Munching In MMO's – Computing Cuisine

Munching In MMO's – Computing Cuisine By Daniel Tack Daniel Tack has been playing MMO's since they came into existence and loves competitive online gaming. With a degree in Journalism from Michigan State University, the only thing Dan likes more than playing games is writing about them! Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/dantack

Whether you're a weekend warrior or a full time gamer, chances are there's been plenty of times when you've taken to eating at your keyboard for one reason or another. You're just home from a busy day and that big raid is coming up, or your friend called and an epic world boss is up and you've got to get there RIGHT AWAY. Sometimes you just have to chow down at the monitor – but please, don't talk on Ventrilo while you're eating.

So then comes the choices – what do you go for when you're forced to take your meals at the desk rather than the table? Fast food? Microwave? Bagged? Canned? There's definitely a pretty nasty stereotype of the gigantic, amorphous MMORPG gamer, flowing out of his/her chair amid a pile of empty pizza boxes, Hot Pocket wrappers, and clothing filled with... "leavings". Let's take a look at some of the choices you might be faced with any given evening with your favorite game.

Pizza

You can't really cover MMO food without this one. Despite the fact it's definitely unhealthy to eat pizza for every meal and station yourself at your PC, pizza remains a top gaming favorite due to the nature of the product. It's hot, it's fast, it fills multiple food groups, is incredibly filling and you can eat it easily with one hand. Pizza is so popular among MMO' gamers that Everquest II once included the infamous /pizza command, allowing the player to order his/her delicious cut of pie without ever leaving the game. Pizza has many benefits as an effective and fast solution to a gaming dinner, but as with all things, take it in moderation! And by all means, avoid "greasing" your mouse with pizza's residue.

Cheetos/Doritos/Chips

A stereotype and a bad idea, most of the time. All that gunky coloring will rub off on your fingers, and as you rapidly click the mouse and tap the keys, you're going to be spreading seas of orange, red, and other colored goo all over your precious computer hardware. Even worse, that stuff sinks down under the keys and into the mouse and can effectively destroy the equipment faster than you think.

Don't believe it? Head over to one of your cheeto-bearded buddy's houses and take his keyboard and turn it upside down. There's a good chance that all this stuff – among other things – is going to fall out, and the sight of it is enough to make most people's skin crawl. Although convenient, there's a lot of reasons to try something else.