The 1950s was known as the decade that launched a great many scientific and mechanical innovations, and it was during this time that a never-been-seen-before computer game was launched at the Canadian National Exhibition.

‘Bertie the Brain’ (1) was a four-meter-tall computer that allowed exhibition attendees to play a game of tic-tac-toe against artificial intelligence. After the fair, the computer was disassembled and largely forgotten as a curiosity. But as the world’s first ever arcade game, it also led to the development and launch of a clunky brown console, known as the ‘Brown Box’ in the 1960s (2). And it was this item that truly revolutionised the gaming industry, setting the stage for the ultra-competitive and fast-paced world of e-gaming we know today.

From its small start more than 70 years ago, today’s international e-gaming industry is incredibly profitable and for professionals, the stakes can be high, not just from a monetary point of view, but for the incredibly demanding toll it can take on the body too.

According to Euronews, the gaming sector welcomed 500mn new competitors in the last three years, and its value now exceeds €250 bn (3). In this booming market, there are fantastic opportunities, not just for the development of new games and technology, but also for innovative products, supplements, and nootropics that could help gamers stay at peak performance.

While we can distinguish between amateur and professional e-gamers, the lines are increasingly becoming blurred as home gamers put in the long hours often seen in professional athletes. This is moving the goalposts where supplements are no longer only aimed at pro gamers, but fast becoming a necessity for at-home players too.

As of 2022, there are a whopping 188.9mn e-gamers in the US, while South Africa leads with the most players in the sub-Saharan region at 23mn. Gaming is so popular that in three years it jumped from 77mn in 2015 to 186mn players on the African continent alone, while in South Korea, e-gaming is now recognised as the country’s national sport. These figures are good news for brand owners focused on the development of supplement and nootropic formulations targeting the physical and mental health of e-gamers globally (4).

As with any sport, e-gaming comes with its own set of unique challenges and physical impacts on players. As such, there is an urgent need for products that can offset the myriad physical and mental challenges and keep these athletes at peak performance.

“We cannot dispute that the sport offers significant challenges to the human body. Gamers spend excessive time in one position and that can often lead to the shortening of muscles, tendons, and surrounding joints. In this sense, e-gamers are very susceptible to developing conditions such as de Quervain’s tenosynovitis that affects the thumb and wrist,” says Eric Dumont scientific manager at Novastell.

Another problem is overuse injuries, resulting in osteoarthritis and inflammation in the soft tissues leading to joint stiffness and pain. And what about the effect of 5 to 10 hours of constant gaming on the brain, vision, and nervous system?

“As the popularity of gaming continues to grow, we will see the need for improved nutritional supplements that can assist with eye, brain, and joint health. At Novastell, this is a prime opportunity for us to develop and formulate a range of product that can assist e-gamers to stay at the top of their game. We are extremely excited about the successes being seen with some of our cutting-edge ingredients that include vegetal phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidic acid, which can offer significant stress management properties. Phosphatidic acid can improve muscle mass and strength – potentially helping with the effects that prolonged sitting can have on the body, while phosphatidylserine can assist with brain health and keeping gamers’ reactions and decisions lighting fast (5).

“Our studies show that a 1:1 blend of phosphatidylserine and phosphatic acid can decrease the blood content in ACTH and cortisol (6). This could be a breakthrough in the management of the physical challenges posed by e-gaming for both professional and at-home competitors,” Eric concludes.

The future of gaming is undeniably exciting, and technologies will soon usher in a new era of interconnected, immersive experiences, pushing the bar even further when it comes to meeting the unique nutritional requirements of these athletes.

As innovations continue to reshape the gaming landscape, we can expect to see an increasingly diverse industry that offers enormous opportunities for those who develop e-games and for the players who take part in this exciting online world.

And this means that the market for nutritional supplements and the development of new products that can support e-gaming athletes and pro-gamers has never looked brighter.

After all, in the ever-evolving and fast-paced world of e-gaming, you are only as good as your next win.