# Culinary Esports Food & beverage brands target gamers with new products. By [Ady Floyd](https://www.trendhunter.com/AdyFloyd), Futurist, VP Innovation Strategy | Published Feb 21, 2019 | Category: [Lifestyle](https://www.trendhunter.com/pro/category/lifestyle-trends) Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/protrends/culinary-esports ## Key Figures - Trend score: 4.3/10 - Evidence articles: 5 ## What is the Culinary Esports trend? **Culinary Esports:** As the esports industry continues to grow, brands are creating products that focus on this niche - but expanding audience. Brands leverage various tactics to reach the gaming community, for example, gamers that desire more focus look for product ingredients that promote cognitive stamina, or for gamers who enjoy snacking while they play, brands focus on convenient packaging. ## The consumer insight behind the Culinary Esports trend Oftentimes, today's consumer will attach themselves to specific interests that can quickly and effectively communicate their personal brand. This creates a stronger attachment to said interests, which subsequently influences things like their purchasing decisions across categories, or even the behavioral tribes they associate with. Ultimately, these social media-focused consumers view hobbies and interests as a part of their identity, not just a way to pass the time. ## At a Glance - Evidence: 5 featured examples - Articles from: Feb 9, 2017 to Feb 18, 2019 - Published: Feb 21, 2019 - Patterns: [Redirection](https://www.trendhunter.com/pattern/redirection), [Reduction](https://www.trendhunter.com/pattern/reduction) - Megatrends: [Curation](https://www.trendhunter.com/megatrend/curation), [Gamification](https://www.trendhunter.com/megatrend/gamification), [Tribalism](https://www.trendhunter.com/megatrend/tribalism) ## Audience - Gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Examples of the Culinary Esports trend 5 featured examples from Feb 9, 2017 to Feb 18, 2019. - [eSports-Focused Foods](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/esports-nutrition-company): Runtime is a eSports Nutrition Company That Supports Peak Player Performance (Category: Tech) Implication: Disruptive innovation opportunity for the nutritional supplement industry to develop and market products specifically designed for esports athletes. - [Valentine's Gamer Drinks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/esports-energy-drink): 'Pink Grapefruit G Fuel' is an eSports Energy Drink for February 14th (Category: Lifestyle) Implication: The eSports industry is a growing market with a young and tech-savvy audience that is open to trying new gaming-related products, including energy drinks. - [Finger-Cleaning Snack Bags](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/doritos-towel-bag): The Doritos Towel Bag is Made of Towel Fabric to Clean "Dorito Fingers" (Category: Marketing) Implication: Innovation opportunities in creating sustainable and hygienic food packaging made of innovative materials for portable snacks. - [Energy Boosting Gamer Beverages](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mtn-dew-amp-game-fuel): The MTN Dew Amp Game Fuel Comes in Four Flavor Options (Category: Tech) Implication: Incorporating energy drinks into the beverage industry to meet the unique needs and preferences of gamers. - [Portable Meat Bites](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/meat-and-cheese-bites): Hormel is Expanding Its REV Brand with Meat and Cheese Bites (Category: Lifestyle) Implication: The snack industry can explore the potential of bite-sized meat and cheese snacks as a convenient and protein-rich option for consumers. **Workshop question:** How is your brand catering to emerging subcultural audiences? ## Themes within the Culinary Esports trend ### Esports-Focused Products As the esports industry continues to grow, brands are creating products that focus on this niche to reach the gaming community. ### Functional Food and Beverage Brands are leveraging product ingredients that promote cognitive stamina or focus and convenient packaging to meet the needs of information age consumers. ### Hybrid Product Development In order to meet specific, identified needs of consumers, different industries are collaborating to develop hybrid products for niche markets. ## What the Culinary Esports trend means for industry ### For Food & Beverage This industry is taking cues from the esports industry, developing functional foods and beverages that cater specifically to gamers and their specific energy and nutritional needs. ### For Gaming & Esports With the growing popularity and size of the esports industry, there is now a growing demand for products tailored to the esports community. ### For Consumer Packaged Goods By collaborating with the gaming and esports industry, there is an opportunity for CPG brands to develop product offerings that are more tailored and relevant to their consumers. ## Trend signals for Culinary Esports Trend score 4.3 out of 10, from popularity 71%, activity 49%, freshness 8%. - Popularity: 71% - Activity: 49% - Freshness: 8% ## Recent trend clusters - [Territory Bottlings](https://www.trendhunter.com/protrends/exclusive-spirits-release) (Lifestyle) - [Flavor Franchising](https://www.trendhunter.com/protrends/dessert-menu-rotation) (Lifestyle) - [Access Framing](https://www.trendhunter.com/protrends/exclusive-spirits-releases) (Lifestyle) - [Care Routing](https://www.trendhunter.com/protrends/clinician-linked-wearables) (Lifestyle) ## Trending in Lifestyle - [Fashionable Frozen Yogurts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/aritzias-aok-caf) - [Fragrant Body Care Ranges](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/summer-fridays-body-collection1) - [Temple-Mounted Health Wearables](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/temple-mounted-health-wearables) - [Korean-Inspired Convenience Menus](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/korean-inspired-convenience-menus) All articles: [Lifestyle](https://www.trendhunter.com/lifestyle)