Since Nike’s Breaking2 experiment, I’ve stated the most important foray for brands would be in developing media, specifically sports film and television series. Nike jumped off the new year with a streaming fitness service on Netflix, but what I was aiming towards in my prediction was the creation of long-form video content to rival original programming and sports programming by traditional media outlets. ASICS is stepping forward as a leader with their documentary “Mind Games”. Check out the trailer:
Mind Games – The Experiment is available to stream in 24 countries[iv] around the world on Prime Video from 19th January 2023.
In a unique experiment, ASICS invited competitive gamers from around the world, specialising in mind games such as Chess and Esports and who rely on their cognitive function, to start an exercise programme. After four months of regular exercise, their minds were significantly sharpened and they performed at an even higher competitive level.
- international gaming rankings improved by an incredible 75%
- cognitive function was boosted on average by 10%
- with problem solving abilities improving by 9%
- short-term memory increasing by 12% and
- processing speed and alertness improving by 10%
- Group confidence levels increased by 44%, concentration improved by 33%
- anxiety levels plummeted by 43%.
Inspired by the experiment, a camera crew followed four competitive gamers as they took on regular exercise to improve their rankings on the international stage. The result was a new ground-breaking documentary ‘Mind Games – The Experiment’, narrated by the internationally acclaimed actor, and mental health campaigner, Stephen Fry. Now available to stream on Prime Video, the feature length film documents the journeys of four gamers – Kassa Korley, Ryoei Hirano, Ben Pridmore and Sherry Nhan – who specialise in Chess, Mahjong, Memory and Esports as they compete in professional tournaments around the world.
