Star Wars Jedi Survivor is out capturing the attention of gamers. Roughly 74% of households have player and 67% of adults find themselves competitively focused on the screen. While the average age is 31, 7% of people over 65 play. Dead Island, MLB the Show, Call of Duty, Hogwarts Legacy and more have millions of eyes fixed on them as you read this.
So how did this group become intwined with marijuana? Gaming and cannabis go together like peanut butter and jelly or cocktails and ice. A survey from Brightfield Group found that 54% of the respondents enjoy consuming cannabis while/before playing video games. They refer to them as Cannagamers.
Cannabis was attested to around 12,000 years ago near the Altai Mountains in Central Asia, and since then, cannabis seeds have accompanied the migration of nomadic peoples. Starting with dice, about 5,000 years ago, gaming and intoxicants have worked together. The thrill of the competition in a relatively safe environment provides a way to let off steam and have a good time. This involved into the gaming mindset up until the invention of the video game. Grog, mead, whiskey, wine were all staples at gaming tables around the world.
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The industry around video games has to be careful not to encourage underage use. Especially since it can hamper brain development.
But adult gamers believe consuming cannabis adds benefits. For over 35 years they have combined the two for enjoyment. People are surprised to learn cannabis gets mentioned in games as far back as 1984. When programmers were developing BBS door games and dial-up, modems gave players this rudimentary software to share content. Slick graphics weren’t expected, but instead, users clamored for off-filter premises you couldn’t find at arcades or on Atari cartridges. A title of the era, Drugwars, is a game that lets you play a New York City drug dealer and make piles of cash.
So what pulls gamers to cannabis? The THC in cannabis affects the human endocannabinoid system, helping people feel content and relaxed. Cannabis also makes users feel happy and uplifted, boosting their sensory perception at the same time. Also, video games are also meant to make people content, excited, and deeply engaged. So, playing when high is more enjoyable, as the consumer has a sharper perception of art and music in the game.
And gaming and weed cause bursts of dopamine in the human brain. Thus, smoking weed elevates those feelings when you complete a level or get an in-game reward.
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So, like a beer while watching baseball, marijuana while engaged with gaming has become a great American and Canadian pastime.
