Pro gamers have helped create all sorts of esports gear, but the grand frontier of chewing gum has never been done before. Until now.
Fighting game legend Daigo Umehara has revealed a partnership with Japanese snack company Lotte to create an esports-focused chewing gum. The Beast revealed four photos through social media that show off the developing project. Lotte’s esports gum targets hardcore gamers and esports professionals as the intended audience. The intended effects and ingredients for the gum are still unknown.
In the images, Daigo presents the first prototypes of the gamer gum. In one photo, Daigo stands next to a Lotte executive and food scientist with a comically oversized bag of the “Professional Gum.” The bag’s Umehara Model label could mean that other esports pros are involved in the project. One image even shows images of Daigo’s brain activity, though the metrics being measured are unclear.
The only confirmed flavor for Daigo’s gamer gum is blueberry. The catchphrase “Let’s KAMUKOTO practice!” roughly translates to “Let’s practice by chewing things!”
Daigo Umehara is a fighting game legend who began his professional career in Street Fighter 2. He has won six Evolution Championship Series titles and is certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most successful Street Fighter player in history.
Lotte is a Japanese snack company that specializes in pastries, chocolates, and chewy candies. Koala’s March filled cookies and Toppo candy sticks are Lotte’s most famous products in the west. If the company is successful, Daigo’s gamer gum could join that list.
Can esports gear actually improve performance?
In traditional sports, players use several techniques and tools to improve their performance. American football players apply black around their eyes to improve their vision. Soccer stars often wear compression sleeves, leggings, and headbands as part of their signature look. Basketball players are so particular about shoes that there are thousands of different pairs to pick from. Many performance improvement techniques have been proven by hard science and decades of use, but the same can’t be said for esports.
Several sports companies have tried to enter the esports space from a performance angle. The most infamous example is Puma’s attempt at an esports shoe, which many fans interpreted as a $150 pair of socks.
In the case of Daigo’s gamer gum, there is a possibility that it could actually improve performance. The initial images place special emphasis on the “practice” part of esports. Chewing gum is a popular memory aid for students. After chewing gum while studying, some students will begin chewing the same flavor gum during the test to jog their memory.
With Daigo’s esports gum, fighting gamers could have an easier time remembering frame data and combos during tournaments.
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