Baked, Not Fried

Does CORRELATION mean CAUSALITY? You be the judge. At any rate, there are more important philosophical debates to tackle other than this steaming pile of veritable bullshit.

Let me preface this by saying that I don't have kids, and I am not married, but...

There's no cure for a poorly disciplined mind, except for good parenting.

Think about a kid who is raised by the home TV/PC instead of their parents (emphasis on in stead), versus a kid that is raised by loving parents who get their children involved in extracurricular activities, the great outdoors, music, visual art, cinema, and literature--and you tell me who is going to be the more complete human being with the most capabilities, by the time they're going to university.

I don't mean any offense, but as a writer it is your duty to get this right in a blurb that is just over 100 words.

Its = possessive
It's = contraction

Yes, Canadian media is the same sensationalist crap posted everywhere else in the world. Global news at 6 with kevin "i'm a straight and narrow WASP", DOSE magazine, rogers hell, and to top it all off, the star bought 20% of Globemedia (previously independent left-wing paper + 20% right wing garbage = poo in my toilet).

Did anyone notice how sensationalist the election coverage was? To this day I still blame the media for convincing people to vote conservative. If those stupid EKOS polls weren't front page every day, creating opinions out of thin air, we'd have a liberal/NDP controlled parliment.

This isn't a video games issue. This is about preying on fear in hopes of generating readership that has stagnated over the last decade as more people realise that internet news can suck, but at least you can pick what you want to read. Show me a paper that doesn't rely on death, war, car crashes, and crime to sell, and i'll buy you a tim hortons double-double. /rant

Not every media outlet is up in arms about this. Check out this even-handed approach:
As police yesterday questioned what influence the game may have played and Khan's friends grappled with his death, the two accused made a brief court appearance.
"It's a horrible irony," said Det. Paul Lobsinger about the presence of the video game, which allows players to choose high-end cars and race them through city streets while being pursued by police cruisers.
"Some have said this is life imitating art but I don't know, " said Lobsinger, adding "a game is a game, but when you get behind the wheel it's reality."
Lobsinger described the game as an "ultra-violent driving simulation, fighting simulation and criminal simulation."
"But are games the cause?" he asked. "Absolutely not. But, it is rather ironic."
Police say alcohol was not a factor, and that it's not clear if the video game was played before the two went out driving.

He ain't got no distractions
Can't hear those buzzers and bells
Don't see lights a flashin'
Plays by sense of smell
Always gets a replay
Never tilts at all
That deaf, dumb and blind kid
Sure plays a mean pinball.

inciteful > insightful

Guys, I think we are neglecting all the crackheads, snorters, pill poppers, glue-sniffers, and shroomers out there who play vids. Since when was weed the be-all-end-all drug? Let's hear your hard drug stories (someone already covered acid) and get the christian-right COMPLETELY pissed off.
On a different note, consider this:
-Gaming is a matter of hand-eye coordination.
-Any substance that reduces your hand-eye coordination will make you worse at gaming.
-Any substance that increases your hand-eye coordination will make you better (provided you have not shifted out of reality and the room has not melted).
-I find that alcohol reduces my hand-eye coordination (sex and driving are particularly affected).

>>>Weed, on the other hand, enhances my hand-eye coordination--hold on, there's a catch here:
I will be the first to admit that weed *initially* interfered with my hand-eye coordination. However, it does not interfere with my instincts or reflexes. Hence, anything that you have practiced to the point of reflex is not affected. I can drive totally fine when i'm seriously baked. In fact, I have driven through many police checkpoints while stoned, and never been asked to do a sobriety test. It just takes practice. There is some danger at first when you can't get your head straight. It was irresponsible for me to drive around stoned at first (I had to pull over once and sit out a spell where i couldn't feel my fingers), but after many years I can do it now without a thought.
Same goes for video games, though they don't have life and death consequences. You could easily be confused and distracted when playing games stoned for the first time, but after a while you'll get used to the 'headspace' and be able to handle it AND enjoy it.
Anyways, it's funny when you get criticized for smoking. It's not just pot smokers who are useless and boring. I know completely straight and narrow people who don't do drugs. As well they shouldn't, some people just shouldn't take them cause they don't have what it takes to deal with it in their head. It's all just a mind game.
There is nothing in this world that a well-prepared mind cannot face. use the schwartz!

When I play video games, I don't *necessarily* smoke.

The inverse is not true.

When I smoke with my friends (I don't smoke alone), we inevitably play some console games or hop onto some multiplayer online (usually BF2).

Hence, my relationship between video games and pot is non-commutative (if you don't know what that means, bugger off).

I was going to make some comments about some of the blantantly misguided, negative statements made by people who don't smoke. But it's not worth my time.

I'll stick to what I know, and hopefully future comments will stick to what they know instead of making judgements about 'things wot you know nuffin about'.

Back to the topic: weed and video games.

Here are some things that I have noticed whilst playing high. Note that this applies to my own experience ONLY:

-Tends to level the playing field if everyone is baked.
-Nintendo games are especially fun when stoned (super smash on gamecube, mario tennis on N64, mario kart of course).
-Not a good idea to play a game that requires significant amounts of short-term memory and features bad level design ("What is the objective? where are we going again??").
-Laughter is the best medicine.
-Just like doing anything else stoned (like listening to music, sex, shopping, driving), it's *almost* the same as normal gaming but just viewed through a different 'tint'.
-Moderation is the key.
-Winning or losing is not the point. Just have a good time and you're already ahead.
-I'm going to smoke a joint tomorrow night.
-Bulleted lists are fabulous for bite-sized information.