Game Snack Nostalgia

So the other day I came across some frosted circus animal cookies, and instantly I was back in another time and place. I said out loud how they reminded me of Super Mario 64 since I would always eat them while playing that game. Funny enough, my brother agreed with me, saying he thought the same thing. Isn’t it crazy how that works?

The human mind is truly incredible, and I started thinking of what other games I associatewith certain foods. Strangely enough, I associate these barbeque chips with Army Men: Sarge’s Heroes and know that the first time I cranked up Modern Warfare 2, I was eating pretzels. I’ll also hear certain songs that I would jam to during my MW2 online matches, and I instantly think of the game. Does anyone else feel like this, or is it just me?

The thing that blows me away is that when I first saw these circus cookies, I could immediately taste them and I even knew what world I was in Super Mario 64. I was on the level with the big blue dinosaur in the water, and I could picture the layout like I played the game yesterday. I couldn’t believe it. I thought back to all the times I had struggled with that game and how satisfying it felt when I finally went back and beat it years later. Remembering all of the joys that game brought me from the thought of a cookie seems ridiculous, but that’s what happened to me.

That’s the crazy thing about memories. You forget something for a long while, and then something random will pop up, be it a sound, a smell, a taste, etc. and you associate that with something that you haven’t thought of in forever. Video games leave us with a lasting impact that is ingrained in our minds. We may forget certain levels or aspects of a game, but when something triggers our memories of them, we remember the experience better than we can even imagine.

Trading war stories of video game conquests is a part of what makes playing video games so fun. Everyone has their own unique stories of triumph and defeat that we all can relate to, and if something registers in our minds, our memories can be so vivid it’s unbelievable. I know I can’t be the only one who feels this way. You might not believe me, but one day you’re going to see some snack you haven’t had in years, and instantly you’ll be back in time, thinking about some game you played way back in the day, all because you ate that snack while you binge-gamed for hours on end.