One man’s mad quest to capture all the video game soda machines
With the benefit of a little perspective, it all makes complete sense. Video game characters have to stay hydrated. It’s crucial in their line of work. They generally spend their days either pursuing or being pursued by others, and their jobs tend to involve a lot of running and jumping but not much standing still. They’re bound to work up a powerful thirst, what with all that killing and being killed and coming back to life to kill and be killed all over again. And video game developers are sympathetic to this problem, thoughtfully working soda machines into the design of many games, including the Fallout series, Grand Theft Auto V, and Half-Life. These colorful drink dispensers are so common that hardcore gamers may not even notice them. But Dr. Jason “Jess” Morrissette, a professor of political science at Marshall University, sure noticed. He noticed the shit out of them, in fact, to the point that he started collecting and cataloging images of soda machines in video games. Morrisstte also occasionally posts such images to his Twitter account. Recently, the professor spoke with NPR’s Gabriel Rosenberg about why he does this.