Honest question re: drinking and gaming

2013-07-06 12:00:04 am

Do you find that consuming alcohol enhances your gaming skills? Why do you think so?

If it makes you worse you can say that too. As I write this topic I'm pretty hammered and I felt the need to ask so I must know this! I can actually type pretty good while I'm under. LOL

Thread title:

PJ

2013-07-06 12:34:45 am

Is PJ

There's a fine line. After the right amount, I do really really well. If I go any amount further, I lose all ability to do anything.

Shiden

2013-07-06 12:39:39 am

That "fine line" is probably different for everyone but I would agree with that for sure. I think it depends on the type of game too. I'm generally better at first person shooters than other types of games.

Domakr

2013-07-06 07:14:46 am

Wah~

Only if I'm with friends, but I probably get worse.

Alko

2013-07-06 07:38:56 am

Caution: This user contains Kana ^_^

From a physiological point of view, every drop of alcohol should contribute to a slightly lesser performance due to slightly slower reaction times and stuff. However, with small amounts that can be balanced by other effects.
The exact same applies to sleep-deprivedness, large amounts of tea (or coffee, if you really want that one Wink

), chocolate and anything that you don't want the cops knowing you got. The line is different for everyone of these (obviously, you can have way more chocolate, especially white chocolate, and still perform excellently), but it will be somewhere.

Lag.Com

2013-07-06 08:19:24 am

sda loyalist

I've played under the influence and it's not worth it. Reaction time is too important to throw away.

BlueStarReturns

Edit history:

BlueStarReturns: 2013-07-06 09:31:28 am

2013-07-06 09:31:02 am

Twinkle-Twinkle Lil' Star, har har!

Kind of complicated for me but here goes: I haven't actually been drunk yet since turning 21 (3 years ago this August), but when I do drink, my anger increases ten-fold. My anger tends to lead to too much competitive spirit and being very loud, so when the possibility of losing my apartment comes into play if it goes any higher due to drinking, I'd say it makes me worse. While I like drinking, I leave to when I'm watching movies or hanging with friends, cause I can enjoy gaming if I'm not being a jerk.

Shiden

Edit history:

Shiden: 2013-07-06 09:38:40 am

Shiden: 2013-07-06 09:37:36 am

2013-07-06 09:37:15 am

Wow @ BlueStarReturns lol I'm the complete opposite of ya. I get mega happy and giggly. @Lag.Com I was thinking that perhaps just being intoxicated makes you think your reaction time is better when it isn't. Hmmm, gonna have to test that next time. Sure did get a pretty bad hangover though. It came with a side of heartburn. Damn you Baked Lay's!

PJ

Edit history:

PJ: 2013-07-06 10:04:18 am

2013-07-06 10:04:07 am

Is PJ

Quote from Alko:

From a physiological point of view, every drop of alcohol should contribute to a slightly lesser performance due to slightly slower reaction times and stuff. However, with small amounts that can be balanced by other effects.
The exact same applies to sleep-deprivedness, large amounts of tea (or coffee, if you really want that one Wink

), chocolate and anything that you don't want the cops knowing you got. The line is different for everyone of these (obviously, you can have way more chocolate, especially white chocolate, and still perform excellently), but it will be somewhere.

It's not the reaction time that needs help in some cases. Alcohol forces me to not be able to consciously think about what buttons I'm pressing, so I'm relying purely on muscle memory. Taking out that filter is really useful for a lot of games.

LotBlind

2013-07-06 10:19:19 am

Even if alcohol caused me to play better/somehow perform better I don't think it would do any good for my life in the long run. If it "helps you relax" for example, well, maybe there's something else that's currently making it harder for you to relax that would take some time, silence, introspection, opening up etc. to bring up to the surface. Then you'd have to face that thing and just accept it being there. And something would eventually transform. Not talking to anyone in particular here.

Tomcat

2013-07-06 02:03:40 pm

^ MFW A RUN GOES WRONG

I found out after one night of drinking (maybe a few pints and being technically classified as 'tipsy and tingly') that my skills in Mass Effect 3 multiplayer increased by an order of magnitude. But it also came with an increase in my volume and random blurbs of nonsensical gibberish.

In just about every other game, however, alchohol only helped to ruin my game...

cak

2013-07-06 03:53:12 pm

twitch.tv/ccaakk

It would probably be about the same (or worse) for me, though a beer or shot might make me less agitated when messing up.

Uilnslcoap

2013-07-06 07:17:05 pm

F*ckin' sanity effects...

I don't usually drink, but my skills (if they can be called that) definitely take a dive when I do. I tend to do...other stuff...stuff that is legal in a couple of states in the US now, including the one I live in. But smoking doesn't help me, either. During the one run I've ever done, I did segment attempts both altered and sober...I never had a segment attempt after smoking that ended up a keeper...only got my best attempts sober. Booooo.

ZenicReverie

2013-07-06 07:21:24 pm

Waiting hurts my soul...

Delaying certain reactions could be helpful in my case. I usually second guess my movements, run into bullets, or miss platforms while falling as I zigzag trying to find one. In those cases I can see some benefit to it. I'll have to experiment.

presjpolk

2013-07-06 07:25:27 pm

HELLO!

Caffeine's my vice. It only hurts me if I'ms leep deprived as a result.

BlueStarReturns

Edit history:

BlueStarReturns: 2013-07-06 08:09:59 pm

2013-07-06 08:06:25 pm

Twinkle-Twinkle Lil' Star, har har!

Quote from Shiden:

Wow @ BlueStarReturns lol I'm the complete opposite of ya. I get mega happy and giggly.

Well, I meant how I get when it comes to gaming, as per the topic title. thumbsup

I did mention at the end that I'm the opposite with movies or social activities with friends. In fact, I get so hyper that you could be able to tell I'm at least a little tipsy if you know me a little when I'm fully sober. While somewhat hyper normally, that's what increases when gaming isn't involved in my drinking. Grin

AlecK47

2013-07-07 12:45:13 am

Well, I just nailed a NSMB strat somewhat buzzed a couple hours ago that I figured out only a couple hours earlier... Really for me it depends on how precise what I need to do in the game is (and how much perception I need) and how drunk I am. So I'm better playing Sonic 2 drunk than Black Ops Zombies, because the latter requires multilateral thought and strategy often within a very short timeframe, while Sonic 2 is more reaction and muscle memory (like PJ said, when it's muscle memory, things tend to go better). That said, I tend to get a bit overaggresive and careless when I'm drunk and gaming, even though I'm very chill otherwise (for that matter, what few anger issues I have while gaming tend to dissipate with drink - maybe alcohol is my only chance to do a Pokemon run, lol).

Poxnor

2013-07-07 12:59:47 am

Moo! Flap! Hug!

Would someone care to explain to me why I wasn't informed of this thread the moment it was created?

flicky

2013-07-07 03:47:18 am

$15 per rant/allegory

Quote from Poxnor:

Would someone care to explain to me why I wasn't informed of this thread the moment it was created?

Because you weren't going to add anything to it. Hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Poxnor

2013-07-07 03:51:43 am

Moo! Flap! Hug!

...
...
...?

?

You're drunk, Flicky. Go home Smiley

BlueStarReturns

2013-07-07 01:49:36 pm

Twinkle-Twinkle Lil' Star, har har!

Quote from Poxnor:

Would someone care to explain to me why I wasn't informed of this thread the moment it was created?

I would have, but I'm usually shy with messaging of any kind due to not having done much around here talking-wise. Cheesy

Shiden

2013-07-07 03:23:37 pm

Sorry Poxnor I didn't know! :C /shame

flicky

2013-07-07 03:43:05 pm

$15 per rant/allegory

Quote from Poxnor:

...
...
...?

?

You're drunk, Flicky. Go home Smiley

Hooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

mikwuyma

2013-07-07 03:46:16 pm

My feelings on The Demon Rush

DrunkTerrania?

Basically what PJ said, there's a fine line and it's easy to just lose everything.

RoboSparkle

2013-07-07 04:24:48 pm

Magical. Flying. Bathtub

I tend to improve very slightly until I reach a certain point and then everything goes to pot. A bit like my pool skills really, I need to be very marginally under 2 pints for my optimum performance. The tricky point comes where if I play for too long I start to sober up and have to very carefully medicate myself...

This is what I learned about myself during my degree by the way, well worth it!