Gamer rage is real. It breaks desks, controllers, and sometimes even relationships. One 13-year-old cancer fighter decided to do something about it.
RagePADs are the brainchild of Maxim Harris, a 13-year-old aspiring inventor and engineer. Maxim has always had a knack for problem-solving and a passion for building creative solutions. While baseball is his main love—keeping him active and outdoors for much of his early life—his interest in gaming began early, playing Skylanders with his older brother.
Maxim’s world changed dramatically at age 9 when he was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of childhood cancer. Since then, he’s undergone more than 30 months of chemotherapy, 3 surgeries, and months of radiation. Despite the intense treatments, his determination to stay active kept him on the baseball field whenever he was well enough to do so. But when physically unable, Maxim became deeply engaged in the gaming world.
Video games became more than just a pastime during Maxim’s recovery. They offered an emotional outlet, a sense of control, and a vital connection to friends when in-person visits weren’t possible. As he got more immersed in the gaming community, he encountered the concept of “gamer rage”—the often explosive frustration players feel when games don’t go their way.
He saw it on livestreams. He saw friends rage quit. And sometimes, it happened to him—especially when dealing with the additional stress of cancer. The anger wasn’t just about losing a match—it was emotional overload. And one night, after hitting his desk during a frustrating glitch, an idea struck:
What if there was a safe place to hit when you’re raging? Something to focus your rage on more safely—a target to go after to reduce the urge to throw things or strike equipment or other objects that are not made to take the impact. Something that could protect your fingers, hand, and arm—and your setup?
That was the beginning of RagePAD.
Why RagePAD Matters
RagePADs are more than just clever accessories—they’re backed by a real need.
A 2022 study by Opera GX found that 29% of U.S. gamers admitted to destroying gaming equipment out of frustration—including controllers, keyboards, and headsets.
8% of gamers have broken controllers due to lag or technical issues, and 2% have damaged screens or consoles as a result of rage episodes.
Even children report breaking computers, phones, and other hardware during episodes of gamer rage, according to a 2022 report in Children and Youth Services Review.
A study published in SurgiColl analyzed data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) between 2001 and 2020. It identified 1,269 gaming-related upper extremity injuries, with an estimated national incidence of 41,939. The most commonly injured areas were fingers (23.1%), hands (21.3%), and wrists (19.0%). Strains and sprains accounted for 28% of these injuries, followed by contusions and abrasions at 17%.
With millions of gamers worldwide, the emotional cost and physical damage of gamer rage is real—and growing.
That’s why RagePAD was designed:
– To absorb the frustration in a safe, targeted way.
– To minimize property damage, loud outbursts, and risk of injury.
– And to provide a cathartic, satisfying outlet during moments of stress.
From School Project to Real-World Solution
The idea started as a class project—students were asked to invent a product, estimate production costs, define their audience, and build a marketing plan. Maxim, driven by his competitive spirit and love of inventing, dove into this project full force. However, he did not stop there. Maxim was not done with the RagePAD yet—he saw potential, and he had plans. Maxim had done some searches with his father and learned that his killer product name, RagePAD, was not taken—there was no trademark and the URL was available. He felt that it was just too perfect not to try. So, working with his dad (an engineer by training), he took RagePAD from concept to prototype.
The RagePAD Target is not just a small pillow. Maxim did extensive testing with a number of different solutions before selecting a manufacturer and final product configuration. He started with what he knew—creating designs in TinkerCAD with a variety of matrix patterns and 3D printing them with different types of TPU filament. Although some of these versions had great qualities like visual appeal, super low manufacturing costs, and surprisingly good impact resistance, he determined that the noise dampening and surface protection were not there.
His home prototyping efforts helped narrow down the size, shape, and form factors that worked best—resolving to start with a square 8” target and eventually move on to a RagePAD integrated into a gaming mousepad. He then sourced professionally made prototypes for the RagePAD Target using materials such as silicone gel and different types of foams—mixes of solid pieces and patterns like honeycomb. Cover materials were tested too, including mesh, neoprene, canvas, and microfiber.
After weeks of testing and gathering feedback from family and friends, Maxim even had his extremely fit brother and his gym friends try the prototypes to ensure durability, even when struck by guys that can deadlift four times his weight. Ultimately, all the feedback led him to the conclusion that a mix of a removable microfiber cover, a nonslip bottom, and a firm foam core resulted in the best combination of noise reduction, surface protection, and comfort. It also makes for easy adaptation to future features like the vibration-activated sound planned for RagePAD⁺.
After months of testing and design iteration, RagePAD is now a reality. The first version—RagePAD Target—will be available in limited quantities by July 30 for $12.99, with a crowdfunding campaign planned to expand production and color options. Other versions, including the RagePAD Mousepad and RagePAD⁺ (featuring smart features like vibration-activated sound effects), are in development and coming soon.
Maxim is also using this opportunity to give back. Having experienced firsthand the support of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, he’s pledged to donate 15% of all RagePAD proceeds to the organization.
A Safer Way to Rage
Whether you’re a competitive gamer, a parent of a young gamer, or someone who just wants to protect their space and sanity, RagePAD is here to help. It’s not just a great idea from a kid—it’s a product born from real life, backed by real need, and built to help people of all ages release their frustration safely.