Performance drugs for pro gamers

By Robert Purchese Published 16 January, 2008

It has come to this.

German outfit Tomarni has developed a new drug designed to make you better at gaming.

FpsBrain was created with help from Free University Berlin. The capsules are said to accelerate neural processes, heighten perception and improve reactions.

For EUR 19.90 you get 60 capsules. And a quick glance at the ingredients (the recipe has been approved by German law) reveals it contains amino acids, vitamins and other harmless-sounding things. Could be naughty. We're no chemist.

Essentially FpsBrain is a coffee, guarana or Berocca replacement you can pop in your daily routine to wake up a bit and pay more attention.

Tomarni staff take it four times a week so it must be safe, and they used to make computers for professional gamers. Explains choosing gamers over an office, health or university audience.

"The alertness and mental clarity I get from FpsBrain helps me to maximize my gaming performance with every move!" declared user Craig W. from Toronto.

And, if you don't like it, you can always claim your 110 per cent money back guarantee.

Shuffle nervously to the FpsBrain website to find out more.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (45) Latest comment 6 months ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • gingerlink #1 4 years ago

    hmmm...
    can't really have drug testing for online gaming can we?

    Kinda shakes the "no cheating possible" thing on some of those earning money games...

  • hula hoops #2 4 years ago

    Just like football and other sports. You don't need drugs if you just play these games for entertainment or health purposes. But for professional who earn money by winning them then I guess they need all the edges they can have.

    Sad but I can understand it.

  • aldo_14 #3 4 years ago

    Presumably the improvement comes when you take them after a prolonged withdrawal leads to shaky hands-syndrome?

  • el_pollo_diablo #4 4 years ago

    I tend to find that smoking crack keeps me on my toes during extended bouts of Team Fortress 2.

  • asphaltcowboy #5 4 years ago

    So, fairly similar to a caffeine tablet then?

  • Olemak #6 4 years ago

    There's a William Gibson short story based on a premise pretty close to this, a drug that goves the user great focus and reflexes... that is a "real" drug, though, not espresso in pill form like this. Either way; gaming drugs sounds pretty sci-fi.

    I'll stick with mountain dew, tho.

  • Steroyd #7 4 years ago

    lol whut?!

  • Rowns #8 4 years ago

    F**k me sidewards, thats just gay. if you need drugs to help u game u shouldnt game lol simple as that

  • Freek #9 4 years ago

    So basically Red Bull, except in pill form?

  • Beano #10 4 years ago

    Alternatively, gamers could just stop drinking aspartame sodas and improve reactions that way... just my opinion ;)

  • schachmatt #11 4 years ago

    German medical law is so restrictive that, without being classified as a medical drug (and then cannot being sold through the net normally), all they can put into pills are a small vitamine dose and everything that doesn't work, but can't hurt you either.
    20€ for something that doesn't hurt you seems a bit expensive.

    I don't think there are many useful legal or illegal drugs to improve gaming.

    I wonder if EG gets payed for ads like this?

  • Carlo #12 4 years ago

    OMG HAX!

  • The-Bodybuilder #13 4 years ago

    Looking at that ingredients list, it's exactly what I expected.
    Some good, health-related ingredients at such a small quantity it makes them negligable.

    It's main active ingredient (as expected) is caffeine, and anyone who thinks constant doses of caffiene is safe needs to re-think, or else thier adrenal glands and insulin response will have a say in it.
    Edited by 1 at 16/01/08 @ 12:29

  • Toothball #14 4 years ago

    That's all well and good for FPS games, but what about RPGs, online and otherwise. You'd need some pill that knocks out most of your brain functions but doesn't stop you grinding, so you just wake up one day with maximum stats or whatever. Actually, I developed a similar condition while collecting a million roses in We Love Katamari, but a pill would be much faster.

  • Beano #15 4 years ago

    Games like Rez and Space Giraffe requires another kind of drug...

  • BobsUncle #16 4 years ago

    "I don't think there are many useful legal or illegal drugs to improve gaming."

    My guess is that speed or cocane would help, they both improve concentration and reflexes. Speed (Amphetamines) were prescribed to fighter pilots in the Gulf War. And what is flying a warplane if not just a realistic flight sim?

  • miiiguel #17 4 years ago

    Redesigning caffeine, yet again.

    Cocaine would leave one paranoic, IMO. Doesn't sound like a good call to perform well on a video-game.
    Edited by 1 at 16/01/08 @ 12:50

  • DanWhitehead #18 4 years ago

    Yeah, but in a game everyone usually is out to get you.

  • kangarootoo #19 4 years ago

    /sigh

    I'm sure they will make a fortune. Its like the national lottery in pill form.

  • Concrete #20 4 years ago

    Just out of interest, are there long term drawbacks to taking daily vitamin B supplements either through Berroca or normal pills?

  • Trane #21 4 years ago

    gLOL.

  • MightyMouse #22 4 years ago

    These taxes on stupid people really need to be toned down.

  • zootle #23 4 years ago

    I thought Jolt Cola was the substance of choice for computer users looking for that extra edge!

  • Apostle #24 4 years ago

    Apostle: OMG n00bs use FPSBrain! H4x 11!!1!

  • SpeedyThing #25 4 years ago

    Like fast games? Want to be king of Wipeout and God of Burnout? Want to make put those other noobs in their place?

    SNORT K!!!

    With out new patented formula we can not only slowdown your perception of the game but also help REALLY get into it. Fancy having 10 seconds to turn a corner at 120mph? Now you got it!

    Warning: Coordination may deteriorate until tolerance is acquired

  • Byzanite #26 4 years ago

    Its Berocca and coffee, just go to Tescos.

  • Dappa #27 4 years ago

    ANYONE CONSIDERING PURCHASING THIS PRODUCT HALT!!

    My cousin is a bio chemist, who i have just sent the fpsbrain link to. His reply was basically what a load of bollocks, this product basically contains vitamins, stabilizers, non essential amino acids and caffeine. The only ingredient that would be of any use is Tyrosine. Tyrosine basically helps neurotransmitters start firing but they give patients between 1000 and 1500 mg's as a daily dose and even then there is only a noticeable change in patients already under physical or emotional stress. Judging by the 100 mg dose they state this is just a con.

    Just go out and by some redbull or go full wack and get an ounce of coke.



  • Miths #28 4 years ago

    "My guess is that speed or cocane would help, they both improve concentration and reflexes..."

    From my experiences about ten years ago - coke yes, but speed, hell no, just the opposite in terms of concentration.
    Though considering I've got tourette syndrome and ADHD I guess I might not be the best candidate for demonstrating the effects of CNS stimulants :p.

    In more recent years I've found that guarana does seem to have a slight positive effect on concentration - and keeping you awake if you're a bit tired. If I take it (and only in prescribed doses) for more than a few days in a row, I actually tend to get unnaturally tired though (though obviously nothing even remotely close to how battered you feel after a weekend on speed) - even though I may not stay up for much longer or move around much more than I otherwise would have done.

  • Olemak #29 4 years ago

    Amphetamines are sometimes prescribed to soldiers in wartime conflicts, yes, but it does little for skills like concentration (focus) and reflexes. Rather the contrary, I'd wager, plus it wreacs havoc on the users personal judgement. It also makes users rather impatient, twichy like, but not in a FPS twitchy mad-skillz sort of way. In short, speed it is not a very beneficial drug.

    However, it does make users altert, as in "not sleepy", for prolonged periods. So a bomber pilot is able to squeeze in another bombing run before absolutely having to sleep. Theres is a bit of a chance that he'll confuse a kindergarden for a zombie-producing plant, of course, or bomb a civillian car that sorta looked a bit like a tank, or even hit a civillian hospital because he figured there might be some taliban mujahedin contras national guard terrorists hiding in there.

    That is sort of the downside to applying speed to warfighters, but in shock and awe type situations, personal judgement and precision is not all that important anyway. More of a canvas bombing thing, rather than "surgical strikes".

    That said, I don't know if the speed-popping pilotes heroes of Desert Storm are urban legend or actual fact. Anyway, I would not reccomend anyone in a warzone to pop speed unless they're:
    A) Rather close to collapsing from exhaustion, AND
    B) Are pretty much guaranteed to die if they fall asleep.

    BTW: The guys dying after marathon sessions of WoW and the like, probably had downed a whole lot of Red Bull, which sound pretty similar to this FPSBrain-drug-thing.

  • seasidebaz #30 4 years ago

    hmmmm it slightly concerns me the amount of people on here actively talking about highly illegal drug use.

    you want to play games better? PRACTICE!!!!!

    edit: or get yourself an oxygen bar, that way you won't care when you lose
    Edited by 1 at 16/01/08 @ 14:13

  • MightyMouse #31 4 years ago

    Ah the old 'if you don't agree with me then you need to get laid' argument. Almost infallible. Almost.

  • darc #32 4 years ago

    110% money back guarantee? I'll take one meellion orders please. For a minute.

  • SomaticSense #33 4 years ago

    Sounds like a pill version of that Sprite energy drink to me, only a damn sight more expensive.

    Anyone who would pay that money for what essentially amounts to a caffeine fix is a complete idiot.

  • SomaticSense #34 4 years ago

    "Just like football and other sports. You don't need drugs if you just play these games for entertainment or health purposes. But for professional who earn money by winning them then I guess they need all the edges they can have.

    Sad but I can understand it.    "

    Hasn't a major US athlete just been jailed for taking performance-enhancing drugs? Are you actually saying that as long as you are earning money playing sports professionally then performance-enhancing drug taking is 'understandable'?

    Which isn't really related though admittedly, as this thing as about as much a drug as Red Bull is.

  • TheDudesRug #35 4 years ago

    Get a proper job, hippies!

  • Nithron #36 4 years ago

    I must concur, there is nothing in this tablet that will really do anything for your performance, except the obvious caffeine. And everyone in England drinks so much tea they're all pretty resistant to caffeine anyway.

    Although 500mg is quite a *lot* of caffeine... Isn't that like five or six red bulls? Taken at once? Isn't that kinda worrying?
    Edited by 1 at 16/01/08 @ 16:03

  • xNickNackx #37 4 years ago

    lol at people who call themselves pro gamers. It's just sad beyond belief. You are playing video games on a toy that 5 year olds use. you are not cool, you are not hardcore, if you take it serious you are sad.

  • xNickNackx #38 4 years ago

    Example, I was playing COD4 last night, and in comes this clan into the lobby, giving it large, taking the piss out of peoples gamertag names, they thought they were the dogs bollocks. Me and my team beat them and back in the lobby they quit with their tails between their legs.

    People who take gaming seriously are pussies.

  • kangarootoo #39 4 years ago

    @Crofto

    "playing videogames requires nowhere near the amount of skill as a professional sport"

    How exactly do you compare two things that aren't the same? "skill" is not a universal unit you know.

    "and if anyone says otherwise they seriously need to get laid"

    Ah, cunningly infering that you get laid all the time, I see what you did there... methinks the gentleman doth protest too much. Hmmm, I wonder if Einstein ever relied on that proof.

  • TheDudesRug #40 4 years ago

    I think Freud and Foucault did though and they were right chumps.

  • mkreku #41 4 years ago

    Mmm.. they look tasty.

  • Hugundo #42 4 years ago

    "The alertness and mental clarity I get from FpsBrain helps me to maximize my gaming performance with every move!"

    Although it does completely subvert any form of mental bullshit-filtering.

  • Canyarion #43 4 years ago

    Sometimes one beer helps my gaming skills. I guess that's because then I think less about unimportant stuff, so I can focus on the game. Or it sets free my instincts.

  • MilkYMoO #44 4 years ago

    Forget them, ever since I heard about this stuff on the allgames interactive podcast (the best and funniest podcast ever) I've wanted some. http://www.iloveblow.com/

  • Umbala #45 4 years ago

    I've noticed, that even though a diagnosis in ADHD might cause harm in gaming, the medication does work positively in certain games. Only thing is I'm probably stuck with a certain flash movie in my head for the rest of my life...

  • kangarootoo #46 4 years ago

    @Canyarion

    What is consistently said about the effect of alcohol on driving, is that its imparing effects on judgement make the test subject THINK their performance is increased, when in fact the oppostire is the case right from the off.

    This has been proved under strict test conditions, and to be honest I would expect to the same to apply to games. It might feel like you are doing a better job, but you are hardly the best judge, because you've been drinking :)

    A beer might make you enjoy playing the game more however, which I wouldn't argue with.

  • minte #47 6 months ago

    The new drug they created is very dangerous. And I believe that players aren't allowed to use drugs to compete, it won't be fair for the others players. As any drug, this drug may cause serious addiction and in the end, if it isn't treated death. I saw many cases at Drug rehab centers in Pennsylvania. I will advice the players to not take these drugs, if they want something to feel good they can drink a hot coffee.