Gaming and Snacking: A Deadly Combination?

Nowadays, it seems that America is obsessed with weight. Every day, I hear about new diets, or how we, as Americans, are not active enough. And many people seem to equate that with our obsession with video games. Why blame the harmless games rather than the players who don’t get up an go for a walk once in a while?

To be honest, if I’m going to settle down for a few hours of gaming, I grab what I consider my essentials: a Red Bull (or two), some chips and junk food. Why? Because they’re easy to consume and don’t require me to get up and away from my game. Now, maybe that’s me being lazy, but I prefer to think of it as forethought.

I know my snacking habits are definitely not the greatest for my health. And honestly, I think the day I discovered the amazing combination of foods that are my “gaming snacks” was one of the worst of my life. Don’t get me wrong; I do not think that video games cause obesity in Americans. I mean, I am still an active person, despite spending a lot of time gaming.

However, the combination of gaming and snacking is deadly because, no matter how active you are, you still have to eat well in order to remain healthy. Let’s face it: gaming snacks are not the healthiest for us (at least, mine aren’t). And I could switch to having veggies and fruits while playing games, but it’s just not the same, mostly because I love the sugar rush it gives me.

So what’s our solution? Obviously, none of us will give up gaming. But switching from Red Bull to water or tea (yes, I know it’s not the tastiest, but it does have some caffeine for us addicts) and slightly healthier foods (say the 100 calorie pack chips) might help to cut down on the negative effects of gaming and snacking. Should people continue blaming video games for obesity, just force them to play Wii Fit and Wii Sports for a while. Maybe that will change their minds.