a flow state, but you can experience increased focus without entering a state of flow.
There’s a reason eSports league ESL banned marijuana use among its gamers a few years ago. It’s the same reason they banned Adder all and other drugs used to treat ADHD (except for gamers diagnosed with DHD). Cannabis may improve focus, which may improve video game performance.
So, if you’re not a professional gamer competing in a tournament, cannabis may be a little performance enhancer.
