We’re familiar with the trope by now: a nervous Swedish lad in a flammable-looking black T-shirt with his esports team logo emblazoned across it, arms folded confidently, endorsing a new mouse, keyboard, or gaming chair. Since peripheral manufacturers realised they couldn’t use partially dressed women to sell their gear any more, and slogans alone weren’t shifting units, they turned to professional gamers. And it worked.
It’s healthy to have a bit of cynicism about this sales tactic. In our heart of hearts, we all know that buying PC gaming gear endorsed by the pros doesn’t bring us any closer to pro standard any more than cracking an egg into a Hexplate pan makes
