How would the potions in video games taste in real life?

[Deleted]

How would those amazing Technicolor drinks that give our characters hitpoints, mana, stats or supernatural powers translate to edible tastes?

I've been pondering this since my earliest gaming days. A child learning to distinguish reality from fiction by comparing the physically present with imaginary items will easily find a connection, according to their experience on color and taste association. As life goes on, new experiences might shape up and morph these conceptions. Color association theory is a fascinating subject - have you ever thought about this phenomenon?

A bright red shade (traditionally a health potion) will probably be a sugary and fruity concoction. Pomegranate and apple, perhaps. With more power comes more bitterness - only the most hardened adventures can drink high-level potions, because they would cause a meltdown in the mouth of inexperienced users. After all, the bitter medicine is often the best!

Blue, the color of a mana booster or stat-increasing one, will probably be a chemical coctail that doesn't have so much to do with nature. It's definitely a hyperreal taste - there's a link in the bottom on the concept. It would probably be like a flavored energy drink, artificial to the core. Fizzy, addictive and deadly when misused.

I wouldn't put that neon green stuff in my mouth, exposure to "science" and pop culture has made me associate it with poison, radioactivity and hazardous things. Liquid lightning, Rockstar, Naga Morich chili, bring it on.

I've noticed that beside the color, the shape of the imaginary bottle/container also has something to do with my conception of taste. A round lab bottle-like container brings an image of rich and somewhat soft taste, while thin bottles with less curved edges are more likely to be bitter. Round bottles carry spicy and natural tastes, while thin ones are "chemical coctails". I cannot really decide whether it's the container or the color that affects my conception more.

Well, that's it for today! Feel free to drop your opinion.

-------------------------

Some interesting links on the subject:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperreality - A quick look on hyperreality, "the act of mimicking something that never really existed on the first place". It basically means mixing common associations to create something familiar yet unreal. A "blue mountain ice raspberry" flavoured lollipop, anyone?

An experiment on the relation of color and preference on beverages. How do cultural color associations and brand names affect the way we think and taste?

[Deyadissa]

Just so you know, games didn't invent potions. They existed in life, before games.

[Knomad]

Just so you know, games didn't invent potions. They existed in life, before games.

then how did they taste?

[Snookeys]

I read on the official forums some time ago (2 years or so?) that there was going to be a LARP MC raid at some park. A kid suggested they bring orange gatorade for fire protection potions. So, whenever I see a potion I associate it with that color of Gatorade.

[Rocketsurgeon]

Red tastes like red. Blue tastes like blue. You can go to the store and buy some red drink right now. Green is usually my favorite flavor. Especially with those freeze pops you can get for about a nickel each. So good.

[Joathen]

http://www.manapotions.com/

Red is quite good actually. :V

[Dystruktaur]

If they tasted anything like slurpees, I would reroll a diff class, Blue-Raspberry Mana Potions FTW!

http://www.manapotions.com/

Red is quite good actually. :V

^ Awesome, Thanks for the link!

[sizzlinsauce]

Red tastes like red. Blue tastes like blue. You can go to the store and buy some red drink right now. Green is usually my favorite flavor. Especially with those freeze pops you can get for about a nickel each. So good.

and the snozzberryies taste like snozzberries

[Grumar]

http://www.manapotions.com/

Red is quite good actually. :V

i've had the mana, it's RLY RLY bad lol

[Durchfall]

and the snozzberryies taste like snozzberries

This is exactly what I was thinking.

I feel like potions would taste horrible, something along the lines of liquid medicine. Liquid medicine without artificial flavoring, that is.

[Failhance]

I'm sorta curious to what the would taste like IRL, but if it's anything like diablo 2... I bet you whizz like a racehorse drinking so many lol

EDIT: I like the concept of what each color would taste like, seems pretty logical, but it begs the question what would purple rejuvenations taste like?

[Melodi]

http://www.manapotions.com/

Red is quite good actually. :V

Aw, someone posted the link that I was going to.

I think that health and mana potions would taste good and both would be fizzy. I feel like red might be a fruit punch flavor (for health potions), and mana potions since they are blue would taste berry-like. I'm scared to imagine the tastes of combat potions that enhance our dps/healing/tanking though. In order to get us pumped up to put out more dps (or whatever) like a haste potion, it would either have to taste pretty foul, or be addicting like liquid crack (for lack of a better term lol).

I would lean towards the "liquid crack" theory because it gets you all hyped up to increase your performance, similar to an energy drink. Plus, in order to keep wanting to increase your damage (etc.) I feel it would have to taste good. No one wants to continuously drink something disgusting tasting even if you are getting a good side effect from it. I feel the foul taste would be too off-putting for any adventurer to ever use it again, even if it helped their fellow team.

[Venziir]

Thought I'd leave this link here http://www.myjones.com/limited/wizards (They also make really nasty stuff with the taste of thanksgiving turkey... However, their colas are beyond amazing)

[Lilcheeks]

Cotton candy

[Melodi]

Thought I'd leave this link here http://www.myjones.com/limited/wizards (They also make really nasty stuff with the taste of thanksgiving turkey... However, their colas are beyond amazing)

Jones soda! They are so good!

But yes, they tried the Thanksgiving flavored ones a few years back, most of them did not go over well. They did a taste test on my local news station and filmed the results. Cranberry was alright, but they got way too creative with "mashed potatoes" and "turkey and gravy" flavors.

[Mechazod]

Tastes like...cherry! /fart OH! Excuse me!

[Professor Oak]

I actually think some green potions would taste good! Like..Sour Apple flavored..Mmmm.

[hayharut]

like chicken!
BOOM I WIN!

[Evilmaniac]

Do I win? and yes it's a real drink google it.

[Clockwork Pinkie]

Like Robitussin BLAH