Popcorn, Gamers and Lifestyle: According To Research

Francesca Isabella Alice Mundy

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Published in

zClippings Autumn 2017

5 min readNov 8, 2017

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Although I was almost entirely tempted to just have a list of experiments regarding my all-time favourite snack, popcorn (e.g. the smaller the kernel, the better the pop). I decided instead to focus on the relationship between gaming, food and lifestyle — particularly their effect on the public, whether they participate or not.

First Up: Movie Snacks!

Not many people can go to the cinema and not have something to snack on, whether it be popcorn (the obvious choice in my opinion), wine gums, M&Ms, pick’n’mix, a hot dog, or many other popular choices. But by all accounts, popcorn is definitely the favourite, and has been since it was first introduced in the mid-1800s.

Initially, due to its messy nature, it was mainly a carnival food. The first steam-powered popcorn maker was created in 1885, and from there it started to stretch further until it became the pop culture sensation it is now.

In 1927, when films began to have sound, theatres began to draw in a wider audience and by 1930 the amount of people who visited reached 90 million per week. This increase in revenue gave them the chance to test different avenues of profit, and the addition of sound meant that the noise that came with eating and drinking wasn’t as frowned upon.

However, popcorn wasn’t fully introduced into cinemas until The Great Depression. Stands stopped selling popcorn outside and the theatres took over the role; the profits keeping them stable through the terrible economy. Popcorn became a symbol of the movie theatre and the great(ly delicious) snack it is today.

Next: Pokémon Go!

The augmented reality game was launched in July 2016 with numerous reports of it causing car accidents, theft and trespassing within only days of its release. Law suits were filed against its creator Niantic, for damages and distress to residential and business owners.

Many people argue that the people playing the game should be solely responsible, as the game is just that, and they should abide by laws and be respectful of people and property.

But it has also been praised for its effort in getting players, who would normally be sat in one place for hours on end, to actually be more active. It also gives the exercise an interesting element of accomplishment. Not only do they get to work towards their in-game goals, but children are truly boasting about being able to have walked a further distance than their friends, getting them more ahead in the game.

Another positive for gamers, with the increase in activity and fresh air, has also helped those who struggle with sleeping difficulties or insomnia like myself. The additional want to go for a cycle around the lake nearby, or just a gentle walk around the village, has subtly forced the additional tiredness and need to fuel my body with the correct food. During the warmer months, I personally have found it easier to get out, eat healthily and sleep more. The dark frosty mornings and evenings have certainly put me off going out as much for now unfortunately.

Finally: Exercise!

©Photography by Ian Allen via Men’s Health Article

There are so many ways to exercise for people who want different outcomes; to bulk up, tone, get abs, or just get healthy. You can go to the gym, do classes with others, go swimming, or cycling, dog walking, running, the list goes on.

But drives people to do it? I would certainly love to have the ability and will power to wake up at 6am and go for a run every morning. But realistically, there is always an end goal or reward.

Studies have been carried out which investigate reward systems, something very useful for activities notorious for not being enjoyable to some, such as exercising, household chores, and homework. They show the drive that people can have once something worthwhile is put in their way.

Something that many people use, specific to exercise, is a food reward. Now this can either work really well, or make your gym session totally pointless. It seems many people don’t think about the actual rations involved in the reward they take; for example, 30 minutes on an exercise bike isn’t working off that McDonald’s cheeseburger.

For someone around 130lbs, that 30 minutes would burn approximately 160 calories, here is a list of what you could eat while making that time worthwhile:

- Roughly 150g of Popcorn (always popcorn — super tasty and pretty darn healthy in most cases!)
- A hand full of nuts — almonds, cashews or pistachios
- Two large eggs — hard boiled
- 6oz of plain Greek yoghurt and a handful of strawberries

Okay, now here is a list of good food, and how long you would need to work out to get rid of the bad feeling after stuffing your face:

- McDonald’s cheeseburger — 300kcal — 1 hour
- Wimpy Burger — 421kcal — 1 hour 20 minutes
- KFC Large Popcorn chicken — 620kcal — 2 hours
- Burger King Bacon & Cheese Whooper — 790kcal — 2 hours 15 minutes
- Dominos Large Pepperoni Passion with BBQ Stuffed Crust — 277kcal PER 3 SLICES or 830kcal PER PIZZA — 35 minutes or 3 hours

So, after that this you’re hungry or thinking about your next gym session — either way, I’ll leave you to decide what you want to achieve and what your reward is.

With thanks to Florentina Mitrache and Ellena Restrick

Popcorn, Gamers and Lifestyle: According To Research

Written by Francesca Isabella Alice Mundy