Bad Ideas in the Name of Science and Gaming

Hello Friends, hope you are having a tasty summer. I don’t know what that means. I just wanted to use the adjective “tasty” to describe my first ever TASTE TEST REVIEW CORNER on a website that I primarily used to keep people updated.

I make bad decisions.

Anyway, a good idea is for somebody with sleep issues and caffeine sensitivity drinks with caffeine, and it just so happens GFuel exists. If you don’t know what GFuel is, what if Kool-Aid was an energy drink, and YouTubers and Twitch Streamers advertised it for a cut of the funding.

Well, I’m a weirdo who drinks random stuff online, and decided to give it a try, so much like a SUPER SIZE ME, but without the documentary film crew. Here’s my SCIENTIFIC STUDY AND CRITERIA

• DRINK GFUEL EVERY DAY FOR 30 DAYS

• MUST TRY EVERY FLAVOR IN THE SAMPLER

• CAN’T HAVE ANY OTHER ENERGY DRINK OR SUPPLEMENT

The reason we are doing this, simply put, to see, if it does what it promises - Improving Energy, Focus, Endurance and Reaction

Or quite honestly - will I wind up crashing after being on a computer for 2 hours or so, or want to play video games.

And I decided to try out a BIG FLAVOR FIRST

The first thing I bought was a TUB (that’s right going big on this one) of “SPICY DEMONADE”, a big part of GFuel is flavors that are inspired by video games.

Now, it’s no surprise to anybody that I love video games. And a ton of the licenses they got for these games, are actually really cool series, from Monster Hunter Rise, to Resident Evil Village, to strange but makes sense like Sonic the Hedgehog PEACH RINGS (ha ha) and Crash Bandicoot Wumpa Fruit.

I don’t know what a wumpa fruit is, and while my adolescent self would be upset at not being able to drink a powdered drink inspired by my eight favorite thing from playstation one, i decided to go with one inspired by the hellacious video game, DOOM ETERNAL - Spicy Demonade (Demonade pronounced Dee-min-aid, not “Demmin-aid”)

Mostly because - lemonade powder is delicious, and it can’t go wrong.

After being coated with powder in a comedic way that looks like I accidentally blew up a bakery, i dusted myself off, found the scooper and picked the reccomended amount into a 16 ounce cup and SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE

And as it turns out….

It’s delicious. most “energy” whatevers have this CLEAR metal taste that I just can’t get used to, and the flavors always have this aftertaste that doesn’t sit well.

With the right cold water and powder - this was actually pretty delicious, very sugary sweet, and yet, also has that spicy kick that was promised.

It lived up to the promise. I would say it was more “pineapple” tasting than lemon, which I am perfectly okay with, Tropical Punch is one of my favorite things, and this place seems to really love that stuff.

The spicy nature of the drink does not overpower the sweet of the lemonade, and overall - it was REALLY delicious. Considering it’s the first flavor I had, it’s a great start, and statistically right now is my favorite flavor and also my least favorite flavor.

So in the interest of “gaming” i picked up POWER WASH SIMULATOR, a game where you clean houses and backyards and cars in the name of… simulation. it’s a chill vibe game, and very ASMR-heavy.

I don’t know the criteria of “if i am good at the game or not”, but it was pleasurable, and I did not rage quit out.

So, we are still unsure about the “GOOD AT GAMES” part (maybe it’s just me) but we can say the drink of choice was, at the very least “acceptable”.

DAY TWO, and while I did not experience any crash, I decided to try a NEW FLAVOR instead, this one is called “Tropical Rain”, and it was suggested to me by strangers on the internet. They said “this is the flavor you would love the most” and I decided to see if they are right, I bought a 3 for $5 pack on the website, and luckily this is simple - PUT POWDER IN BOTTLE AND SHAKE SHAKE

And honestly, the best way to describe this was non carbonated Baja Blast.

And considering my love of the Baja Blast Freeze is known on the internet, I am pleased to tell you, it is REALLY delicious, and it was one of those drinks that was so good, I drank it all in less than 5 minutes.

I know, I really thought this was gonna be one of those “uh oh, there’s gotta be a catch”, and wanted to find something to dislike about it.

Well, besides ONCE AGAIN GETTING COVERED IN POWDER…. i did fall asleep early, so early, I woke up, and was almost late to my podcast record date.

What I found interesting was the crash I don’t think was “GFuel related”. bur rather just a mix of heat exhaustion and just eating too much with limited exercise.

but unfortunately, because I fell asleep, I don’t know if that ruins the test right now. So I decided to watch E3 conferences today.

I was trying to figure out “that guy from microsoft” all day, and it turns out, his name is Phil Spencer. That was his name, Phil Spencer.

I don’t know if this has anything to do with the consumed fruit punch powder, but nonetheless. LET’S MOVE ON!

DAY 3: It’s the afternoon, it’s kinda like living in that late 80s, early 90s sears advertisement for air conditioning.. It’s another scorcher.

That’s why today I tried to get the other “3 for $5” test packet, of BAHAMA MAMA, a flavor that was inspired by Roman Atwood.

If you don’t know who Roman Atwood is - at an early life on YouTube, Roman was a “prankster” doing all sorts of HILARIOUS pranks like “oop, i made my house a ball pit” and “asking people to make out with me (NOT A PRANK)” and these were considered “comedy” and “jokes”.

He’s somewhat popular still on YouTube, but has since rebranded himself to be Jimmy Buffet for Zoomers - and live that “Island Paradise” lifestyle. Free from society, and the American Tax Code, most likely.

SO WHAT IS THIS FLAVOR SUPPOSED TO BE?

I still don’t know. When I placed the gamer kool-aid singles into the shaker and shook it for a good minute, it was strange, because when it was done - it was frothy.

With the first two, what you saw was what you get, just this lemonade or punch thing - this one actually had foam on the top, and that was strange coming from a packet of magic gamer dust.

Like the other two, there still wasn’t any “metal” taste or battery acid, which was a positive, However, currently it’s my least favorite flavor. But it’s comparing a 7 out of 10 to a 9 out of 10 with a 8 out of 10.

It’s Pineapple Coconut and probably Orange? It was like a cross between an Orange Julius and a Pina Colada, which I never thought would work together, but yet, here it somewhat did? It is non-alcoholic, but, I would argue this one might make for the best mixer at a cocktail party for it’s flavors alone.

As for gaming - I played some Garfield Kart.

While I know my skills as a gamer is pretty much “sorta good”, I can tell you GFuel did not make playing this game any fun. It was a disaster from beginning to end, I did “endure” an entire “Prix” race of four tracks, so I guess it somewhat did it’s job. I am unsure if it’s the GFuel inside me that made me continue or my slight masochistic streak.

But either way - Garfield Kart is worth less than a Bahama Mama, and I would rather try Bahama Mama again than spend another three laps with Odie the Dog.

DAY 4: Blue Ice is the flavor of the day, the marketing told me it’s supposed to taste like Blue Slush, so I made sure to get REALLY SLUSHY COLD WATER for maximum impact (hint drink some water from a water bottle, then freeze it for 40-50 minutes)

I will gladly say, that so many people tried to do that Blue Slush flavor, such as Pepsi Blue and many of which FAIL MISERABLY, and believe it or not - this one lives to the promise, this tastes like a Blue Slush!

There’s just one problem - I never really cared for the Blue Slush, I was always more Cherry or Coca-Cola (or mixed because I live on the edge)

It was more “carbonated” than other flavors, in its mixing, but also, very refreshing. I would argue this is a better “default” flavor so far than all the others, the perfect flavor currently for ones who don’t want anything “too risky” - the vanilla ice cream of GFuel Flavors.

As for today’s game - Knockout City!

I don’t know if the drink has any effect on rhythm or timing playing this game, but I will say that I did win 5 games in a row, and was “MVP” in 3 of those match-ups, only losing one time because most likely, the team of 3 in Team KO Mode was all part of the same gamer team.

So yeah, I think “The Official Drink of Esports” made me play an E-Sport today, damn.

DAY FIVE: its a hot summer day, and I am trying out the SNOW CONE flavor because it’s summer. I was wondering what this could taste like - Snow Cone is a dessert, it’s ice and syrup. If anything you could probably make a syrup with this stuff, and pour it ON shaved ice and call it a day.

Trying it, and it did not taste like a snow-cone, it really tasted more like a bomb pop, you know those popsicles, right? I didn’t get any sense of “snow cone” at all.

To make matters worse, the flavor did not gel well with me, i tasted the cherry, but there was some gritty flavor in this as well, that after checking out my GAMER SIPPY CUP was not due to poor mixing, it really was meant to be the flavor of some kind.

It was by far the weakest flavor of the mix and glad this was not my first flavor choice.

My “game of the day” was Super Smash Brothers Ultimate for Switch - I am still bad at it.

GFuel did not do anything.

DAY SIX - I thought it’s been a week, it hasn’t. But it is about time we look in the sampler bag to see what to try out. And here is BATTLE JUICE. That’s right, a flavor that much like “Tiger’s Blood” has little meaning whatsoever to me.

But what is Battle Juice? Well, according to G-FUEL, it is a drink “Inspired by the FaZe Clan” and I usually avoid Clans altogether, just as a good rule of thumb.

But if you don’t know about FaZe - it’s a big team of gamers who make gaming streams and go to gaming tournaments and make money. I am almost positive a few of them follow me on Twitter, and I have NO idea why.

But trying it - and it tastes like the best Pineapple Soda you’ll ever have. That’s it. No surprises in this flavor, it just tastes like a Pineapple Soda, better than Fanta, better than that weird imported drink from South America, just like a really good, and do suggest it, despite a weird name that doesn’t make me any more combative post-consumption of the beverage.

But in the interest of “esports” i decided to try League of Legends - a 5 on 5 tower defense game, I would say “I won” but I think I was carried.

DAY 7 - the gamer sippy cup smells weird, but i decided to try cotton candy, one of my strange pairings is cotton candy and a steak with steak sauce (i know, i’m a simp) but trying it. It was not disgusting, but if was exactly what they tell you cotton candy is - sugar, it was just sugar water.

This was the most blandest flavor i’ve ever consumed in quite a while, and while it was true to being “cotton candy” (because, once again, sugar) - I could not pinpoint the flavor of cotton candy, if i had another one of these, i would probably stick it inside my cotton candy maker to see if it actually makes cotton candy - which any scientist would tell you - NO, because this is “SUGAR FREE”

Well, hopefully my Dentist is happy.

I was just playing games casually today, nothing really special, left the stove on making ravioli, what else is new?

DAY 8: I gotta remember to finish up the sampler pack in this weird test run. So I decided to pull out one of the sample flavors - BLACK ON BLACKBERRY

About this time, I revisited the GFuel Website, and found out that PewDiePie has a new flavor called YUZU and there’s a TETRIS flavor now, and also one for XQC and I am sitting there with my drink going “they don’t have ready-made single packs for that?

Don’t get me wrong, clearly their main market is TUBS - because it’s easy to produce, easy mark-up, and less plastic and waste (So good for environment, even though I don’t think that’s their main intention)

There isn’t a “sample packet” of any of these new flavors, and I think that’s one of my big criticisms with this - while I am trying practically every flavor, some are hits and some are misses. If I spend $37 + S&H on these tubs, I want to make sure it’s a decent flavor.

Maybe the PewDiePie Yuzu is good, maybe his swedish ikea ass “loganberry” is delicious, but the focus is clearly on those tubs, and paired with shakers sometimes.

They do have other flavors, they have hydration drinks themed around STAR WARS THE BAD BATCH, so they are getting some disney kickback now.

But if it was me, I would try and sell the packets in a Quarterly/Monthly Sampler thing, yes you are buying the “Try Before You Buy” but at least if you really enjoy it, it could be good.

ANYWAY, I really love blackberry, its one of those complex flavors that is hard to try, and so they did nail it with this offering, it was very ONE note though, which is okay.

I don’t know if this is meant as a pre-workout or post-workout thing, because it’s marketing towards “the gamers”, but i would say, it’s probably the one that tastes the most like workout drinks i’ve had in the past, so if you like Body Armor beverages, this one might be your go-to.

But I did not shake it well enough and this was the first time it was gritty, because of poor-shake-up.

DAY 9 - Hype Sauce day, I don’t know what “Hype Sauce” is, because i barely get excited about things, and also, I thought the people at GFuel did not want this liquid to look coagulated (some people hate “moist” i think the word “coagulated” is more my speed)

Anyway, I don’t look at street wear that often, but today, i decided to make the exception - but because “gamer streetwear” isn’t a thing, I decided to look up the closest ally to the gamer - the anime “otaku”

My first stop was Uniqlo for some Jujitsu Kaisen graphic tees, GOTTA LOVE THAT GOJO! But they sold out of my fave.

Then I tried to look into anything featuring my favorite character from My Hero Academia - Hawks anywhere, and as you might have guessed - NOPE NOWHERE TO BE FOUND (It’s okay)

So that left me to box lunch and hot topic and, no, just no.

I don’t have the funds for $700 K-SWISS shoes or $300 jackets based on these characters, so I guess i will just… sit here with my hundreds of other graphic tees

Is G4 T-Shirts considered lifestyle brand? Asking for a friend.

ANYWAY, the flavor is VERY VERY TART i tasted sour raspberry and i guess lemon lime? I was saying “Sangria” but I don’t think that’s what the intention was. It was just not the flavor for me, I understand this flavor would attract somebody though. This might be the “Pineapple on Pizza” of flavors at GFuel.

DAY TEN - Bubble Gum, I like Kirby and Jigglypuff, so I will just pretend this flavor is themed around them. Even though they aren’t,

Bubble Gum is such a weird “flavor” to me, because it’s supposed to be fruit i believe, but never ends up tasting right?

Good News - this tastes exactly like that artifical bubble gum you know and love, when you were a child and got your teeth cleaned at the dentist.

Unfortunately, I’m a grown up now, so there is no “Spongebob” on the screen, now it’s “Property Brothers” and a sign that I am getting older with each passing day.

But if you like Bubble Gum flavored things - I guess this is okay? I still liked that Rowdy Roddy Piper soda more than this in the “tastes like bubble gum” but this fits right at home to those weirdos that love Hubba Bubba.

I decided to play Hades and died on Meg, again, curse you Meg.

DAY 11 - Today, I decided to try Strawberry Banana, a flavor that I have held back because mostly, it’s a flavor that can either go REALLY bad or REALLY good - because the idea is usually a smoothie.

Well, good news, this one, was a winner. This time the “frothy” nature of some of the other packets plays into this one really good. I think the last one to try this was Bahama Mama. It does give the taste and the texture of a strawberry banana smoothie, but without any sugar (or any fruit from the looks of things)

This one is definitely a top-tier flavor for me, even if I had to look up who KSI is (I honestly thought it was a Korean Boy Band like BTS, but it turns out it’s a YouTube and Rapper from the UK - which really shows an area I don’t know much about - Grime!) Plus, he knocked out the fighting paul brother once, and that’s rewarding as well!

But, without a doubt, this is one of the most refreshing flavors to have, and I give it the thumbs up, especially as a “dunno which flavor to pick” GFuel Flavor, this is very magical. And yes, listening to KSI’s music, it got me pumped.

So todays game was PHANTOM ABYSS - it just came out and I decided to give it a try because I love platformers that are roguelikes that have the same aesthetic as Legends of the Hidden Temple.

Did I get the treasure? No. Did I have fun whipping a slicing blender thing in front of a ghost that died moments prior to me in the run? Yes.

And It was so much fun. I do recommend checking out this game. Even if you don’t win, you have a fun time learning the mechanics that you could take with you into other temple runs!

BONUS EDIT: KSI is also part of a group called “Sidemen” that do Game Show Parodies on the internet, and I should have known this fact, because it’s game shows. and I ran a game show podcast - but all I saw was the Crystal Maze one they did a while back, and thought “oh content creator house” and never thought of it ever again.

DAY 12 - I am finishing up the SAMPLERS today, that’s right, today is the last day of new flavors. I haven’t tried anything pewdiepie nor the tetris nor probably your favorite, but if GFuel looks at this and wants to send over samplers (hey, did you like that suggestion i made? quarterly flavor tests?) Send them my way.

Anyways, today is RAGIN GUMMY FISH, based on another FaZe member, maybe they are swedish? like swedish fish? ha ha ha.

Anyway, this is exactly what it tastes like - Red Swedish Fish, and as you might have guessed, it tastes EXACTLY like it (They really did nail it, probably better than the Oreo company did that one time)

It isn’t really one of my personal favorites, but it didn’t do any of the gritty things, left me with a tummy ache or had the aftertaste. I am honestly quite surprised how they are able to perfect some of these flavors, even though I don’t know if the “energy” and “focus” are really working (or maybe I just suck at games?)

Today, I bought a Pixel 5 phone, and spent the day downloading apps and fixing settings. I don’t know if it made any difference, was it a video game? I don’t know, people play League of Legends on their phone a s well as Hearthstone, so I just assume “maybe?”

DAY 13 - i have run out of different flavors, so now I am left with whatever rations I have left. Blue Ice, Tropical Rain, Snow Cone, Bahama Mama and a large jug of demonade.

I have made my own personal hell, in the form of a GFuel Gimmick. It does not really help me focus on projects. I think my gaming prowless has not improved since drinking this, and the amount of run-on sentences that I typically do in these articles, are now probably even more prevalent than ever before.

To make matters worse - today was the start of the big STEAM SUMMER SALE aka “uh oh, where my money go?” where in one blink of an eye, you can spend $300 on video games you will probably never play, but is just good to have?

To help me out in gaming corner, I decided to play Clawfish - and it’s very cute, you should play it.

Todays flavor was a Bahama Mama, still tasted like the review prior, however, given the last few were sugary, I welcomed the “complex” layer flavor of a pina colada

Did you know they are actually making a Chili Dog flavor? They really came up with everything?

Maybe I should try and pitch my own flavor to the team - but what? I still have 17 days left.

DAY 14 - WASTED THE BLUE ICE GAME FUEL TODAY FOR THIS PHOTO, LIFE IS MEANINGLESS ANYWAY.

But, seriously, drank the Blue Ice one today, I am still surprised how they perfected the Blue Slush taste in this, but i hate how it’s all melty - was contemplating what would happen if it was in a freezer for an hour in the name of science, but i’ve come to the conclusion, it’s probably gonna freeze unless it was in constant movement. Most likely would work better, if placed in a blender with ice cubes.

Today’s game was the Spyro Trilogy, I bought it with the Crash Trilogy on the steam sale - 90s 3D Platformers… yeah they are fun, and sometimes don’t hold up well, but are still pretty novel.

I am thinking between an Orange with Cola flavor or a Root Beer flavor currently, will get back to ya on the flavor.

DAY 15 - I will be honest, after today’s snow cone, I have just 5 “singles” left and a tub of demonade left. so I either have to stomach ten days of demonade or make the best of a bad situation and just go through the rest of this adventure with this tub..

To make things SOMEWHAT terrible - I decided to try this GFuel at night… like 11pm AT NIGHT night, and just in case it wasn’t enough - I had a sandwich to go with it. I wanted to see if food had any effect on GFuel.

Turns out - not really, but I was also SEVERELY dehydrated the entire day watching game shows in a pool. (PROTIP: don’t bring your fancy phone to a pool if you don’t want it wet, thankfully it did not happen)

Snowcone this time around tasted better, did not have that gritty taste, wonder if it was just improper mixing, which, probably, still not a stick-out flavor, but could see the reasoning.

I played Tower Unite tonight, and also some Fall Guys and I have come to the conclusion that - GoldenboyFTW is right, I am the “almost winner” - second place on just about everything, including things that only have two places! At this point, it’s ALMOST 3am and I do have a headache, but i am debating if it’s caused by sleep, by the GFuel blend or just sun glare for being in the sun all day. (And thankfully the sad slumps I get are still there, but it’s not as “severe” as it once was - still need affirmations, but also listening to the music of Pink helps as well!) DON”T LET ME GET ME

DAY 16 - now i am in hell. decided to drink the demonade today, and i think i am regretting it, it is spicy, the pineapple with lemonade are REALLY jammin, but then the cheyenne just knocks me in for a loop. this is exactly what it must be like to be in Doom. I feel ready to shoot at a Cyberdemon.

It’s really good, but the spice is novelty. I think the tub was a really bad idea, if this was in the single packets like i have been using, it would not be a problem. but damn, it’s burning, mixed with a tasty lemonade.

Anyway, I did not feel like playing video games today, and instead wonder - Is this what Sean Evans goes through during every episode of Hot Ones? Knowing eventually he has to go through that really spicy last dab sauce.

I put myself through this hell. I honestly wish I picked a better flavor for “tub” but all i could think about - HOPEFULLY THE TROPICAL RAIN IS AS GOOD AS I REMEMBERED IT those few days ago.

DAY 17 - Decided to Drink one of my TROPICAL RAIN flavors again, just to see if I was right if this was my favorite flavor - and while everything was still the same (Filtered Water in Glass Bottle, Frozen for 40 Seconds Prior to Putting It In Shaker And Shaking For 2 minutes) - It was still good tasting, but the shaker needed to be shaken better, the gradients were still in the top section, and the carbonation was not there (which was good?) however upon having a weird “aftertaste” realizing that was partly whatever granules used for the “fizzy” effect. and it probably went “flat”. It is still a REALLY good flavor. But I don’t know, I think my favorite flavor isn’t here yet. Or I have not explored it. Is there something that tastes like Orange and Rootbeer? I could settle for something that tastes like Ecto Cooler back in the day. (Tangerine - Orange, Dyed Green) but as it currently stands, this might be the choice, although “Spicy Demonade If I didn’t Get Slapped In The Face With The Cheyenne Pepper From The Tasty Pineapple Lemonade” is a close second as well. Either way, I applaud the ability to think layered and simple with this company.

Grape? Yeah, it’s grape. But “Spicy Demonade?” That’s Going from Casual to HARDCORE in one scoop.

Also, I dislike gaming culture for focusing heavily on “hardcore” gaming, you could be casual enjoyer of gaming, gaming is entertainment, that’s like judging somebody if they never saw every Star Wars AND James Bond AND Nightmare on Elm Street AND Fast and Furious movie.

Anyway, I spent money on the Yakuza Series (4,5,6, Kiwami 1 &2) and Max Payne last night, I make bad choices with funds on steam releases. I also got a crown in Fall Guys - MAYBE I AM GOOD AT GAMES? I don’t know.

Gonna wait to see when I Can Pre-Order Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania and Cruisin’ Blast on Switch.

DAY 18 - Going to doom myself with that spicy demonade again today. Sometimes it’s dread, other times I just don’t know anymore.

This bit is really getting to me, in a very unfun away.

But on the positive side - the entire day I had VIDEOPOLIS stuck in my head. I was playing it during my now trifecta of games - Knockout City, Fall Guys, Phantom Abyss. So far, I have not gotten a single relic, also I GET JUMP SCARED EASILY AND I DON’T LIKE IT.

But here, have a wholesome G4tv X-Play video, which is weird saying, but I can enjoy.

As a bisexual, it’s hard to find any sort of characters to relate to, so Zagreus in Hades is a real step in the right direction (also, it was my 2020 Game of the Year!) And I am so glad Sessler got Nina from GayGamingProfessionals to stop by and talk about her journey and games of interest.

Sucks gamers are still toxic assholes and still think “maybe if we thumbs down the video, G4 will say homophobic slurs again”.

It really did bring me to tears, and in a good, loving way. Thank You G4!

Also, I bought nothing from the steam store today. Even though I really contemplated getting The Room 3 & 4, because puzzle escape room puzzle puzzle puzzle game.

DAY 19 - MY LIFE HAS BEEN SPIRALING DOWNWARDS

So. Here’s what happened after Day 18. I was finishing up the Spicy Demonade, and hit “save” when about an hour later, I just COUGHED UP all the demonade. Like. all of it just spat out of my mouth in a violent way. I don’t know if it’s the heatwave or something else. But it felt like this was the time to “call it a day”.

So before I decided to toss the Demonade away, I went and did a photo of me using it like it was the nerdy cocaine (on a tablet and a pokemon card) and YES, I DO NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT and i feel bad because pandemic and gyms and body image and yadda yadda yadda.

FUN FACT - its really NOT a good idea to snort this stuff even “pretend snort” in fact, don’t even put this stuff near your nose, because your eyes will have irritation. I make really stupid ideas sometimes.

Anyway, So right after the Day 18, I tossed out the Demonade (BYE DEMONADE) you had the layers, but I could not handle you.

So instead later that night, I had to use my TROPICAL RAIN powder, and hope for the best. Debating tells me Bahama Mama and Blue Ice are two other great flavors. But I barely had Blue Slush, and I still can’t figure out “Pina Colada Orange Julius” out (But man is it frothy)

So I spent the night playing a Jeopardy game, I beat the CPU, so maybe I am good at games, or maybe I just have no friends to play Jeopardy with (which is also really sad now that I think about it)

ANYWAY SO WHAT DID I DO TODAY?

Well, I placed an order on Amazon for Tropical Rain to close out the test. I also was this close to wanting to test WAMPA FRUIT but I was very scared. Apparently, they have it in canned form, but the cans have 300 Caffeine Points, where these have 120. And as somebody who is trying to play it safe healthwise (yeah I know, you saw the photo too, and think back to all my hamburger posts and go “YEAH YOU ARE GONNA GET A HEART ATTACK SOON” - i am trying not to. I eat salads, and do take walks constantly, just to maintain some level of “heathy eating and walking” but I might try Ring Fit for the next 30 days when this is done. WHO KNOWS?

It delivered in less than 2 day shipping, and i decided instead of opening up the tub - I have Blue Ice left, and am going to use it. This flavor is good to me, I might actually say that this is a “Top 3” flavor along with Bahama Mama

Blue Ice? That’s the Ticket!

DAY 20 - END OF AN ERA

I am down to my last Gamer Kool-Aid Single. Snow Cone. It was red white and blue. I wanted to save it for 4th of July, and pretend I am a patriot for investing in Small American Enterprise.

Around this point. I should probably say that gaming and “big energy drinks” were a part of gaming since, nearly forever. In the 1980s, that was JOLT Cola, In the 1990s, Surge was the deal (and then in 2000s those alternate flavors like Code Red), then there was BAWLS all over the QuakeCon, then became the trendy Monster Energy Drink or Rockstar Energy Drink (or those fruit punch flavors) and somewhere there was a detour into FourLoko, but now it's pre-workout as energy drinks. Your Bang/Reign/C4 of the world.

It makes sense Gamma Labs, which started out in Pre-workout, would make the detour into the gaming space - and honestly, I'm happy it's paying off. This is a really smart idea, because for most gamers doing that “drink before a marathon stream” or an esports athletes “to energize them before a game” it makes sense.

I am honest, i haven't edited anything from the top onwards. I've probably come across as SKEPTICAL at the start. Because I don't trust any endorsements by Social Media Influencers. I will ***NEVER*** play Raid: Shadow Legends or think those headphones with a 24 hour charge are worth it. (As evident by my selfies with the headphones with the string on the side - I LOSE THEM EASILY OKAY)

So, my thought was Kool Aid with snake oil marketed towards gamers. And at this stage. I think it's more Pre-workout Energy marketed towards gamers, because it's a highly competitive market, and gaming is something that's really big and lucrative. If you can corner the gaming market, you're good. And if your product doesn't taste like licking the white powdery stuff from a battery that exploded because of summer heat - even better!

It really did put into perspective the world of gaming has changed, but barely changes. Much like Bioshock, there's always a monitor, an energy beverage, and a competition.

It also put into perspective that because I AM TERRIBLE AT GAMES, it does me no benefit. I'm not gonna “get gud”, I prefer to be carried thank you very much.

I guess if anything, I'm getting really okay at Fall Guys? I haven't gotten that many crowns. But, I guess it's fun playing it over, say, Fortnite or League of Legends.

Gaming is such an amazing hobby. The culture blends between toxic assholes and an asperation of what could happen if cooperation and inclusion work out. (I just watched a Nier Automatica Playthrough recently)

Has it improved my score at Jeopardy? Well, I tried the J6 from DAY ONES ( okay it was during day four) and today. Week one was 34 out of 60, this week was 38 out of 60. I still fail the Jeopardy test, but I guess in this psudo-science, it's an improvement?

I should probably play Control or Sonic Mania instead.

DAY 21 - SO I MADE MY RANKED LIST.

The 3rd Best is Bahama Mama. I think it’s complex enough to be engaging and entertaining. And works in the summer months.

The 2nd Best is Blue Ice. Obviously, this is Blue Slushie, and It is just so delicious.

And my winner is Tropical Rain. Because Baja Blast is still what I pin the flavor as, but I am probably very wrong.

Also, did the bad thing and drank it was 11 pm last tnight, yeah you can guess how well i slept. NOT VERY GOOD, and really bad headaches afterward. So I am gonna try my best to limit my “one” to the 6pm range, so that way I don’t stay up ALL night with this stuff. (It nearly lead to a sad slump in the process, but I chalk it to a bad sleep pattern the last few… years at this point?)

DAY 22 - I decided to take off the labels from the tubs of GFuel, because they are so easy to get rid of (plus i guess it makes it more of a mystery to see what flavor is what? Even though if you look and smell it, you’ll know which one is bahama mama.

ANYWAY, so i decided to be a TWITCH STREAMER for a day, and play SONIC ADVENTURE 2 (a really bad sonic game) and I guess like every gamer on the internet, there had to be a time when I would get jump scared on camera.

Anyway, I hate jump scares, those ghosts are spooky, I never want to play Sonic Adventure 2 ever again, I havent even reached Aquatic Mine, I know there is a ghost boss. SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP.

I just want to play a happy game involving puzzles or detective solving, no BOO! HAUNTED HOUSE! kind of shenanigans. And I am sick of all the psudo-horror in steam workshop.

I don’t want a five-nights-at-freddys-but-at-a-mcdonalds

GIVE ME A GOOD GAME, ONE WITH SPORTS OR A YEE HAW BISEXUAL COWBOY or something? Anything?

DAY 23 - near the home stretch, i stuck a glass water bottle in the freezer and it exploded today before testing, so it was fun figuring out what was glass shards and what was ice touching my feet and palms for twenty minutes. when i grabbed a new water, i made my bahama mama and had a great time podcasting.

i don’t know if it really “works” as advertised, but drinking it and then chatting. I did feel more “on top of my game” than usual, but don’t know if it was just GFuel or natural energy being with friends for a podcast (we will say GFuel) - but it was drunk at 10pm at night so LOL BAD SLEEP INCOMING

But on the positive side, it is still really good, and I find them digestable more, leaning towards my “flavor choice” and trying to narrow it down - i figured out the “JORDAN GFUEL FLAVOR” - and it’s tough to explain, because it’s rough at first, but essentially, if there was ever a “JORDAN FLAVOR” I would want something complex yet recognizable - and I think the solution is something weird. A mix between a root beer float, a creamsicle and just a bit of cinnamon (something for the root beer to get a bit more spice)

I want it to be so much like Bahama Mama where it’s Orange + Pina Colada,, but Orange + Root Beer Float. Something that almost feels like you’re drinking an Old Fashioned (but non-alcoholic, and with more energy) - while other flavors look like it’s marketed towards kids, here is the drink for the young upstart that “enjoys crossword puzzles” and probably in their spare time “enjoys reading fanfiction for the novelization aspect of video game characters” - not really going for a “ultra bro” manly thing, like a ton of places do for the Old Fashioned (like barberships with those curly mustaches, and soap companies that smell like pinewood derby cars) more like the “sophisticated gamer, that enjoys watching documentaries on their playstation, between playthroughs”

I know, sacrifice the chocolate orange idea, but something where Orange + Root Beer Float (with a hint of cinnamon) might be the winning combination. You’re Gonna Taste Vanilla, You’re Gonna Taste Orange, You’re Gonna Taste That Rooty-Tooty-Saspirilla that makes that vanilla stand out. And just feel like something you could drink all year round while playing Ace Attorney or Sudoku Puzzles.

DAY 24 - Honestly, there isn’t much left to report, other than the sippy cup is now tough to “hold” when mixing, sometimes the mix is still grainy (so you need to shake constantly) and other than that. It’s still the same four flavors I picked up. I’ve drank it first thing in the morning, I’ve drank it really late at night, afternoons, and still trying to figure out the best time to do it, and currently, at least for me, the answer is “before a podcast record” or “before a twitch stream” because it gives you that energy for an hour, but then wanes a bit and then you want to stop, perfect time for doing any content!

My findings are pretty much the same, and after coming up with a flavor finding out when, and finding out it’s sugar free AND aspartame free, i am baffled where the “sweet” taste comes from. BETTER THAN CRYSTAL LIGHT, in my mind.

But while I have not completed the “30 Days” I don’t see any changes in the last few days, other than “yeah i drink it at the time that’s right”

SO THIS MIGHT BE MY LAST UPDATE, EDITING A BAD VIDEO TOGETHER, will post soon.

Here’s a rough video of my encounter with GFuel from the begging (a MUNCH segment from PATREON) and concluding with the video uploaded today. Thank you for taking this psudo-scientific gaming journey with me this month.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

Compared to coffee and tea, energy drinks are a very popular “wake up” drink, and GFuel does a pretty decent job of making flavors that taste like they are selling, and aren’t that tough to create (put cold water in a sippy cup and shake). In the last 30 Days, I haven’t gotten the “crashes” like I did with other energy drinks, which was good, however, because of my caffeine sensitivity (which makes this a bad idea) depending on when I consumed the drink, it did keep me up for a while, and give me splitting headaches.

I do not think it improves “focus and memory” like advertised or would make you better at gaming, and if anything - I think that might be the think I’m turned off the most by. It’s the same lingo that is used by Snake Oil Salesman. My big hypothesis was this being just the same “Brain Force” snake oil sold by Info Wars or Ben Shapiro to con their audience - just instead reformulated with “Gamers” in mind, with gaming personalities like PewDiePie, AngryJoe, and FaZe and anybody with an endorsement of “enter my promocode at checkout for 30% Off Your Order!”

On one hand, I would be thinking less of these people and GFuel if this stuff tasted terrible and was clearly a low-rent sawdust pill. But on a BEVERAGE STANDPOINT this is probably the best tasting powdered drink mix on the market today, and I think the company does do a great job of marketing and advertising and getting Gaming IPs to work with them on new fun flavors, and listens to the feedback of their consumers in a way that most major manufacturing companies wouldn’t dare.

Gamma Labs did create something really amazing and unique here, and it’s marketing (and it’s flavors) are very unique and interesting!

While places like Discord started out “gaming themed” before branching into “worldwide safe” - I think GFuel doing the opposite and going “gaming themed” instead of just a generic “fruit punch” is the best way to go. Especially when it’s simply put - a pre-workout and their competition is Energy Drinks.

Ultimately, the flavors are hit and miss, and I do wish the company had more ways to “try before you buy” any of their new flavors instead of selling it in large tubs. The only thing on a nutritional level to celebrate is the sugar free and B Vitamins inside it. But, if the focus is on “boosting gaming/focus” - maybe it’s there, but I did not see anything, there is no magic pill to make anybody “get gud” at gaming, and my casual ass is better for it.

Would I recommend this product? somewhat. I will be a returning customer soon, but not at the moment, Tropical Rain was definitely my jam and the blends and flavors make this feel like an ice cream place more than a soda fountain. But, I already have three tubs of this stuff, I am sure I will order again in the Fall.

If you go into GFuel - just note you’re buying caffeinated fruit drinks (or chocolate or chili dog) and should proceed with caution. I would not advice teenagers buying this stuff, no matter how much you “grew up watching pewdiepie” and caution parents on buying it for their kids. If you’re a college age student or somebody who wants “an alternative” to red bull or rockstar or monster or reign or bang or battery acid deluxe. This is a drink that’s right for you.

Even if you aren’t a “gamer”, GFuel is leagues better in taste than most of those drinks. But the caution is on the health science it markets, and I feel more research would be needed to show this data (and if you haven’t figured it out - I did NOT do any of that lol)

Now as a Gamer, I do like the partnerships and brand deals. I don’t care much about YouTubers and Twitch Streamers and every social media influencer with a 30% off coupon. But I think this brand is "trustworthy” and is the next generation of Bawls.

And if push comes to shove, between Bawls, GameFuel and GFuel - I will pick GFuel.

They have a new “Hydration” sampler, themed around Star Wars that is Non-Caffeinated, and all things considered - I think I’ll probably pick those up soon, along with a couple tubs of my favorites this adventure, and little packets of the ones that interest me the most. Like “Click Bait” and “Tetris”.

You could do worse. I only wish they could ease more consumers with samplers and try-out single-packs of their stuff.