In 1999, it was red pill or blue pill.
Today, a new challenger is entering: the purple pill.
This will not take you to the heart of the Matrix, but promises to immerse you in another digital environment, the video game.
Better concentration, better reaction time, stress control… with 100% natural ingredients.
These food supplements are mainly intended for video game players, as evidenced by their promises, their futuristic aesthetics and their marketing based on the codes and references of the gaming world.
It is a Czech brand, Madmonq, which markets them.
A pioneer in the genre, it aims to be a healthy alternative to the energy drink type products consumed en masse by some players.
Scam or small revolution?
Many questions arise when seeing this type of product.
Because it would not be a question of joking with health.
Is it harmful?
Is it legal?
Do we really need it, when we are just a casual gamer and not an esports competitor?
We tested, and first, nothing illegal in these pills, it is mainly caffeine and plants.
Also, nothing dangerous.
“We don't take a lot of risks with this type of product, says Sophie Janvier, dietician and nutritionist.
It is a formula based on psycho-stimulating and anti-stress ingredients, rather interesting compared to other products of the same kind.
However, made up mostly of sweeteners and caffeine, the pills are not a miracle alternative to a poor diet.
“The dosages are too light to have an in-depth effect,” she continues.
My advice, grab a kiwi or an orange before playing, you'll get a more natural, vitamin C-laden boost, and it'll be more cost-effective."
The pills indeed represent a certain budget: €24.95 for a bottle of 28 tablets.
Read alsoE-sport: what are the most popular video games
Beyond product quality, creating a need
According to the players we contacted, and our own experience, we really feel the boost.
We are more alert, more energetic.
This does not prevent us from wondering what specific need a gamer might have for this type of product: coffee is no longer enough, you now need a pill?
The founder of Madmonq, Michal Noga, agreed to enlighten us on his intention: "It is a reality that many gamers will use products to improve their performance, starting with tea or coffee, and who are sometimes poor as.
So if in the daily life of an individual, there is such a demand, Madmonq is much better than what can exist”.
Madmonq then aims to become a brand that promotes health as a major issue in gaming, and not just a food supplement business.
Private joke marketing
Madmonq has understood this well, and has based all its marketing on references, sometimes very niche, from the world of video games but also from streaming on Twitch, a very popular environment for video game players.
By showing their knowledge of this environment, by becoming partners with streamers who are very popular on this platform, such as KametoTV, they have succeeded in gaining the hard-to-reach trust of this demanding community.
Their arrival on the French market is very recent for the moment, but the future will tell if the purple pills will succeed in imposing themselves as a natural product for certain players, where before, they simply drank a coffee.