Don’t hack the game. Hack your brain! Optimal gaming performance requires a lot of focus and advanced cognitive abilities like sharp reflexes and quick decision-making skills which can make a pretty big difference in your gameplay.
Nootropics offer you a huge variety of mental and physical benefits that can boost your work and social life or enhance your performance in sports. But can these smart drugs also boost your gaming performance?
In this guide, we consider gaming nootropics and the benefits these brain-boosters might offer you if you need to be sharper, more focused, and more alert for gaming.
The Benefits of Taking Nootropics for Gaming
Nootropics are mostly developed for work, study and sports purposes. These smart drugs, supplements, or substances are designed to stimulate the production of certain brain chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, glutamate, GABA, and neurophrine, so the neurotransmitters in your mind can function at an optimal level, which offers numerous benefits.
Different nootropic types can offer you different benefits but most of these supplements are designed to give the following main benefits:
Enhanced Focus and Attention
It can be pretty tough to stay focused for those long hours of endurance-gaming sessions. A high level of focus and attention is important when you are enjoying high-intensity gameplay like Red Dead Redemption 2 or The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Nootropics for attention can sharpen your focus and attention so you can be present and fully aware of all of those lightning-fast reactions that the enemy might dish your way.
Boosted Working Memory
A powerful short-term memory or working memory is essential if you want to excel at strategy games like Crusader Kings III.
Nootropics for working memory isn’t just beneficial for study purposes, it can also give you that memory mapping ability you need to excel in these games. With a great working memory, you can easily identify patterns and remember previous steps you took so you can avoid making the same mistakes.
Enhanced Mental Energy
It is great to play games with advanced graphics, lots of characters, or strategy. But these HD effects can exhaust your mind pretty fast. Energy drinks are usually the staple for gamers but because of all those high levels of caffeine and sugar, this is hardly a healthy solution.
Some nootropics can help caffeine work better so you can get the kick you need from a simple cup of coffee. Othernootropics for energy don’t require the use of stimulants but still give you that competitive boost you need so you can keep playing that marathon game without suffering from mental exhaustion.
Enhanced Strategic Thinking
For strategy games like XCOM 2 or Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak, you sometimes need more than just a powerful working memory. Strategic thinking abilities and the ability to make lightning-fast decisions will save your skin time and time again.
Some nootropics are designed to enhance your cognitive functioning and strategic thinking abilities. These nootropics usually also offer other benefits like enhanced learning and memory performance so you can flourish in those games that require a combination of brainpower and quick reflexes.
Increased Stress Resistance
High-intensity games can be quite stressful, especially if you are fixed in an online gaming battle with other competitors or if you are making a career out of gaming. Stress can be a killer when you are trying to up your game and can cause you to make a lot of unnecessary mistakes.
Certain nootropics are designed to reduce stress levels and can help calm your mind so you can stay cool and collected no matter how hot things get in the game.
Reduction in Unhealthy Substance Intake
Serious gamers will do just about anything to stay awake and alert until the early hours of the morning if they are caught up in a competitive game. Gaming usually goes hand in hand with lots of unhealthy substances like sports drinks, energy drinks, sugary foods and caffeinated beverages that are not good for your heart and can cause obesity.
Some nootropics can act as a stimulant to keep you alert and awake but won’t contaminate your body. These smart drugs will also enhance the efficiency of stimulants like caffeine when you do decide to enjoy a cup of coffee or an energy drink.
Enhanced Creativity
For some games, you really do need to think outside of the box. Some modern video games offer multiple solutions to solve a single obstacle to give players a realistic storyline feel.
Certain nootropics can boost your creative thinking abilities so you can quickly solve puzzles or find unique methods to help you overcome obstacles more quickly than your competitors.
Boosted Energy
Most nootropics are designed to make you feel more alert and awake. These products also clear up brain fog and can reduce feelings of fatigue. This is a terrific benefit for gamers who love to enjoy endurance games and still need to get up for work early the next morning.
The Best Gaming Nootropics to Enhance Your Esports Performance
The most important cognitive functions to boost if you want to up your game are focus, working memory, and mental processing speed. But it can also help to find a nootropic that will boost your energy or, at least, reduce mental fatigue or brain fog.
Not all nootropics are helpful for enhanced gameplay and you should always be very careful to buy from a reputable source or you could end up taking a product that is ineffective or loaded with unhealthy or addictive substances.
It is always best to stick to nootropics that have been clinically tested and studied.
If you want to stay safe while boosting your brain and still get terrific results, then you should consider the following gaming nootropic types. They are all sourced from natural ingredients, have been on the market for quite some time, and offer the lowest risk of dependency or negative side effects.
Ginkgo Biloba
Ginkgo Biloba, also referred to as ginkgo or gingko, is harvested from the maidenhair tree. Ginkgo extract is produced from the leaves of this ancient tree and is used for making all sorts of supplements that mostly have to do with enhancing brain function or promoting blood circulation.
Taking this supplement can offer you a great many benefits like the following:
- Enhances short-term memory
- Increases learning
- Promotes problem-solving skills
- Boosts attention span
- Increases energy
- Reduces anxiety
- Promotes long-term memory
Supplement Form
The supplement is available in various forms like leaf extract, powder, capsules, or tincture and can be consumed daily as needed.
Dose
Doses for this supplement range from 100 mg up to 800 mg depending on your weight and your gameplay requirements.
Effect
Users usually find the most pronounced effect 30-60 minutes after consumption and the effects can last up to 12 hours. Many do also experience after-effects of the product for about 6 hours.
Phosphatidylserine
Phosphatidylserineis an important fatty acid that covers and protects the cells in your brain. This phospholipid is also important for carrying messages between brain cells and is vital for keeping and maintaining memory and alertness. Boosting phosphatidylserine chemical production in the brain can offer a variety of benefits like the following:
- Enhance problem-solving skills
- Boost short-term memory
- Enhance long-term memory
- Increase learning ability
- Reduce stress
- Boost energy
- Enhance mindfulness
- Increase attention span
Supplement Form
This product is mostly sold in capsule and powder form and is suitable for daily consumption before noon.
Dose
The amount required varies depending on your size and need. 50 mg is considered a light dose, 100 mg is the common dose, and 300 mg is a high dose.
Effect
It can take several days for you to feel the full effect of the nootropic and these effects can last for several days. You can also experience several days of after-effects when the effect has started wearing off.
Omega 3
Omega 3 fatty acidshave been a popular supplement for quite some time. The polyunsaturated fatty acids EPA and DHA are found in seafood and are sourced from fatty fish species like salmon, tuna, trout and shellfish. ALA, a different type of Omega-3 fatty acid is sourced from foods and vegetable oils like canola and soy.
Fatty acids are mostly considered a healthy supplement and offer various benefits like the following:
- Boosts attention span
- Improves mood
- Enhances learning ability
- Enhances long-term memory
- Boosts problem-solving abilities
- Enhances short-term memory
Supplement form
Omega 3 is sold in fish oil capsules, or you can consume it by eating fatty fish species or by consuming algae, and it can be consumed at any time you like.
Dose
500 mg fish oil is considered a light dose, 2,000mg is the common daily dose, and 4,000 mg is a strong dose.
Effect
You will only start feeling the effects of fish oil after several days of consumption. The effects can last for several days and can have a couple of days of after-effects.
Grape Seed Extract
Thegrape seed extract is a dietary supplement that is made from, you guessed it, grape seeds! The seeds are first removed, dried, and pulverized before the supplement is extracted from the bitter seeds.
These extracts are antioxidant-rich and contain lots of nutrients. The seed extract can potentially offer the following benefits to gamers:
- Enhances problem-solving skills
- Boosts mood
- Reduces anxiety
- Increases attention span
- Enhances long-term memory
- Enhances short-term memory
Supplement form
Grape seed extract is usually sold in powder, capsule and tincture form and should be consumed before noon or it could keep you awake.
Dose
250 mg of this nootropic is considered a light dose, 500 mg is the common dose for adults, and 1,000 mg grape seed extract is a heavy dose.
Effect
It can take a few days before you will start noticing the effects of grape seed extract and mental benefits can last for several days. The after-effects also take a few days to fully clear up from your system.
Caffeine
You probably already know whatcaffeine is. This stimulant affects the central nervous system and can make you feel more awake, alert, and energetic.
Caffeine is mostly sourced from coffee beans but it is also found in several tea varieties. While consuming a little bit of caffeine is perfectly safe, you should be careful to limit your intake. Too much caffeine can leave you feeling restless, dizzy, dehydrated, affects your sleep patterns, can impact your heart rhythm, and can result in dependency.
It is also important to be wary when you consume caffeinated energy drinks since these are usually loaded with too much sugar.
Gamers love to take caffeine stimulants because the effects are almost instantaneous and they can enjoy all the following benefits:
- Enhanced short-term memory
- Enhanced problem-solving skills
- Improved attention span
- Boosted energy levels
- Improved mood
- Enhanced social skills
Supplement form
Caffeine is sold in pill and powder form but you can also find it in coffee, tea, or energy drinks. It is best to consume your caffeinated drinks well before bedtime because this drink can make it hard to fall asleep.
Dose
50mg of caffeine is considered a light dose, 120mg caffeine is the common dose for adults, and 700 mg is a mega-dose of this stimulant.
Effects
Caffeine’s full effect usually kicks in about 30 to 60 minutes after consumption. The effects usually last about six hours and after-effects can take about six hours to fully clear up.
Final Thoughts
With these gaming nootropics, we are quite sure that your gaming skills will reach a new level. If you feel that these natural nootropics might not give you the kick you need, then perhaps it is time to check out some of the other nootropic product reviews and guides we have onPromindBuild.
With our site, you can find out more about all the safest and best products, whether you are looking to boost your gameplay or need something effective to help you study.
