1/19/2017

If you consider yourself a “gamer”, you play games for hours upon hours in a single setting. These long sessions take a toll on you, emotionally and physically. The most important thing to do during these gaming marathons is to ingest carbs to continue on. Now, obviously you’re not going to prepare, cook and eat an entire steak dinner WHILE slaying dragons in Skyrim or anything, so what foods are best when you’re deep into your game night? Here are my top 10 foods to enjoy while gaming:

10. Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches

The old classic. It’s real simple to slap this thing together and you can eat it with one hand, making it great for multitasking. What’s more, pre-made sandwiches exist that go in the freezer, so all you have to do is take it out, let it thaw and enjoy. Simple and effective.

9. Popcorn

Throw it in the microwave and get back to what you were doing for a bit, take it out and enjoy. Everyone loves the smell of popcorn and even when it goes cold, it’s still enjoyable to eat. Just be wary of the butter since it can get all over your hands and the controller. I do love butter though and if popcorn doesn’t have any butter on it, is it really popcorn?

8. Pringles

One of my favorite things to eat outside of gaming as well. Quick and easy to pop and never stop. Again, choice of flavor is key since some can leave dust on your fingers. Also a big downside is when the can starts getting low and it’s hard to fit your hand down to reach the chips, so you’ll need to pause to get the chips out. Small price to pay to enjoy a great chip.

7. Fritos

Another good tasting snack that’s easy to throw back, but I am gonna add an extra bit of awesomeness: cheese dip. Fritos makes a kick ass cheese dip that’s conveniently sold next to the multitude of flavors of corn chips. If you’re like me, you drown that chip in a world of cheese wonderland and enjoy.

6. Tortilla Chips & Salsa

Look at something along the lines of Tostito’s chips and salsa. Kind of the same positives as Fritos but the salsa adds an extra bit of spice on there too if you want to live a little more on the edge. There may not be as many flavor options of these kinds of chips as there are something like Fritos, but the salsa aspect is something I can totally get behind.

5. Pretzels

A favorite of video gamers and football fans alike, and it’s easy to see why. Just pour into a bowl and shovel away. The great thing here is that pretzels come in many forms, whether it’s tiny twists, big-ass Bavarian style or in stick form. Again, this is also enhanced with the addition of melted cheese. The classic German snack.

4. Crackers

I’m meaning more like Ritz crackers or Club crackers. Sounds pretty tame, but then you add the best enhancement of all time: Spray Cheese. Spread that stuff all over the crackers or skip the middle man and put that stuff directly on your tongue and you’ll be hooked. Did you know they make a flavor of Spray Cheese that’s bacon and cheddar? It’s Heaven!

3. Pizza

It’s a tradition as old as games themselves: get the friends together, order a pizza and play games all night. Who cares that grease was getting everywhere, because there’s no such thing as bad pizza. I’m a simple man when it comes to my pizza, I just need pepperoni and sausage. Keep your olives and taco pizza and other crap away from me.

2. Doritos

The most readily available snack on the market. Doritos is the Starbucks of the snack industry, it’s everywhere. Also, the marketing has placed this snack in the faces of gamers no matter what you’re playing. While there are plenty of flavors, you basically fall in one of two camps: Original or Cool Ranch. I have no problem with original Doritos, but I will always choose Cool Ranch when the option is presented. Also, bring back 3D Doritos! What can be better than Doritos? The perfect companion to it and the thing EVERY gamer consumes…

1. Mountain Dew

I may be bending the rules a bit here by saying a soda is “food” but you can’t deny the impact this drink has on the gaming world. So much so that they make dedicated “Game Fuel” when big games like Call of Duty or Halo come out. It also helps that Mountain Dew comes in SEVERAL flavors and, for the most part, they are all REALLY GOOD. Outside of the limited-run Baja Blast which I LOVE, I could drink Code Red every day for the rest of my life and be totally ok with it. It may not make you a better “gamer” but it will make the experience of playing games better.