I play FPS, Battlefield mostly, from 8 PM to 10 PM. I have found that I play better right before dinner time. During that period, on CTF and rush rounds, I find myself aggressively focused, serious on the lead, and my reflexes are pretty good. After dinner, I just feel relaxed and unfocused. If I choose to play after a meal, I’d rather idle on a defensive line with support or recon class.
So it might be a placebo that makes my brain work more and focused on a reward – dinner. Also, as mentioned by @san, it could be the hunger hormones activating my brain to be more focused. So your guess is right. Mild hunger is likely to improve a gamer’s performance. But I cannot say the same for coding though. It’s the other way for it. Compared to coding, gaming doesn’t demand huge brainpower.
