Cannabis users and video gamers have long been two populations that overlap. However, the advent of CBD may extend that Venn Diagram dramatically as those with more competitive mindsets turn to cannabis in gaming.
While traditional weed may give gamers a far greater satisfaction playing wide open world MMOs or immersive narrative-based games, there are a lot of reasons competitive gamers in shooters, strategy games and the like must avoid marijuana.
Luckily, the sluggishness and delayed reaction times aren’t brought on by CBD, even though many are starting to use it to help with focus and mood regulation.
According to reporting from MarijuanaBreak, a year-long study of Alzheimer’s patients in the Netherlands featured doses of weed mixed with video-gaming found that those who used marijuana while gaming had better memory retention outcomes than a control group. [1]
Still, the competitive gaming scene of eSports has recently gotten far more restrictive on weed, with established drug tests against performance enhancers and marijuana that have many gamers turning to CBD instead.
CBD doesn’t get users high, even though it’s related to the active ingredient in weed, THC. It is used by some regulars to regulate their mood, help with focus and a number of other uses that turn out handy in an Overwatch or similar pro showdown.
Users love seeking CBD for pain relief, which may be perfect for sore fingers after long hours on a keyboard.
A recent blog from CBD Instead reported that many gamers are turning to CBD to calm their nerves and help keep attentive to the sort of snap decisions and responses needed for effective competition. [2]
The post goes on to describe how mood spikes and lows from enraging game disappointments or long, monotonous stretches within a game’s strategy could be eased by the CBD’s regulation of the body’s endocannabinoid system. Some people use it to make rage quitting less frequent, according to CBD Instead. [2]
In fact, CBD is so effective that the Electronic Sports League actually enacted a ban against cannabis products including CBD during eSports competition. Venture Beat reports that unlike other prominent athletic leagues, however, this ban isn’t a prohibition on what gamers choose to do outside of tournament or competition days. [3]
“Gamers have always sought out ways to gain a competitive advantage,” Joe Casanova of Diamond CBD told Venture Beat. “CBD gives them an all-natural option that complements the body’s natural processes without introducing any sort of toxins into your system.” [3]
Luckily for amateur, pro and casual gamers alike, the benefits of CBD can be wielded outside of competition to give professionals more enhanced practice or weekend warriors more impressive scoreboard rankings during a good session.
Next time you reach for your keyboard and mouse or your gamepad, remember to pick up your CBD oil first!
Sources
[1] https://www.marijuanabreak.com/cbd-and-video-games
[2] https://cbdinstead.com/blogs/cbd-and-mental-health/how-cbd-can-help-with-gaming
[3] https://venturebeat.com/2018/12/07/how-esports-gamers-are-using-cbd-to-increase-cognitive-responses/
