Esports nutrition among gamers becoming more standard

For many casual observers, gaming is an activity associated with unhealthy lifestyles. However, it is increasingly making a name for itself as a sport – complete with proper nutrition.

“The pro scene will have nutritionists, dietitians, and chefs on staff. They'll have sleep pods at their training facilities, they'll have everything that you can think of that a professional sports or traditional sports team would have. And at the collegiate level, that's actually starting to trickle down as well. So wellness programs, weightlifting programs, also watching what you eat,” ​said Jason Chung, Executive Director of Esports at the University of New Haven. “Even at our university, our esports head coach preaches that too because ultimately, we don't want people just flaming out at age 20. We want them to keep going.”​

Prioritizing focus and sleep

As esports continues to penetrate mainstream culture, Chung laid out how to identify opportunities and create product differentiation for the growing market. During the summit in San Diego, Chung explained how focus and sleep are top priorities for esports athletes.

“People think that screen time equals practice, but it’s just like anybody who does office work – that's not always the case. So, it's really quality screen time and engaging with that and also being able to switch off. Burnout is a really high prevalence thing in the industry. So what you really want is you want people to be able to switch off. You want them to get proper sleep and it's a critical thing in the industry and it's one that's actually getting much more attention these days."​

Authenticity

One undeniable key theme at the event was the importance for brands to be intentional about authenticity. “It's okay to say that you don't understand as much and actually ask the fans to inform you. But if you just slap on an esports and gaming [label] and say, ‘hey, this is a supplement or an ingredient for that’ – they're going to be skeptical. And you do not want the wrath of the internet on you, especially esports gaming fans,”​ cautioned Chung.