Where there were video games, there had been cannabis all along. Gamers immediately discovered that they worked well together on many levels. Whether you’re reaching for top scores or escaping to fantasy worlds – getting high can improve your skills. Elevate your game and your high, as we guide you through our favourite strain and game parings.
Video games and weed: a match made in heaven?
In a pursuit to understand what brings humans happiness, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi researched cognitive flow. It’s an elusive mental state in which high levels of immersion, focus and productivity become effortless. What he didn’t realise is that he stumbled upon a formula for optimal game design.
The psychology behind getting ‘in the zone’ is crucial when designing an interactive and enjoyable game. To put it simply, video games need to slide into a goldilocks zone of ‘not too boring’, ‘not too hard for a player to reach flow state.
Within this ‘flow’, all sense of time and self-awareness go out the window. Like when you’re holding your breath and clenching your ass tighter with every button mash – almost spilling the weed bowl.
Now, holding a fat joint while playing may impact dexterity, but the high can help you think laterally; try new moves or paths, solve a puzzle that’s been teasing you for hours, or notice a new levels of detail within the virtual world. Games known for their extreme difficulty, like Dark Souls, might just keep your high-mind playing long enough to progress beyond some of its ‘screw this’ moments.
It’s not hard to imagine the world’s first official game designer lighting up the herb before playing their creation. That person was physicist William Higginbotham (future strain name?), who used a small analogue computer to create a simple sports match called ‘Tennis for Two’ in the early 50s.
We might never know if he blazed up, but what we do know is, he paved the way for future gamers and blazer’s alike.
Sativa or indica for gaming?
There are different levels of gamers, just as there are different levels of stoners. So, finding the best strain to enhance your experience will require trial and error. A simple rule to follow is – sativa for energy; indica for sinking in-da-couch.
Typically, indica-dominant strains affect your body and heighten the way things feel, taste and sound. In addition, the highs produce a couch-lock effect that can place you in a hazy dream-like state. It’s the perfect mood for a trippy space exploration game like No Man Sky.
In contrast, sativa-dominant strains produce a stimulating energetic, mental high – conducive to social interactions and competitive play. Think Mortal Combat, a player-on-player battle style game where you must read your opponent and act in real-time to achieve victory.
Hybrids are a result of crossbreeding sativa and indica genetics, creating a strain with the desired effects of both.
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Top 9 cannabis strains for gaming
1. Girl Scout Cookies
Who wouldn’t want to start a gaming session with a delicious treat! Girl Scout Cookies is a super strain, winning numerous awards at the Cannabis Cup. The sweet and spicy aroma of GSC will leave your room smelling like the inside of a French bakery, so if you’re going clandestine, make sure to close your bud bag tight.
Expect to get highly blazed! Take a few hits and enjoy the immediate euphoric rush, followed by a mellow body high.
Best games to pair with Girl Scout Cookies
GSC pairs nicely with games with that nostalgic factor. Think ‘Mario 64’ where everything is trippy yet familiar – except now you’re a stoned adult. It’s perfect for a night of pizza, friendly competition, and games you don’t have to take too seriously. If you’re reigning champion of Mario Kart – maybe wait till after your race to smoke up.
2. Gorilla Haze
Gorilla Haze is a sativa-dominant variety of weed with gangster genetics. A crossbreed of Gorilla Glue and Amnesia – it’s advised to approach this strain with respect. The highs are intensely uplifting, energetic and psychedelic.
Best games to pair with Gorilla Haze
The wanderlust Gorilla Haze awakes in you matches the free-roaming fantasy action-adventure genre. Games like The Witcher 3, Fable, and Skyrim let you set your path, pace, and challenges in lush, detailed worlds.
But why not try a classic from ‘The Legend of Zelda’ series? Famous for its nostalgic art style and rich lore. ‘The Ocarina of Time’ has prevailed as a fan-favourite because of the incredible musical score and captivating narrative. Get high and explore the terrain of Hyrule or bliss out to the sounds of Link’s ocarina- it’s good for your health.
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3. OG Kush
OG Kush is a 3-way sativa-dominant hybrid, descendant of Pakistani Kush, Lemon Thai and Chemdawg. Those first hits will give you an uplifting and chatty buzz followed by a well-balanced body high.
Best games to pair with OG Kush
In recent years, gamers have taken to livestreaming their gameplay on platforms like HitBox and Twitch. It’s a fun and social way to test and improve your skills in front of like-minded gamers. There’s opportunity to go ‘pro’ and start making bank while playing games you love.
If this sounds like you, then OG Kush has you’re your back – keeping you lit’ without wiping you out.
4. Blue Dream
What do you get when you cross Blueberry with Haze? Blue Dream, a sativa-dominant hybrid hailed for its alert, sharp and focused highs. You don’t need too many hits to get on the level – so spark it up right before you ‘press start ‘.
Best games to pair with Blue Dream
‘Hotline Miami’ gets our pick for best game to pair with Blue Dream. An unforgiving top-down arcade-style action shooter with an up-beat techno soundtrack. You’ll play as amnesiac hitman dubbed ‘Jacket’ – known for their unparalleled wits and strategies.
Blue Dream helps you swiftly breach, execute, and escape the technicolour AI riddled levels unscathed and hitting the replay button.
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5. Pineapple Express
The notorious Pineapple Express is a sativa-dominant hybrid of Trainwreck and Hawaiian. Always on the side of the creative due to the long-lasting and inspiring highs. It’s nothing short of iconic – just check out the movie!
Best games to pair with Pineapple Express
Lots of games benefit from Pineapple Express behind the controls. We’ve chosen Valheim – an open world crafting/exploration experience catering to both the hunter/gatherer and the Norse warrior in you. Smoke an insightful joint as you build your village, craft your weaponry, and plan your voyage to the edge of the world. It only requires 1 gigabyte of space on PC – so go download it now!
6. NYC Diesel
NYC Diesel is a resilient indica-dominant hybrid, winning multiple Cannabis Cup awards. The highs are talkative, euphoric, and floaty despite being glued to your seat.
Best games to pair with NYC Diesel
Besides being a great muse for memes, we think this next game pairs up with the NYC Diesel high the most.
Minecraft leans more to the solo/cooperative side of gaming and has a rather Lego-like approach to creativity. With thousands of simple crafting elements that encourage insanely complex builds and inventions. Be the best architect you can be – while you blow smoke up the ass of the Endermen.
7. Super Strawberry Cheese
Not everyone is a social gamer, or social stoner. If that sounds like you, perhaps Super Strawberry Cheese is more on your level. An indica-dominant hybrid producing a super mellow, calming and focused high.
Best games to pair with Super Strawberry Cheese
Peak high for this strain is best matched with games that send you to the astral plane, and nothing takes you out-of-body like ‘Soundself’.
All you need is a microphone, headphones, and your commuter. Talk, hum, sing and laugh your way through an evolving landscape that replies with hypnotic DMT-like shapes, colours, and sounds. Each session is unique and lasts as long as you do. Be warned – you may conjure sentient creatures after a few hours. Oh, did I mention it’s compatible with VR?
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8. Chernobyl
A hybrid strain boasting strong sativa genetics. Don’t let the name fool you – Chernobyl is a happy high herb. Its radioactive aroma penetrates your senses like a bag of lime/lemon sherbet bombs. It’s made a name for itself among medicinal cannabis patients for managing pain.
Best games to pair with Chernobyl
Chernobyl is the ideal strain for fast-paced FPS shooters. You’ll be flexing your reflexes during high stakes matches of ‘Call Of Duty’ or testing your mental endurance against overwhelming odds in Doom’s ‘Nightmare’ difficulty.
9. WSS Skunk
Finally, WSS Skunk is a classic indica-dominant strain originally bred in the Netherlands in the 1980’s. The crossbreed between Skunk and Viking genetics should intimidate you – the highs are potent.
The effects of WSS Skunk are strong, with an initial rush of euphoria of both mind and body. You won’t remember passing out while gaming, thanks to the super heavy body high. Her flavour is rich and peppery, and her aroma is deliciously skunk.
Best games to pair with WSS Skunk
The Sims is a legendary example of the pros and cons of creative freedom within a game. On one hand the player can foster a well-adapted Sim with plenty of charisma, a decked-out crib, and a thriving social life. On the other, a more sinister reality that reveals the dark depths of the human psyche.
We all had that one friend who left their Sim burning inside a room with no doors or trapped in the pool with no ladder in sight (wink, wink). Either way, WSS Skunk will unearth your sick sense of humour.
Hours can be spent pairing strains with the best video games – but we want to hear from you! Do you prefer indica before a gaming session, or is sativa more your high? Share your favourite combinations in the comments below.
