Gaming and marijuana are a match made in heaven. Like Mountain Dew, Doritos, or anime body pillows, weed is one of the many things that forms a perfect pairing with games. I have a brother who exists to work, game, eat, and get stoned. Part of me admires his simplistic approach towards life, not letting things get on top of him so long as the end of the day means he can get blazed and dive into Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. We stan.
Today is April 20th, otherwise known as 4/20. You know, the weed number? It’s the meme, or that thing Snoop Dogg does all the time when he isn’t voicing Call of Duty packs or rapping in Just Eat commercials. We also stan, but right now we have more important things to attend to. To celebrate this momentous occasion, it’s time to run down some of the very best games to play right after partaking in a puff of the devil’s lettuce.
Hohokum
There is no purpose to Hohokum. The majority of games have an end goal, or an objective for us to pursue in exchange for satisfaction. Honeyslug’s unusual platformer is only here for the vibes, providing the player with a selection of gorgeously surreal environments to zoom about in as a multicoloured snake that twirls through the world like a makeshift rainbow. It’s endlessly trippy, and its directionless approach to game design means that being high as hell when playing it actively improves the experience.
Sober minds might grow bored with its aimlessness, or be turned off by its bizarre approach to world and character design as your funky little worm picks up mates and befriends a variety of weird and wonderful animals, but stoners know better. It’s in a similar vein to Journey, an equally fabulous game we’ll be touching on later.
No Man’s Sky
I bet No Man’s Sky director Sean Murray is a massive stoner. I think making a game where you explore planets filled with sentient buttplugs requires a bit of encouragement from Mary Jane to even come into existence. Thanks to procedural generation, every moment in this galactic epic is filled with bizarre surprises. Each new planet will be populated with new biomes, unknown animals, and plentiful discoveries that invite equal amounts of awe and confusion.
While recent updates have introduced multiplayer and a more cohesive gameplay loop, No Man’s Sky has always been at its best when you allow its utter vastness to overwhelm you. I’d recommend repairing your ship in creative mode, demolishing a joint, and letting the universe overwhelm you with possibilities. You have no idea what awaits, and that rules.
Katamari Damacy
I’d say Katamari Damacy might be better suited to shrooms given how utterly batshit it tends to be, but it’s wondrous mixture of excellent music and wacky designs lend themselves to getting high and collating a selection of objects before surrendering them to the ruler of the entire galaxy. When it comes to Japanese games that embrace their utter abrasive weirdness, Katamari Damacy absolutely sits at the cream of the crop.
Proteus
Zen. You definitely met someone at university who smoked loads of weed, loved to meditate, and spouted plenty of pseudo-intelligent bullshit your way at parties before finishing his degree and ending up at Tesco. His name was Gareth or something, and he even had a twirly moustache to truly cement his serene wankiness. Yep, you know the guy.
Proteus is like Gareth. It has no purpose in life, and only serves to offer a perpetual state of zen as you walk forward and embrace its procedural environments filled with pixelated forests, wild animals, and music that makes you content and relaxed for minutes at a time.
Tetris Effect
It was a difficult choice picking between Tetris Effect or Rez Infinite for this list. Both of them are masterful sensory experiences from Tetsuya Mizuguchi that combine music and visuals to an almost perfect degree. I adore these games and how they’re able to elicit emotion from such a simple premise, pulling us in and exploring the beauty this medium is capable of when we’re willing to open ourselves up to be overwhelmed in every conceivable way.
Tetris Effect is an astonishingly beautiful game, and its euphoric combination of wonderful graphics and engrossing music would combine to create an experience that would be enhanced significantly with a cheeky joint or two. I can see myself sinking into my chair, almost peaceful as I breeze through the stages piecing together lines before ascending towards the sky. If you haven’t already, please go and play Tetris Effect.
Minecraft
Your mind loves to wander when on drugs, and Minecraft is a game that rewards unusual ideas and random bursts of creativity. That, and its approach to exploration and serene music could entertain stoners for hours with minimal effort. I’d probably build a giant dooby, an underground cavern, or a massive cock. So the same as when I’m sober, to be honest.
Honourable Mentions:
- Skyrim
- Portal 2
- Monument Valley
- The Stanley Parable
- Stardew Valley
- Modern Warfare 2
- Lawn Mowing Simulator
Journey
Journey has such a vibe. While thatgamecompany intended it to be an emotionally resonant pilgrimage of discovery, purpose, and contemplation - it’s also a sick-ass game where you slide down sand dunes and hang out with your scarf-donning homie by communicating through a sequence of adorable beeps and boops. You can go it alone, or make a lasting friendship before reaching the finish line. Journey is filled with so many moments that I’ll remember for the rest of my life, and doing so while a little merry only makes it better.