#38. How Can We Eat? Why Do We Eat? Where Shall We Have Lunch?

...Preferably not in the dungeon, actually. (Sorry, Douglas Adams, mayyourestinpeace.)

So I watched this awesome video on Nico Nico Douga, which explains and analyzes the variations of food system in various videogames. As a zealous videogamer and a tabletop roleplayer currently running a D&D5e campaign, the title alone grabbed my attention. And boy, this guy shows his (or her) works! Triggered by this awesome works, I decided to do my own analysis some usages of food in videogames.


a) Food for survival. When it comes to these games, you never live to eat, but definitely eat to live. You are given a "Hunger" status, which decreases as your adventure unfolds. When Hunger strikes zero you either starve to death at the exact point, or you may continue, although this time your HP will decrease, or you suffer from serious stat debuffs. Popular through (but not exactly first introduced in) Ultima and Rouge, currently used in many roguelike RPGs and some of the western RPGs. A variation is introduced in earlier Shin Megami Tensei games, where Magnetite substitutes Hunger for same purpose.

b-1) Food for HP. One of the classic usage of foods in JRPGs, but this is actually new compared to the food for survival shtick above. The premise is damn simple - you eat, you replenish your HP. So commonly found in many JRPGs, you will have some trouble finding JRPGs not using this one.

b-2) Food for anything else but HP. A variation of food for HP shtick above, this variation provides various benefits in the shape of cuisine. Most common benefits are MP replenishment or stat boost. May or may not stack with food for HP shtick. World of Warcraft and other MMORPGs now adapt this, and it is also commonly seen in many newer JRPGs. Persona series, especially 3 and 4, is somewhat a boundary case, for there are food items that replenish HP and SP, but the amount is mediocre at best.

c) Food for character buildup. Subtle one, compared to the rest of the variations, but still one of the most prominent usage in videogames. In this case, food is used to describe the character, from how someone loves a certain type of gourmet (as in "Flint loves cheese!") to how someone is discussed in regards of food and cooking. Many JRPGs use full potential of this shtick, from MOTHER series (famous for the game asking the player the favorite food) to Tales series to Persona series (how Shinjiro is a master chef, and how you do not want some of your classmates in the kitchen) and so forth.


So basically, it is all just a summary for the video linked above. But still, this must be worth a simple research. I hope. End transmission.