We live in an interesting world these days where companies are designing products specifically tailored to improve gameplay. Be it mice and keyboards, headsets, or energy drinks, there is no shortage of things that will improve your game. But now we have a new entry into the scene: gum. Yes, gum. In a partnership between RESPAWN (the lifestyle arm of popular PC accessories maker Razer) and 5 gum, a special blend has been created to specifically target players’ focus and reaction times. An interesting concept to be sure, but after spending a weekend playing games with it I have to admit there is something to it.

RESPAWN by 5 launched last week on September 8th and is currently available in 3 flavors (Cool Mint, Pomegranate Watermelon, and Tropical Punch). Each flavor contains a mix of Vitamins (B5, B6, B12), Niacin, and Green Tea extract to stimulate the senses. Each flavor is stated to be long-lasting which I can confirm has lasted longer than any piece of gum I have had in the last few years. The Tropical Punch stick I popped in 30 minutes ago before starting on this write-up is still giving me flavor shots! Also, what an interesting spread of flavors that have been brought to the table!

I started out my gaming weekend with a Fall Guys session and despite loving the game, I have not really mastered many of its intricacies. After popping in a stick of RESPAWN I was ready to tackle some challenge jumps. I was feeling quite pleased with myself after knocking a few of them off but the true moment of glory came from a surprise save I didn’t think I was capable of. While in the final stretches of a course I made an awful jump but was able to save myself from the pits of despair by instantly grabbing the ledge and finishing the course in the top 50%!

Moving on to the battle royale genre, as I needed to capture footage for an upcoming mouse review, I decided it was time to get in some much-needed sniper practice as I am tired of being so inconsistent with it. Beginning with Warzone, I was able to hone in my shots and land some good one-shot kills. One area I have typically choked with sniping came from close range encounters. In a game of Apex Legends, I was able to put that to the test once again by landing a perfect headshot on the final enemy of the game and claiming my first win in months.

I think one of the true highlights for the gum for me though came down to eliminating my need to play something else. When I start out a multiplayer session I typically only spend a few matches with it before getting bored and needing to move on. This gaming ADD is something I have always had and it translates to most things I play. This weekend it wasn’t a thing. I have not played this many hours of a single game in a long time. Whether or not these highlights were caused by the gum or not I really have no way of saying. As for the gum’s claim to improve focus, that I can say is truth. Regardless of any skill improvement perks, I plan to pick up packs of RESPAWN for all future community nights just to keep me focused and engaged in the game being played.

This weekend was one of the most fun I have had in a while and I am looking forward to more!

If you are interested in seeing what RESPAWN by 5 gum can do for your game days check it out here.