Government: Smoking Pot Makes You Bad at Games

[DarthWario]

Dude, what? The U.S. Drug Czar's office has declared that smoking marijuana makes you bad at playing games. "Getting high affects your brain in ways that may directly influence your gaming ability," warns the Drug Czar's "Above the Influence" Web site, citing the impairment of "everything from reaction time to reasoning skills." According to the site, marijuana may lead to a harder time "defeating an opponent and beating a game."

The government's new video ads feature game avatars lamenting the fact that their players got bad at playing games because they smoked up. "It's not that the challenges got harder, it's that Chris's skills got worse," a fantasy RPG character says, "Why? Because Chris started getting high while he was in control."

No matter how you feel about the idea of an elf telling you not to get high (the talking elves usually tell me to smoke more!) there is a huge difference between these public service ads and the propaganda of the past. "The Man" used to tell you that smoking weed would lead to harder drugs, make you into a raving addict, destroy your life, and make your brain into an egg on a frying pan. The message here is less hysterical and more realistic: If you smoke pot, you will suck at games. Alright. I'll buy that. Of course no mention is made of whether gaming while high might make you have more fun, even if you do fail more often...

What do you guys think: Do stoners make worse gamers? Does pot slow reaction time and lead to lead sandwiches in first-person shooters? Will this line of argument convince you not to toke up?

Link to the website: http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/facts/gaming-high.aspx

[OverMind]

Government: Smoking Pot Makes You Bad at Games

About a million dollars were probably spent arriving at that conclusion.

[Artien]

Rofl in the trofl, really? I never noticed when I do it (Kidding). All said and done, it probably does, as you can't get angry and go nuts and kill everyone on call of duty 4 or such if your out of your mind on weed/pot/blow...

[Tatterdemalion]

That's not less propagandistic, it's just as much so, if not more. The only difference is that the government is now assuming that using things like "you're throwing your life away" doesn't work, because teenagers don't care about things like their lives, so they're changing it to "ZOMG U'LL SUK AT GAMINGZ!!!!" (they should actually write it like that, I'd love to see them try), because they think it's something more important to them.

But at the same time, while one might seem overly sensationalistic, this one is incredibly underwhelming. I mean, if anyone has half a lick of sense, the obvious response would be "Um...okay, thanks for the advice. Next time I'm gaming I won't smoke 'till I'm done."

At the same time, though, they're turning it into "marijuana will rob you of everything that is important to you, and you will be uncool," which is perhaps more unethical than "this is your brain on drugs." Keep in mind, all this is doing is trying to target a group's self esteem. Luckily, it doesn't seem likely to work.

Also, is it just me or is the government in error assumingthat somehow there's a significant overlap between stoners and gamers? And even if they do overlap, isn't the obvious, obvious answer that you should just do one, then the other, instead of both at the same time?

I mean, drinking makes you bad at driving. As a result the conclusion people come to isn't that you should never drink, but rather that you shouldn't drink and drive at the same time.

I mean, think about it this way: Is it really the government's job to pass laws against something, and then start tremendous ad campaigns to enforce them if the most serious and relevant problems associated with the thing these laws are designed to protect the public from is being bad at video games?

I don't know, it seems a bit like a waste

[Eia]

This is true. I have played with high people before.

They die a lot.

[JesusRocks]

Hypothetically if I were to get high and play CoD4 online, I don't think it would affect my playing much... I tend to suck at it regardless...

meh I got up to Sgt II just by playing loads... I have a high death-to-kill ratio... I'll die like 4 times before I get one kill.. and stuff... then I might get 3 kills in a row... and then die loads...

yeah i suck

mind you I haven't had it long...

[Artien]

I mean i get the whole "drugs are bad" shpiel, but I do not think that the U.S. government should drag gamers into the debate and use them as examples. Druggie gamers are the exception, not the rule, as in there are plenty of bad gamers who don't smoke pot.

[Omega]

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/1796/picture012z.jpg

Is this incriminating? Probably, but it cured my depression, expanded my vocal range, widened my artistic horizons and actually makes me better at Team Fortress 2.

Making it out to be some life-annihilating junkie drug that'll make you go crazy and kill your grandma and her extended family is bad enough, but they have no right to be bringing games into this. As far as I'm concerned, the DEA can go pound some fucking salt.

[Artien]

What is that ya got there boy? Bit o' grass there. No seriously good on ya.
Have you noticed any difference in your gaming performance then?

BTW I will have to kick your butt at TF2 one of these days. Did you get that "Re-aquiring game files from steam servers" error? Because I can't shift it.

[Turtlicious]

When im high i pretty much own at all my strategy games giving me time to chill out and not rush

yet it seems that my fps skills reaction time is slow and i keep thinking the cars moving to fast in car games

[DaJacksterN]

Sure maybe it makes you worse, but it probably makes games a LOT more interesting.

Though I wouldn't know from first-hand experience. I'm afraid of the stuff. :3

[Arbaal]

I bet they just pay a guy to make this shit up

'Uh....Marijuana makes you gay!'
'Good job, here have a big bag of money!'

[AsteriskRocks]

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/1796/picture012z.jpg

Is this incriminating?


Dried crushed spinach...nuff said.

[Omega]

Whatever helps you sleep at night. :D

[EdBat]

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/1796/picture012z.jpg


All I see is :thatface:

[maisetofan]

All I see is :thatface:

Same here :thatface::thatface::thatface:

Marijuana is wrong people it smells bad and Is addictive, if my siblings are anything to go by :(

[Omega]

With all due respect, your siblings are more likely to get addicted to milk and chocolate than marijuana.

They're also probably smelly.

[Turtlicious]

ummmm i always smoke mine before i get a pic up

[EdBat]

Back on topic... I always spaz and react too fast when I play games, AKA jump too soon, and so on. Drugs would probably help me become a BETTER gamer.

[Jim Profit]

Weed doesn't make you bad at games.

It just makes you not give a fuck lol

[Raulst]

HAHAHA. If anything, these ads by the government would probably induce me to smoke some more weed. They're that pathetic. Plus, I believe the majority of Americans don't see gaming to be an integral part of their lives (South Koreans, maybe), so...I guess if they think spending a lot of money trying to convince a minority that weed affects their gaming (ZOMG END OF WORLD!!11) will work...heck I gotta wonder how much pot they smoked in their youth to do that much brain damage.

On a side note, the agency's name amuses me. "U.S. Drug Czar"? I'll leave it there.

[Omega]

I gotta wonder how much pot they smoked in their youth to do that much brain damage.

I'm going to come out of your monitor and kick you in the face.