E-sports is rising to the top of the league table. No longer seen as just a casual pastime, the e-sports industry is bigger than ever – so much so, that the Olympic E-sports Games has recently been announced for 2025. This growing interest is helping the industry shed its niche image, with the market estimated to achieve a CAGR of 20.7% from 2024 to 2032, reaching an impressive value of $9.29 billion by 2032.
Fortune Business Insights, eSports Market Size, Share, and Industry Analysis, By Streaming Type (Live and On-demand), By Revenue Streaming (Media Rights, Advertisement, Sponsorship, Ticket & Merchandise, Game Publisher Fees, and Others), By Gaming Genre (Real-Time Strategy Games, First Person Shooter Games, Fighting Games, Multiplayer Online Battle Arena Games, Mass Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2024-2032, 2023.
Now emerging into the mainstream, e-sports players have become athletes in their own right.
So, nutrition understandably has an important role to play – from a mental and physical point of view. After all, e-sports athletes must fend off the competition and stay healthy to stay at the top of the leaderboard. Plus, unlike traditional athletes, they have the extra challenge of minimal downtime – often logging up to 12-hour days for consecutive stretches. Choosing the right nutrition products is key, with recent protein innovation changing the way gamers fuel up. Read on to find out which high-protein options are gaining interest in the fast-growing e-sports nutrition market – and the winning formulations to watch.
To compete in the growing number of live streaming events and professional gaming leagues, e-sports athletes must be at the top of their game. That means many players are looking for ways to improve their holistic health, including staying focused and pushing cognitive function for long periods of time. Convenience is key to providing a boost during intense gameplay – and RTDs offer an easy way to provide a nutritious energy boost, without interruption. In fact, RTDs come out on top as one of sports nutrition consumers’ favoured format – 62% say they have recently purchased sports and energy drinks.
FMCG Gurus, ‘Sports Nutrition: Product Formats and Sensory Appeal’, 2022
Gaming is much more than just a brain workout – it can get the heart pumping, spike cortisol
Aliyari H, Sahraei H, Daliri MR, et al. The Beneficial or Harmful Effects of Computer Game Stress on Cognitive Functions of Players. Basic Clin Neurosci. 2018;9(3):177-186. doi:10.29252/nirp.bcn.9.3.177
and use lots of energy. It also requires good eye health – players are often staring at screens for multiple hours, which can cause eye strain, dryness and increase the risk of myopia.
American Optometric Association, ‘The effects of gaming and ways to combat eye stress survey’, 2022
Digging deeper into these formulations, what ingredients should they contain? Protein-rich foods are an important macronutrient for all kinds of athletes, and even esports athletes can reap its benefits. In particular, protein can offer an e-sports nutrition option that’s a healthy way to stay satiated during long gameplay. And protein RTDs are a convenient way to refuel during intense gaming sessions without having to stop for a big, protein laden meal. What’s more, RTDs that deliver protein plus benefits with ingredients that support holistic health – such as cognitive flexibility, memory, attention, focus, decision-making and addressing mental fatigue – can offer esports athletes even more.
For instance, there’s growing interest in high-protein beverages enriched with other health-boosting or energy-enhancing ingredients like B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, green tea, potassium and magnesium. And prebiotics – already a common addition in sports nutrition – have potential in-sports-specific formulations, too. Emerging evidence demonstrates that prebiotic dietary supplements can activate the gut-brain axis, helping to improve mental well-being
Johnstone et al., Sci Rep. 2021 Apr 15;11(1):8302. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33859330/ *
Schaafsma et al., Nutrients. 2021 Jun 27;13(7):2204> https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34199006/
and cognitive function.
Another way to appeal to players’ needs is with the addition of omega-3s, like docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), in multi-functional RTD formulations. DHA plays a key role in visual acuity,
Stonehouse et al., 2013. DHA supplementation improved both memory and reaction time in healthy young adults: A randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 97(5),1134-1143
which could help give e-sports athletes that all-important competitive edge – especially when the average gamer spends eight hours playing per session.
American Optometric Association, ‘The effects of gaming and ways to combat eye stress’, 2022
DHA is also well understood to support cognitive function.
Stonehouse et al., 2013. DHA supplementation improved both memory and reaction time in healthy young adults: A randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 97(5),1134-1143
In fact, 53% of Europeans and 63% of Americans recognise the role of omega-3s in in supporting brain health.
FMCG Gurus, Unlocking Cognitive Wellness: 3 key things you need to know about innovating with Omega-3s, 2023
And its benefits don’t stop there, DHA has also been shown to support physical well-being, including cardiovascular health, by contributing to normal heart function and maintenance of normal blood pressure,
Innes, J.K.; Calder, P.C. The differential effects of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid on cardiometabolic risk factors, A systematic review. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2018, 19, 532.
making it ideal in esports nutrition for the all-round health benefits needed to deliver top gaming performance.
We developed our E-sports Protein Power drink concept to meet the growing holistic health needs of e-sports athletes. Made using our Excellion® Calcium Caseinate S, this innovative RTD is designed to provide gamers with high-quality protein, containing all the necessary essential amino acids, for a satiating effect – keeping cravings and hunger away without needing to pause their game. What’s more, this powerful drink features energy-boosting botanicals, including guarana, green tea extract, taurine and ginseng, to help gamers perform at their best.
Thanks to the high heat stability of Excellion® Calcium Caseinate S, it’s easy to handle in formulation and supports a long shelf-life. This powerful ingredient is also clean-tasting with a milky appearance – providing a blank canvas for formulating myriad flavour options that keep players tuned in for more. Comprising a whopping 20g of protein, our E-sports Protein Power energy drink is a conveniently nutritious solution – either on the go between training sessions or mid-action on the gaming chair.
With the popularity of e-sports growing, there’s a huge opportunity to develop high-protein RTDs that offer specific benefits for gamers. Not all proteins are created equal, however. Choosing a high-quality protein, like Excellion® Calcium Caseinate S provides the ideal building block for formulating great-tasting energy drinks that keep e-sports athletes switched on and winning tournaments. At the forefront of protein innovation, FrieslandCampina Ingredients is the perfect partner for helping to create high-protein RTDs that cater to gamers’ growing needs in the e-sports arena.
Look out for our other blog posts in our RTD trend series – sign up to our newsletter to stay ahead of the game: Insights – FrieslandCampina Ingredients
Interested in exploring high-protein RTDs for the dynamic e-sports nutrition market? Download the application sheet for our e-sports protein energy drink : Excellion® Calcium Caseinate S – Esports Protein Power Drink – FrieslandCampina Ingredients.
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