Gaming Drinks (Part 1 [in a possible series of infinity])

As someone who enjoys both eating and drinking, I’m well aware of the concept of food pairings. For example the dry, peppery notes of a red Zinfandel go well with a steak, and a very hoppy IPA pairs nicely with spicier foods like pepperjack cheese. Pairing the wrong drink with the wrong meal can lead to a taste disaster, a mouth apocalypse that could ruin dinner for even the most devil-may-care eater, and could well indeed outright kill those with more discerning tastes.

However, I feel like the drinks carry plenty of personality by themselves and can evoke moods or seasons, just like music or film or, of course, video games.

As is evident by this inane and apparently infrequent blog, I spend a lot of time analyzing games, and often that includes delving into the emotional and philosophical aspects that they possess. It’s my favorite hobby, but since I’m also a writer it’s rare for me to be partaking in any activity without the accompaniment of an alcoholic beverage (except possibly driving because cops are so uptight about that sort of thing).

Difficult Games and the Art of Controller Throwing

Remember back when games were hard? I don’t mean as an optional, unlockable difficulty, I mean back before “settings” menus when games had one difficulty level and that level was “near impossible”. The original Legend of Zelda, or Castlevania. Why don’t they make them like that anymore? All we have now are these sissy hand-holding games that are more or less impossible to not beat, right? Unlimited lives, adjustable difficulty, self regenerating health, it all just serves the casual market in the name of profits!

This is what they get instead of paychecks BECAUSE THEY CAN.

But as I’m sure you can tell by my tediously rhetorical tone, I don’t believe that’s really the case. See, when it comes to games being difficult, it’s important to look at two basic items of interest: gaming history, and the difference between difficulty and punishment.