Gamers and Energy Drinks

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Everyones_A_Critic

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After seeing Jeff's article about the return of Mountain Dew's shameless "Game Fuel" line of soft drinks, I felt compelled to step on the soap box and give my say about the recent rise in popularity of energy drinks amongst the gaming community.

Energy drinks. Who needs an energy drink? Obviously someone who regularly expells a heavy amount of energy from their bodies on a day-to-day basis. What demographic does this? The outdoorsman and athletic crowd come to mind. But many health nuts and gym rats condemn these drinks as "death in a can" (along with anything else besides milk and water, but hey, that's not the point). So if you're trying to sell you're latest taurine-laden concotion, what demographic do you try to appeal to?

HOW ABOUT THOSE "GAMERS" YOU HEAR SO MUCH ABOUT?!

Yeah! That's brilliant! Obviously people need energy when they're playing a FUCKING VIDEO GAME!!!!

I don't know about you guys, but I've had my fair share of late night gaming sessions. I played Fallout 3 until 3 AM when I first got it, but the reason I stopped was out of fear of waking my parents. Even if I got really tired while playing, I'd just go to bed. Where does an energy drink fit into this simple equation? Can any of you please fill me in? The only situation I could honestly think of would be if you were reviewing a game and had to have it finished by a set deadline. Then I could see if you just had to play through the night despite your bodies need to sleep.

Energy drinks are really popular with the MLG too. These "athletes" (and I use that term VERY loosely) chug energy drinks like it's their job and claim it helps reflexes in those intense CS: Source and Halo 3 games. Color me unimpressed. If these drinks positively affect your performace, and you want your hobby to be considered a proffessional sport, then you should shy away from anything that could have the phrase "performance enhancing" attached to it.

Keep in mind I'm not going for the "Holier Than Thou" approach here. I tried five hour energy once because I was out all night and had to work the next day. It tasted like shit, and made me feel like a zombie with a speed habit all day. I think that they can be OK in some situations, but rarely are they ever neccessary for the "gamer" crowd. If you need an energy boost while you're playing a fuckin' video game, then you need a doctor, not a drink.

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Geno

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#2  Edited By Geno

I personally like energy drinks because they taste fucking fantastic. I'm not even sure their effects even work on me, I can down 3 Red Bulls and fall asleep 5 minutes later. I'm sure many other people feel the same.

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Vinchenzo

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#3  Edited By Vinchenzo

I drink energy drinks on occasion. That means maybe one per every three months. When I was in high school this guy would have two or three, if not more, energy drinks a day. It's a unique and interesting taste. Not sure about you guys, but caffeine doesn't rev me up. Maybe I'm too lazy, but I hate seeing gamers as the type who drink fatty foods and sugary drinks all day. I usually eat the fatty foods sure, but drink Diet Coke and water.

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Mercator

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#4  Edited By Mercator

Taste like shit, too expensive, same gripes I have with alcohol. Therefore I dont consume either.

If I want empty calories I drink, the far more delicious, soda.

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DuhQbnSiLo

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#5  Edited By DuhQbnSiLo

Its called Sponsors... it a way to get money

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LuckyWanderDude

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#6  Edited By LuckyWanderDude

ENERGY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Captain_Fookup

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#7  Edited By Captain_Fookup

Cocaine > Energy Dranks

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Everyones_A_Critic

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Captain_Fookup said:
"Cocaine > Energy Dranks"

Indeed. And it's a great weight loss tool!
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Sgt_T1bbs

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#9  Edited By Sgt_T1bbs

Srsly, if your trying to grind out games in late night sessions just hit some cocaine. Now THATS performance enhancing.

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DBoy

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#10  Edited By DBoy

I don't drink energy drinks.  I have water or beer when I game.

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ParanoidFreak

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#11  Edited By ParanoidFreak

I hate energy drinks, they all have they same awful taste.

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GiantRetard

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#12  Edited By GiantRetard

come every one deep down inside likes energy drinks they just dont want do admit it

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inkeiren

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#13  Edited By inkeiren

I generally consume healthy drinks like water, milk, orange juice, and lemonade. That's really it.

But I have an idea as to why gamers like energy drinks. Ever played a game and got really tired and the first thought you had regarding this was "I wish I was not tired now. I wish I could play more."

Yeah. That.

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Muze

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#14  Edited By Muze

Only time I drink Energy Drinks is when I work. Sometimes I don't get enough sleep and I need a kick to help me out.

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RetroIce4

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#15  Edited By RetroIce4
Vinchenzo said:
"I drink energy drinks on occasion. That means maybe one per every three months. When I was in high school this guy would have two or three, if not more, energy drinks a day. It's a unique and interesting taste. Not sure about you guys, but caffeine doesn't rev me up. Maybe I'm too lazy, but I hate seeing gamers as the type who drink fatty foods and sugary drinks all day. I usually eat the fatty foods sure, but drink Diet Coke and water."
I love Monster and Red Bull. Those are the only 2 energy drinks I like... Not trying to be a dick, but you know that Diet is worse than normal? (Its all chemicals and actually increases your weight)
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TheMudlaker

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#16  Edited By TheMudlaker

I was nearly addicted to them. Drank one everyday but realized the taste wasn't worth messing with my health, so i quit the stuff.  They were useful for gaming only for the sole purpose of having something to sip on every minute or 2 while you played, but any drink is useful really.

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kmdrkul

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#17  Edited By kmdrkul

I generally just do heroin before a gaming session.

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#18  Edited By Black_Raven

I've only ever noticed the effects of energy drinks when i was drinking a red bull at about 5 in the morning, I know that on the cans they say its great for athletes but from what I've read its the exact opposite, apparently the worst thing you can do while drinking an energy drink or soon after drinking one is any physical activity, so really the drink is perfect for gamers.

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Shadow2K6

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#19  Edited By Shadow2K6
ParanoidFreak said:
"I hate energy drinks, they all have they same awful taste. "

bu....but....but Bawls tastes like Sprite =/

Anyways the reason energy drinks are big in the gaming community rather than outdoorsman and athletes is pretty simple.

Gaming is one activity that takes fast reflexes.  Eye-hand coordination is extremely important in gaming when in physical sports its not as important.  Caffeine boosts your awareness and reflex so you react to the gaming quicker then without caffeine. 

This is why people in MLG took  ADD medication for a while even though they didn't have ADD.  It boosts your concentration and reflexes which gaming requires a lot of.
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kmdrkul

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#20  Edited By kmdrkul
Shadow2K6 said:
"ParanoidFreak said:
"I hate energy drinks, they all have they same awful taste. "
bu....but....but Bawls tastes like Sprite =/Anyways the reason energy drinks are big in the gaming community rather than outdoorsman and athletes is pretty simple.Gaming is one activity that takes fast reflexes.  Eye-hand coordination is extremely important in gaming when in physical sports its not as important.  Caffeine boosts your awareness and reflex so you react to the gaming quicker then without caffeine.  This is why people in MLG took  ADD medication for a while even though they didn't have ADD.  It boosts your concentration and reflexes which gaming requires a lot of."
Have you ever played a game drunk?  It is way more fun playing with the dullest possible senses and worst concentration.  Sure, you suck, but damn is your demise funner than hell.
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Wolverine

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#21  Edited By Wolverine
Everyones_A_Critic said:
"After seeing Jeff's article about the return of Mountain Dew's shameless "Game Fuel" line of soft drinks, I felt compelled to step on the soap box and give my say about the recent rise in popularity of energy drinks amongst the gaming community.

Energy drinks. Who needs an energy drink? Obviously someone who regularly expells a heavy amount of energy from their bodies on a day-to-day basis. What demographic does this? The outdoorsman and athletic crowd come to mind. But many health nuts and gym rats condemn these drinks as "death in a can" (along with anything else besides milk and water, but hey, that's not the point). So if you're trying to sell you're latest taurine-laden concotion, what demographic do you try to appeal to?

HOW ABOUT THOSE "GAMERS" YOU HEAR SO MUCH ABOUT?!

Yeah! That's brilliant! Obviously people need energy when they're playing a FUCKING VIDEO GAME!!!!

I don't know about you guys, but I've had my fair share of late night gaming sessions. I played Fallout 3 until 3 AM when I first got it, but the reason I stopped was out of fear of waking my parents. Even if I got really tired while playing, I'd just go to bed. Where does an energy drink fit into this simple equation? Can any of you please fill me in? The only situation I could honestly think of would be if you were reviewing a game and had to have it finished by a set deadline. Then I could see if you just had to play through the night despite your bodies need to sleep. Energy drinks are really popular with the MLG too. These "athletes" (and I use that term VERY loosely) chug energy drinks like it's their job and claim it helps reflexes in those intense CS: Source and Halo 3 games. Color me unimpressed. If these drinks positively affect your performace, and you want your hobby to be considered a proffessional sport, then you should shy away from anything that could have the phrase "performance enhancing" attached to it.Keep in mind I'm not going for the "Holier Than Thou" approach here. I tried five hour energy once because I was out all night and had to work the next day. It tasted like shit, and made me feel like a zombie with a speed habit all day. I think that they can be OK in some situations, but rarely are they ever neccessary for the "gamer" crowd. If you need an energy boost while you're playing a fuckin' video game, then you need a doctor, not a drink."
I wouldn't consider Gamer Fuel an energy drink though but I agree with you that "gamers" are becoming the demographic that these drinks are being targeted at. I can understand why. I've played Halo and Call of Duty all night with my friends and whenever I did that I would be fucking tired the next day but I wouldn't drink energy drinks because they just make you crash.
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#22  Edited By daniel_beck_90

 Everyones_A_Critic said:

But many health nuts and gym rats condemn these drinks as "death in a can" (along with anything else besides milk and water, but hey, that's not the point).
The fact that we condemn everything apart from milk and water is becasue all the beverages contain sugar and as you may or may not know sugar is not nutritious , It easily turns into body fat , affects the appetite in unexpected ways making the long term diets inapplicable .
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#23  Edited By BoG

I don't ever touch them. My teeth are really susceptible to cavities for one, and energy drinks are the #1 way to rot your teeth. Second, I am actually an athletic person, and so I actually like to stay healthy. Energy drinks are quite the opposite. They once offered some Monsters at the Tuscon marathon, and I was almost offended by the gesture. 

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#24  Edited By Optiow

I drink energy drinks because they taste good, not becuase they give me energy.

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#25  Edited By TheOldOrder

Heh, what can I say I've never bought an energy drink with the sole purpose of keeping me up for an all night play time, I like red bull and similar drinks

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#26  Edited By Gunner

If you have ever played a game competitively you would understand.

One team i was in for CoD2 required every player to play at least 40 hours (how much the average full time job takes up) a week in order to stay in the team. And what do you do when you only have 30 hours left in the week with only 10 hours clocked in? Fucking power through it, i had to drank at least 3 evergy drinks a day in order to stay awake during long sessions. Remember this was a time were i was on summer break and didnt have a job.

But once the team i was in disbanded, i decided to quit that lifestyle, wasnt healthy and i was turning into an anti-social hermit.

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#27  Edited By DJ_Lae

Energy drinks generally taste terrible. And if I need caffeine that badly, I'll just have a cup of coffee. Less taurine for my system.

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#28  Edited By Tordah
Optiow said:
"I drink energy drinks because they taste good, not becuase they give me energy."
Same for me. Rarely do they have any effect on me anymore. Maybe if I had more than one per day but I try to limit it to that.
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Everyones_A_Critic

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If you have ever played a game competitively you would understand.

One team i was in for CoD2 required every player to play at least 40 hours (how much the average full time job takes up) a week in order to stay in the team. And what do you do when you only have 30 hours left in the week with only 10 hours clocked in? Fucking power through it, i had to drank at least 3 evergy drinks a day in order to stay awake during long sessions. Remember this was a time were i was on summer break and didnt have a job.

But once the team i was in disbanded, i decided to quit that lifestyle, wasnt healthy and i was turning into an anti-social hermit.



Were you making money off of this team? I'd certainly hope so...

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#30  Edited By ZombiePie

Man I don't drink that shit, I could get diabeetus or something.

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#31  Edited By crunchUK

I have a nice cup of tea

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#32  Edited By Gmanall

Deton8 Kroger brand cheap and taste good (Yes a link)