Schedule 1 Addiction: It’s Not the Drug, But It Is

Last year there were actually two games that qualified for this: PEAK and Schedule 1. I have personally never played PEAK, but I really have to talk about Schedule 1, because that game turned out to be more addictive for me than the crystal meth that I love to make in that game.

On YouTube there is a video of a Jamaican guide who looks suspiciously like Bob Marley. During his round he lights a steamer as thick as his wrist and then tames the djongo in the presence of the tourists. The tourists, who are clearly American, find it strange that someone dares to do this in public. This was at a time when any form of drug use was extremely punishable throughout the United States.

The nice thing is that this man remains very relaxed about the situation and provides the eager Americans with comments that you only make when you are as stoned as a monkey. This scenario is less special for me as a Dutch person, because soft drugs have been tolerated in the Netherlands for years and I often go to places where you can clearly see that people have used them.

However, the United States still has a drug problem and in some states it is still severely punishable. The fact that it is not allowed automatically means that people also find it very attractive to do something with it. The more illegal something is, the more it is worth and you can become very rich from it.

And so we arrive at Schedule 1. In this game you are supposed to build your own drug empire. You do this by making connections and making and reselling drugs. This game became a hit quite unexpectedly. Streamers eagerly picked up the game and the golden rule of a successful game is: if the streamers play it, the viewers will also buy it.

Schedule 1 has kept me very busy in recent months, because the gameplay is extremely addictive. You start small with a few pots in which you grow marijuana. After a few hours you will have a plant with the drugs in it. You cut them out of the plant and then put the blocks of drugs in a plastic bag and sell them for a very big profit.

During that time you need to make sure you have plastic bags, as well as soil and seeds. You get the seeds from someone special, because the stores don’t just sell marijuana seeds. In Hyland, where the game takes place, they are almost militant in their search for people with drugs.

Over time, the marijuana becomes more and more creative. At first it is the pure drugs, but later you buy a mixer with which you can mix. And then it becomes very funny, because you can mix your drugs with the most idiotic things. From Cuck Cola to gasoline, you can put anything in it. Nothing is better than smoking Purple Papa, combined with paracetamol, energy drink and, to improve the color a bit, Viagra.

Over time, weed is no longer enough. You then take the final step into serious crime and start making crystal meth. It takes quite some time to make it. You need to mix some pieces of poison and let it boil for a few hours. After that, the emulsion you have made should be baked in an oven until it has crystallized. It’s wrong and you’re ruining the community, but crystal meth does make a lot of money.

Schedule 1 surprised me very positively. All elements in the game are fun. It’s fun to make drugs and hire people to help you later. It is very satisfying to see how easily you can make a very good profit. This is accompanied by the thought that you are doing something that is actually unacceptable. That makes it extra special. I definitely recommend trying this game. I always say: making virtual drugs is fun, but don’t use them.