Best Energy Drink For Gamers, Digital Artists & Creatives. + Discount Code!

8 min readJun 10, 2022

I really love the artwork on some of the LevlUp tubs. As a gamer who is also a graphic artist, I can say that I truly love the packaging for Shiny Dragon.

BACKSTORY… WHY DID I RESEARCH THIS?

I guess I need to explain how and why I decided to research the best energy drinks for gamers, digital artists and creatives.

Since I could hold a controller and pop quarters into arcade games, I have been a gamer. The games industry has been a part of my life for a long time and I have since connected with almost all the major studios. I even attend conferences such as devcom and gamescom as press. Additionally, I have visited Games Week Berlin. Needless to say, gaming is in my blood.

Professionally, I work in marketing and public relations. On top of that I am digital artist. Because of my background I have become an influencer for companies such as Adobe, Wacom, XP-Pen, Xencelabs, BenQ, TechSmith and Clip Studio Paint. In fact, I even stream live for Adobe every week on Behance.

As a streamer and a creative that can sit for hours in front of the computer, I must admit that caffeine has become my friend. Coffee… Redbull… Monster… Rockstar… it gives me a boost and helps me get into that creative zone.

But… I decided I wanted to find a healthier alternative. Because I am a gamer, I was familiar with drinks used by pro gamers. These drinks usually have 0 sugar or low amounts of sugar. On top of that, they contain ingredients specifically tailored to boost energy and increase focus. So, I decided to research these types of energy drinks.

SPECIAL LINK FOR MY READERS:
https://levlup.de?ref=1506
DISCOUNT CODE:
DYCStudios

TYPICAL INGREDIENTS

For me, it was important to read more than reviews, but also look up articles and videos from those who have a background in nutrition. I soon learned more about the various beverage producers and their products.

Caffeine…
For a healthy adult 300 to 400mg is completely safe.
Kids under 12, do not need extra caffeine… they already are hard-wired with lots of energy.
For 13 to 18 year olds, 100mg of caffeine a day is safe.

After drinking something with caffeine you will feel the benefits within 10 to 15 minutes and those effects can last 3 to 4 hours. When I am in a creative mood I can go for 5 hours… so this is extra boost is nice.

B-Vitamins
As you know B-Vitamins, do have health benefits. One reason B-Vitamins are used in many energy drinks for gamers is that they help convert food into energy.

B-Vitamins also tied to lowering the risk of strokes, boosting the immune system, helping to produce healthy hormones, may reduce the risk of heart disease and more.

Taurine
This helps your brain perform better in excitable states. Which if you think about this as a gamer and a artist… when you are active you are definitely in an excited state.

It can also help maintain a proper hydration and electrolyte balance as well as regulate minerals such as calcium in your cells. It forms bile salts, which helps with digestion. It also supports the general function of your nervous system and eyes. It can also regulate immune system health and antioxidant functions.
Recommended dosage is 500mg to 2000mg a day.

L-Carnitine
Basically, this increase your energy and endurance. It helps the body turn fat into energy. L-Carnitine is important for heart and brain function, muscle movement and other body processes.
Recommended dosage is 500mg to 2000mg a day.

L-Theanine
This calms the brain, enhances concentration and counteracts the jitters. You will also find this in black and green tea.

It can also improve sleep, relaxation, increase cognitive functions, boost the immune system, reduce blood pressure, etc.
Recommended dosage is 100mg to 200mg a day.

L-Tyrosine
What this does is help you perform under stress. Now, this does not pertain to long-term stress, rather short-term stress.
Recommended dosage is 500mg to 2000mg a day.

Now there are other ingredients that you may find in energy drinks for gamers, but knowing a little more about some of the typical ingredients can help you determine which beverage producers you would like to try. Being informed really empowers consumers to make better decisions in my opinion.

Here you can see the a variety of LevlUp products as well as my collection of Overwatch Funko Pops. I admit I am a gaming nerd. But is that a bad thing?

WHY LEVLUP?

Again, this goes back to transparency. Living in Germany has its pros and cons, but I think that since the food and beverage industry is regulated that products produced here have to be more transparent when it comes to their ingredients. I really appreciate the transparency from LevlUp.

Each product on the LevlUp site lists its ingredients.

There is less sugar than traditional energy drinks. A large serving of 500ml contains roughly 4g of sugar. Redbull for example has 11g of sugar per 100ml. Notice the difference.

Cost also plays a factor. One tub costs around 39 Euros and contains 40+ servings. This means each drink costs under 1 Euro. Try finding a Redbull, Monster or Rockstar energy drink for under 1 Euro. Every once in a while when they are on sale may be at a grocery store… but good luck finding cheap ones at a bodega or kiosk.

I also like that it even states that is not recommended for children or pregnant women. As you can see the company is extremely transparent.

LevlUp also offers Hydration Drinks. these contain no caffeine and no sugar. They include vitamins and minerals of course, but they were created simply for those who enjoy the flavors. Recently, the company launched bottled versions that appear in supermarkets across Europe. They will be dropping additional bottled flavors in the future according to their Instagram feed! Keep an eye out as these sell fast in stores!

Also, I found the assortment of flavors to be quite extensive. No matter if you like sweet or sour… you can find several flavors that you will love. Sour or sweet… LevlUp has something for everyone. Additionally, LevlUp produces special editions.

Nuke Dragon and the special Summer Edition are now available!

They also ship all over Europe and the UK. So no matter where you are you can enjoy a nice boost of energy.

Unlike some energy drinks that require you to shake it for 2 minutes, LevlUp can be mixed within 30 seconds. Some people complain that gamer drinks can be chalky, but LevlUp was smooth as silk and mixed really well. Let’s face it, you want to enjoy a drink without those issues… and LevlUp scores a high score in being a really easy-to-mix beverage.

You can also mix less than a scoop full if you want. If want to be really adventurous, you can try mixing flavors on your own. See what tasty combos you can come up with.

MY EXPERIENCE WITH LEVLUP

So I have tried the following…

Boosters: Nuke, Shiny Dragon, Shiny Fox and Burning Feather

Hydration Tub: Galaxy Edition (zero sugar / zero caffeine)
Hydration Bottles: Galaxy Edition, Nuke and Bubble Boom

I really enjoyed the boosters and just like a white chocolate mocha latte from Starbucks, I was soon in the creative zone. I really was revved up and ready to kick my designing into overdrive. So it was perfect for a creative who wants a boost of caffeine. Also loved it while playing games like Cyberpunk 2077, Horizon Forbidden West, Valorant and League of Legends.

I added a couple of fun LelUp inspired videos to my TikTok and Instagram feeds… let me know what you think.

The Hydration Bottles are nice. Especially if you are on the go. I walked around the city on a warm day with one and it was wonderful. I also took one on the train while traveling between cities… also nice.

I noticed that when I drink a lot of RedBull or Rockstar or Monster my skin takes a punch and I get pimples quickly. With LevlUp because of the lower amounts of sugar, I saw fewer breakouts. Granted there could be other factors at play… but it was something that I noticed.

GAMESCOM

In 2019, LevlUp was at gamescom at the Koeln Messe. If you watch the videos you will see that LevlUp now has a massive fan base. So my guess or hope is that LevlUp will be there again this year (finally we are going to have a live gamescom event again!!!!).

GROUPS

There is a whole community online. On Facebook, there are a few groups where people are trading as well as selling tubs and shakers. Let me tell you there are some massive collectors out there of the tubs and shakers. They get incredibly creative how they showcase their collection.

LEVLUP VIP CLUB

For hardcore fans, you can join the LevlUp VIP Club. The more products you buy the more points you earn. These points can be exchanged for LevlUp swag. I think it is always great to give true fans cool swag.

Here you can see the various levels you can reach in the VIP Club.

MERCH STORE

They do have a small merch store with a t-shirt, hoodie, mousepads and a key chain. I would love to see more merch such as t-shirts and hoodies featuring some of the cool art from the packaging. Also, this could be a great place for them to host special drops when they launch special editions. To me, this would be a cool direction for the company to go and I think the fans would love it.

WRAP…

I hope that armed you with the right information so that you can decide if LevlUp is for you.

I personally really enjoy their product and you can tell from their social media that the team really has a lot of fun as well. I began drinking it during all my streams on Behance for Adobe… and I really love the energy boost that I get while enjoying the tasty flavor.

Enjoying LevlUp during my free live stream for Adobe on Behance… every Sunday at 3pm/4m CET.

After trying 5 tubs and 3 of the Hydration Drink bottles, I can say I am a fan. Honestly, I am looking forward to sampling more of their flavors.

It seems like it is a great company that would be worth investing in. In my opinion, I can imagine they are going to continue to grow rapidly.