Cognitive Enhancers for Gamers: "Don’t hack the game. Hack the brain!"

Video games have been around for over 60 years. The very first video game was created in 1958 by a physicist named William Higinbotham who created a simple tennis game which would later become known as Pong.

Since that time, video games have continued to progress, in popularity and complexity, thanks to the advances in technology. While video games have always been thought of as a way to relax and spend time with friends, in recent years, gaming has become big business thanks to the rise in competitive gaming (“esports”) and the creation of the Electronic Sports League (ESL).

Gaming has transcended the realm of the ordinary.

Top prize is no longer bragging rights, but millions and millions in prize money.

These days, gamers are no longer interested in hacks that get them extra lives or invincibility. Now, they need to hack their brain to sustain energy, focus, and motivation while ablating fatigue.

Here, we present the best cognitive enhancers for gamers looking to hack their own neurological network and crush the competition.

Nootropic Needs for Gamers

Whether embroiled in a vicious bout of Street Fighter, a shooter like Fortnite or League of Legends that tests every part of your focus and dexterity, gamers need to optimize five key attributes if they are to succeed:

Mental Energy

To become proficient in anything requires a significant amount of dedication, commitment, and energy, both physically and mentally. Gaming is no different. Energy is what keeps you going during those marathon matches that keep you up into the wee hours of the morning.

Focus

If your mind wanders for a split-second during a match, you run the severe risk of losing. Being focused helps maintain quick reactions and fluid gameplay.

Strategic Thinking

Problem solving has always been an integral part of video games. Anyone who’s ever played Legend of Zelda II or Final Fantasy has experienced it first hand. Being able to adapt and figure out a solution quickly is paramount to gaming success. Cognitive enhancers can improve the brain’s ability to problem solve.

Stress

Intense gameplay can be extremely stressful. As stress mounts, motivation, creativity, and focus wane. Nootropics can help improve the body’s ability to perceive, encounter, and recover from stress.

Creativity

Cognitive enhancers help create the ideal neurochemistry needed to improve creativity and problem solving. In today’s age, creativity is needed more than ever as games become exceedingly more complex with multiple paths towards victory.

Here’s how to level up your gaming with nootropics:

Best Cognitive Enhancers for Gamers

CDP-Choline

CDP-Choline is one of the best cognitive enhancers for gamers in that it is a “2-for-1” compound supplying the brain with both choline and cytidine.

Choline is used for production of the “learning neurotransmitter” acetylcholine as well as phosphatidylcholine. Cytidine is a precursor to uridine, a nucleotide base for RNA.

Together, these compounds work to promote improved learning, memory, cognition and processing efficiency. Greater acetylcholine also improves the mind-muscle connection, which improves the speed with which your brain communicates with your fingers.

Furthermore, CDP-choline has also been noted to increase brain ATP levels by 14% (providing greater mental energy) as well as a 35% increase in neural membrane repair.[1]

Theanine

Gamers rely on a steady dose of stimulants (primarily in the form of caffeine-filled energy drinks) to provide the energy they need to perform. While caffeine is great for providing immediate, intense energy, sometimes the energy is a bit too intense leading you to feel overstimulated, thereby impairing performance and concentration.

Theanine is a calming amino acid that harnesses the stimulatory powers of caffeine making for a more productive, cleaner energy and focus.

Theanine also modulates alpha brain waves which promotes relaxation while also sparking creativity.[2] And, it helps inhibit glutamate release, reducing over-excited neuron activity and over stimulation.

Noopept

Healthy functioning brain cells are paramount to gaming success as is your ability to learn from mistakes made during play and correct them on the fly.

Noopept is a cognitive enhancer that supports brain health and function as it increases levels of nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).[3]

NGF helps your brain synthesize new brain cells while also supporting and repairing current ones. BDNF is another powerful substance that stimulate neurogenesis through axonal and dendritic sprouting.

Bacopa Monnieri

Bacopa Monnieri is a natural adaptogen used for centuries to reduce anxiety and stress as well as improve focus, memory recall, and cognition. It’s even been noted to improve the rate at which our neurons communicate with each other.

Acquiring new knowledge, remembering it, and accessing it on the fly are key to success in gaming.

A great Cognitive Enhancer for Gamers

Performax Labs NootropiMax is a complete cognitive enhancer utilizing only the best nootropics to support elite-level performance.

NootropiMax contains all of the powerful cognitive boosters outlined here as well as many more the can help gamers secure victory no matter which video game they’re playing.

References

1. Silveri MM, et al. Citicoline enhances frontal lobe bioenergetics as measured by phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy. NMR Biomed. 2008 Nov; 21(10): 1066-75.
2. Nobre AC, et al. L-theanine, a natural constituent in tea, and its effect on mental state. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008; 17 Suppl 1: 167-8.
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19240853