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Top 23 Snacks for All-Night Gaming

posted in Lists and Leftovers by startcooking team

The weekend is coming and you and your friends have an all-night gaming session planned. You know you're going to get peckish or even hungry at some point, but not enough for full meals - which would leave you dull afterwards. What do you eat instead?

Here are a variety of choices, many of them fairly light but deliciously satisfying. We can't promise every item on the list is healthy, and some require a touch of preparation, but they're all worthwhile just the same!

The Classics

popcorn
  1. Pizza Rolls. They're easy to pop in the microwave or toaster oven. Since they can be eaten with one hand with little mess, they're a popular choice for gaming. There are great pizza roll recipes online if you want to make your own.
  2. Gummy Bears. Gummy Bears are chewy and delicious. They don't melt and the good quality ones won't leave residue on your hands - making them perfect for continuing your favorite games uninterrupted.
  3. Bawls Mints. Every video gamer knows about Bawls Mints. These mints contain caffeine and pack a unique fizzy flavor. The caffeine keeps you awake and alert so you can destroy the other team.
  4. Energy Drinks. Pulling an all-night gaming session means being able to stay awake. Gamers often turn to highly-caffeinated Jolt Cola or their favorite energy drinks, also over-caffeinated. Recognizing this, manufacturers are marketing new soda flavors specifically to gamers.
  5. Popcorn. Includes just a few minutes of prep time, can be found at home, and comes in several flavors of cheesy and buttery goodness. Leave fingers greasy and corn kernels for clean-up, but can definitely be eaten one-handed.
  6. Frozen pizza. Frozen pizza is ideal for gaming, as it's easy to prepare and easy to eat one-handed - not to mention, comes in many brands and flavors. Unfortunately, it has a bad habit of leaving grease and cheese on the controller and keyboard.
  7. Nachos and cheese. A combination of chips and hot cheese. Inexpensive, prep time includes heating cheese, and they can be eaten one handed. Hands might become greasy or cheesy, and be sure to have drinks on hand.
  8. Potato Chips and Doritos. Potato chips are quick - whether you make your own or buy - can be eaten one-handed, can be found easily in cupboards, and don't require prep time. They also come in several brands and flavors. Unfortunately, like pizza, they can be greasy, and they make gamers thirsty.

No Preparation Required!

  1. Nuts. Nuts are popular gaming snacks: just toss a few into your mouth. Most are not so greasy that your equipment will suffer, and nuts are healthy, unless you eat an entire can. You need protein to stay awake anyway, which nuts have in droves. The popular brand, Planters, offers games online, if you tire of the games you're playing.
  2. Pretzels. For a less greasy but still salty snack, pretzels are a favorite. While original pretzels are a nice treat, the flavored kind are even better. Hot Buffalo Wing flavor is a favorite among gamers, as well as Honey Mustard and Onion.
  3. Beef Jerky. Beef jerky is dried out, salted meat, which doesn't spoil short-term — as long as you seal the bag. It requires no preparation and almost no clean-up time, unless you make jerky at home.
  4. Bagels and cream cheese. This combo is satisfying if you're feeling more than peckish but not all-out hungry. You have lots of flavors to choose from, and you could replace the cream cheese with smoked salmon (above), or tomato or cuke slices sprinkled with a bit of salt and pepper. Buy or make your own bagels.
  5. Cheese and Crackers. Can be quick or gourmet, often found right at home, so they don't take much prep time, and they're inexpensive. They can be eaten one-handed, but are prone to making gamers thirsty - thus requiring another hand for a drink.

Healthy Snacks to Keep On Playing

vegetable platter
  1. Salsa. Salsa is easy to make fresh - or buy - and offers tasty nutrition with the right ingredients. Be adventurous, try some that combine sweet fruits and hot chilies. Serve with corn chips, mini tacos, quesadillas, or as an all-around sort of condiment.
  2. Hummus. Hummus is healthy, high in protein, inexpensive and easy to make at home . Use pocket breads to keep gaming equipment clean, fill with hummus, thinly sliced cucumbers and red onions, a squeeze of lemon or lime, a drizzle of olive oil, and a bit of coarse fresh ground black pepper.
  3. Feta cheese. Crumble or cube calcium-rich feta and serve with sliced or chopped red onion, Greek olives, and chopped or wedged tomatoes over puffy, middle-eastern style pita breads. Run this under a (toaster) oven broiler for a minute or so, drizzled with the best olive oil you've got. Fast, simple, nutritious and delicious.
  4. Rich, crusty, whole grain breads. Cut thick slices. Let gamers make their own hearty snacks, choosing from such things as asiago cheese, sharp Italian provolone cheese, roasted red peppers, prosciutto, salami, extra-virgin olive oil and cracked black peppercorns. Or keep it simple —- a rich, whole grain bread has a flavor all its own. Spread with real butter — warmed to room temperature — and put out some good quality preserves, and perhaps a plate of fresh fruit and cheese.
  5. Fruit and Vegetables. Mostly for the health conscious gamers, fruit and vegetables make the list of top snacks. They are easy to eat and provide nutrients to keep you going. Mix it up and add dips for a real vegetable platter, and you have yourself an excellent snack.

A Taste of the More Exotic

sushi
  1. Yogurt Dip. This is a magnesium-rich energy food, a tart and tangy yogurt dip is great for a vegetable platter of endurance, enhancing broccoli, cauliflower, carrot sticks, celery, and cherry tomatoes. A sweeter yogurt dip complements an energy boosting fruit plate of kiwi slices, grapes, strawberries, banana rounds, and pineapple chunks.
  2. Pakora. Yes, these vegetable treats are fried, but fats have some energy giving value, too. Serve with a selection of delicious chutneys for dipping or drizzling. Easy to order in, but best made at home. (Caution: frying in hot oil when you've been up all night may be dangerous!) Pakoras are beginner-friendly, but be sure to use Indian style chick pea flour, called besan, which is very high in protein. Try banana pakora, made with sweet, ripe bananas rolled in besan, with hot spices mixed in, and then fried.
  3. Smoked salmon bites. Feed the brain while impressing the taste buds with this fast and easy 15-minute finger food. Saute a skillet of whole, fresh mushrooms in butter, perhaps a splash of wine, to go along. Complete the table with a tray of chilled cut fruits.
  4. Sushi. Fish is brain food, but if eating it sushi-style doesn't appeal to you, try the "spring" rolls. These veggie options are wonderful and if a healthy dose of wasabi doesn't make you feel alert and alive, nothing will.
  5. Dim Sum. These tiny, tasty treats are perfect for gaming. Whether you order from the local Chinese take-out or make them at home, offer a broad variety or just a few favorites. Players are going to enjoy them. Some varieties can even be made ahead and frozen until game day.

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37 comments

SusiQ | posted on Nov 1, 2007

This blog is making me hungry! Great ideas for staying awake during the NanoWriMo.. LoL

Hugs!

HART (1-800-HART) | posted on Nov 1, 2007

You forgot Tootsie Rolls :)

Ahmed Bilal | posted on Nov 1, 2007

9. Nuts. .... Most are not so greasy that your equipment will suffer...

Is it just me or did anyone else find that funny too? No?

Sushinator | posted on Nov 1, 2007

By "sushi-style" I'm assuming you mean nigiri, and by "spring rolls" I'm assuming you mean maki.

Sushi refers to the type of rice used, not the style of food made out of the rice.

Chrisinator | posted on Nov 1, 2007

Heh ... good thing this list is full of healthy choices (not). It might have well said: "Reach into fridge, grab item, take out Coke, consume. You now have All-Night Game food." And remember this isn't a "top foods eaten" list, its a "variety of choices" as the author states.

They forgot the WoW diet: Mountain Dew and "Manboob Pringles"

Varion | posted on Nov 1, 2007

Many of these are the worst things you can eat to stay awake. If you really want to stay awake you should eat proteins. Carbs put you to sleep, proteins and vegetables wake you up. When I'm going for a two day counterstrike or TF2 marathon it's all about tuna tatake and very large coffees.

Christopher S. Penn | posted on Nov 1, 2007

I'd recommend wasabi-covered dried peas. Those will wake up just about anyone.

@sushinator: you're absolutely right that linguistically, sushi means vinegared rice preparation for preservation, but for the majority of non-Japanese and non-serious sushiheads, sushi is a food class.

Keep up the fun stuff!

marko | posted on Nov 1, 2007

Hey these are great. Less for me to think about and more for me to eat. Thumbs up.

roy | posted on Nov 1, 2007

HOTPOCKETS

JEM | posted on Nov 1, 2007

Thanks for the great snack ideas! 

Instead of the typical crap that unsophisticated gamers who lack imagination eat on a nightly basis (you know, #1-11), this snack list will help my gaming nights feel like a real party.  With a snack spread like this, the refined gamer can eat snack foods that are tasty and elegant - and not be lumped in with the "gaming from mom's basement" set. 

To each gamer, her own, I suppose.

Curt | posted on Nov 1, 2007

Some of these comments are a bit harsh... Lighten up, folks!

I have to say that guys my age are more likely to have beer on hand, or maybe something harder.  Chips and stuff like that, too... We're past worrying about proteins keeping us awake.

kal | posted on Nov 1, 2007

when i clicked on this link i was hoping pizza rolls were #1, great article

art | posted on Nov 1, 2007

Great snack idea!  real cool =)

clashofhope | posted on Nov 1, 2007

Omggggg... Where are the Twinkies? T-T

hellgate | posted on Nov 1, 2007

i usually play game all night,what food i  choose is Fruit and Vegetables.

Greg | posted on Nov 1, 2007

Pringles. No grease on the keyboard.

Rook | posted on Nov 1, 2007

Great blog post, sent this to my friends for our upcoming christmas lan!  Sad to say you seem to have a lot of comments from stereotypical 400 pound gamers though. 

Personally though frozen pizza is a no-no.  Stick one in, start a round of deathmatch, and by the time you come back it's turned into a blackened charr in the oven.

Tom | posted on Nov 1, 2007

HOW do you not include ramen!

Christopher | posted on Nov 1, 2007

Trust me on this, salsa is not a good choice. The last time we tried salsa at a LAN will forever be known as The Salsa Incident.

brk | posted on Nov 1, 2007

totino's rock!

Evan Hanson | posted on Nov 1, 2007

There's way too much grease on this list -- gotta keep the hardware clean, son!

Kathy Maister | posted on Nov 2, 2007

Thanks everyone for all the comments!  It’s great to see how passionate everyone is about snacking. 

I loved the “thumbs-up” comments from SusiQ, Marco, Cal, Art, Jem, Rook, clarkage, and Hellgate! 

Hart, next time Tootsie Rolls get added along with Christopher S. Penn’s wasabi-covered peanuts, and Roy’s HOTPOCKETS.

I’ll leave the protein debate up to Varion and Curt and the grease factor discussion to Ahmed and Greg!

Christopher S Penn and Sushinator I have no doubt putting the two of you together in a room would be very interesting!

Christopher, we all want to hear about The Salsa Incident!

And JC, Paul, Q, Alex, Sam, crap, Chrisinator, and Evan - I would love to add to this list the stuff you do like to eat!

Cheers!

Kathy

TheMorbidMe | posted on Nov 2, 2007

Sushi for Gamers ??? Makes no sense to me! Imagin having that keyboard smelling like raw fish !!! ohhhh... ;)

Kirk Warren | posted on Nov 2, 2007

Concerning frozen pizzas, I'd like to point out they are probably the worst gaming snack.  Many an all night WoW or Halo or random gaming session has resulted in a burnt pizza forgotten in the throes of blood drunk killing frenzies.   

RafTommyWill | posted on Nov 3, 2007

  1. popcorn is too greasy
  2. wheres the instant noodles?
  3. frozen pizza... how do i remove the crust residues from the creases of my keyboard??? stick to the hotpockets kids.
  4. everything past nuts is too hard to eat and no us asians dont eat dimsum during WoW raids!
  5. coconuts, trust me.

pieplough | posted on Nov 3, 2007

Emm... i drink beer when i play....... mbe thats why i suck :p

Tristan | posted on Nov 3, 2007

But what about CANDY?!

MC | posted on Nov 4, 2007

I've always been all about Combos when I am gaming... it is the only time I really eat them, but somehow, they are perfect for this one activity. 

Jason Bates | posted on Nov 6, 2007

All night gaming is ever night for me! These foods are my fav too!

Jenny | posted on Nov 11, 2007

I like ranch flavor doritos. ;)

evil_shenaniganz | posted on Nov 16, 2007

Give me a six pack some jerkey and pumpkin seeds and im set..

Jennifer | posted on Jan 31, 2008

Super list :)

I'll be cooking for the superbowl this year- can't wait to whip up some nachos.  What kinds of drinks would you serve besides beer.  I'd love to do a fun easy cocktail!

-Jen

Vince | posted on Apr 7, 2008

You missed Sunflower Seeds, I wouldn't put them under nuts. 1 bag can take hours to eat and its only about 350 calories. They helped me quit smoking since its very active to eat them.

YuMi | posted on Jun 14, 2008

Gee, i'm not a hard-core gamer or anything, but i do love staying up watching movies or something. I like the fruits and veggies idea best. =]

startcooking team | posted on Jun 15, 2008

Jennifer,
For long nights playing games or watching movies, there is nothing better than serving ice tea as a drink! Click here to know How to Make Ice Tea!

Vince,
Thank you for the tip! According to the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, sunflower seeds may help lower your colesterol The article says " sunflower seeds are more likely to be consumed as a snack food and could therefore be easily incorporated in a cholesterol-lowering diet."

Enjoy!
the startcooking team :)

premarin | posted on Jun 17, 2008

only reading the snacks made me hungry. top notch list!

SAM | posted on Jul 22, 2008

yummy stuf here 


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