July 5th， by Kuaitech. Are real men’s spending power truly less than that of a dog? I think not!
Recently， a mechanical keyboard priced at 5，000 yuan was resold on a second-hand platform for 7，000 yuan. Its limited edition even caused server crashes – this isn’t an auction for luxury goods， but rather a surreal scene unfolding in China’s male consumer market.
According to media reports， the “electronic garbage three-piece set，” consisting of keyboards， game controllers， and RGB lighting， is consuming hundreds of billions of yuan annually from middle-aged heterosexual men’s wallets.
The Chinese keyboard market is projected to exceed 15 billion yuan by 2025， with an anticipated doubling to 30 billion yuan within five years. The game controller market， boosted by titles like “Black Myth，” saw a single month’s sales surpassing 40 million yuan， targeting an annual scale of 3 billion yuan. Behind these figures lies the fervent pursuit of “electronic garbage” by male consumers.
In an internet company in Hangzhou， Zhang Lei， a 35-year-old programmer， has a workstation that could be described as a “cyber arsenal.” The NuMao Cyberboard keyboard， valued at 20，000 yuan， occupies the center of his desk. This “aluminum brick，” weighing 5 pounds， features multi-layer sound-dampening cotton， producing a typing sound akin to a Thompson submachine gun. To its right are six Xbox Elite controllers with interchangeable shells， each customized with different joystick resistance for various gaming scenarios such as shooting or fighting. The host case is a fully transparent “aquarium” design， with a lighting system of 32 RGB LEDs capable of triggering “divine light synchronization” effects in real-time based on in-game actions.
Zhang Lei’s spending philosophy reflects the psychological landscape of contemporary men: “After working overtime until ten every day， playing games for two hours at home is my spiritual salvation.” When workplace stress becomes overwhelming， high-end peripherals worth tens of thousands of yuan become a weapon against the mediocrity of daily life.
However， behind this fervor lies a shocking amount of resource wastage. According to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment， China generates over 6 million tons of electronic waste annually， with peripherals like keyboards and controllers accounting for 12%. The average lifespan of these products is only 18 months， significantly lower than the national minimum standard of five years.
Psychological research sheds light on the addictive mechanisms of this consumption pattern. When men lack a sense of control in their real lives， the “precise operational feedback” provided by high-end peripherals stimulates dopamine release， creating a psychological dependence akin to gambling. A survey on a player forum revealed that 68% of respondents admitted that “buying new equipment temporarily alleviates anxiety，” but this gratification typically lasts only 72 hours.
