Video gaming organization to start testing gamers for drugs

slimvictor

slimvictor

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San Francisco: A competitive video-gaming organisation will begin testing players for performance-enhancing drugs next month, as the field of so-called eSports moves further into the mainstream and prize pools climb.

The announcement by the Electronic Sports League came just weeks after one gamer admitted to using the stimulant Adderall at a tournament, sparking discussion around an issue that has long plagued traditional sports.

(...)


Earlier this month, Kory Friesen, who now plays Counter-Strike for the team Nihilum Gaming, spoke about his performance with a former team at a recent $250,000 tournament.

In a video interview with another gamer, Friesen said the "hectic" nature of their communications had been due to his entire five-man team taking the amphetamine, Adderall.

"The ESL comms were kind of funny ... I don't even care, we were all on Adderall," he said with a laugh. "Tons of people do it."

cont at
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/tech/vi...o-start-testing-gamers-for-drugs-1025693.html
 
Honestly this is a legitimate issue.

They literally stream video games to television in some countries--I believe South Korea is one.

Suffice to say, it's a really big deal for some people. And I guess there's real money to be made if one is good enough.

It's indistinguishable from any other sport in my opinion, unless by degree of physical activity (but who knows where to draw the line?)
 
Ho-Chi-Minh said:
Honestly this is a legitimate issue.

They literally stream video games to television in some countries--I believe South Korea is one.

Suffice to say, it's a really big deal for some people. And I guess there's real money to be made if one is good enough.

It's indistinguishable from any other sport in my opinion, unless by degree of physical activity (but who knows where to draw the line?)
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Yes in South Korea they take computer/video gaming competitions very seriously.

I would not be surprised if a lot of people who do this take crystal meth.
 
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I find cocaine gives me a competitive edge when it comes to trash talking 13 yr olds over Xbox live.

That's until their mum comes online to tell me to stop bullying their daughter
 
I would not be surprised if a lot of people who do this take crystal meth.
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I can't speak for e-sports, but meth use is pretty big amongst MMO gamers in Australia. You'll see constant references to it with character names, guilds, etc. in the same way you see constant weed references, and most guilds have at least a couple guys who smoke it regularly. It makes sense when you think about it, both are primarily consumed by the same market (teenage - 30's men), and playing an MMO is a non-stop, social activity which rewards constant, repetitive and precise behavior. They're a perfect match.
 
I would use steroids to help work on my finger muscles if I played video games professionally.

But seriously, I agree that meth or adderall would potentially help a gamer immensely.
But, they would also help just about anyone who has to work a job, or is a student.
All of this "help" is short-term, of course.
The long-term effects of meth use are not very pleasant, so the question of whether it is worth it seems relevant.
 
With a cash prize like that, some people are definitely going to think it's worth it.
 
For fuck's sake, binging on sugary foods can have the same affect as a mild dose of a potent stimulant. Is sugar also going to be tested for?

And what about mind altering substances which are considered to have a sedative effect on consumers? How does gaming by way of pressing keyboard buttons with my head because I'm too occupied with getting my nod on enhance my l33t gaming skills?

No, this is fucking stupid, like everything else related to the ridiculous war on (a minority group of people who prefer to use other) drugs.
 
ro4eva said:
For fuck's sake, binging on sugary foods can have the same affect as a mild dose of a potent stimulant. Is sugar also going to be tested for?

And what about mind altering substances which are considered to have a sedative effect on consumers? How does gaming by way of pressing keyboard buttons with my head because I'm too occupied with getting my nod on enhance my l33t gaming skills?

No, this is fucking stupid, like everything else related to the ridiculous war on (a minority group of people who prefer to use other) drugs.
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Ro4eva, usually I agree with everything you post in this forum. However, in this instance I disagree with you quite strongly.

I didn't click the link and read the full article, but the first sentence states that they are testing for performance enhancing drugs, it makes no mention (there) of recreational drugs.

If you can get the same buzz from eating sugar as you can from amphetamines, you are lucky. Personally, I can't. I don't think most people can, to be honest. If they could, I think global markets for amphetamines would be significantly smaller.

My brother plays a game called DotA 2. This game has a professional tournament every year, first prize is several million dollars. This is not about a war on a minority group, it is about trying to make sure that competitions where millions of dollars are potentially at stake are fairer. It is fairly clear to me that entire teams in these tournaments are not misusing prescription amphetamines for fun, they are doing it for an edge in these games.

Even if there is no premeditated intention to get an edge through use of these drugs (which I highly doubt), concentration and reaction time are things which give you an edge when playing most competitive video games, these drugs enhance ones ability to concentrate. There is no doubt in my mind that they are performance enhancing drugs when used in the context of a gaming tournament.
 
Ho-Chi-Minh;13165210It's indistinguishable from any other sport in my opinion said:
That's a huge distinction.

The global cult of drug testing is out of control. I hope that future generations value their freedom enough to resist it. Unfortunately, this generation seems brainwashed beyond redemption.
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drug_mentor said:
Ro4eva, usually I agree with everything you post in this forum. However, in this instance I disagree with you quite strongly.

I didn't click the link and read the full article, but the first sentence states that they are testing for performance enhancing drugs, it makes no mention (there) of recreational drugs.

If you can get the same buzz from eating sugar as you can from amphetamines, you are lucky. Personally, I can't. I don't think most people can, to be honest. If they could, I think global markets for amphetamines would be significantly smaller.

My brother plays a game called DotA 2. This game has a professional tournament every year, first prize is several million dollars. This is not about a war on a minority group, it is about trying to make sure that competitions where millions of dollars are potentially at stake are fairer. It is fairly clear to me that entire teams in these tournaments are not misusing prescription amphetamines for fun, they are doing it for an edge in these games.

Even if there is no premeditated intention to get an edge through use of these drugs (which I highly doubt), concentration and reaction time are things which give you an edge when playing most competitive video games, these drugs enhance ones ability to concentrate. There is no doubt in my mind that they are performance enhancing drugs when used in the context of a gaming tournament.
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I believe I understand what you're saying, but there are many, many more factors other than certain mind altering substances that can give competitive gamers a possibly unfair edge over their counterparts, including (but certainly not limited to):

[hardware & software]
- wired vs wireless input/output devices (mice, keyboards, headsets)
- monitor/display refresh rate (e.g. 144 vs 120 vs 60)
- ISP infrastructure and ISP plans/packages
- wired (LAN) vs wireless (Wi-Fi) network connection
- choice of operating system (e.g. Windows vs Linux vs OSX)

[health/fitness, diet and gender]
- amount of carbs, protein and fats typically consumed
- any mental issues (e.g. ADD, ADHD, Autism)
- any physical health issues (e.g. vision and/or hearing problems)
- on average, females have twice the number of nerve fibers that men do (this may aid or hamper their 5 senses during competition including reaction time)

Incidentally, it appears that women make for some of the best competitive gamers when it comes to consistent reaction time - particularly in a supportive role (e.g. a healer in an MMORPG).

My point being, if the organizers of such events want to ensure a fair competition, have they considered not allowing competitors to bring and use their own preference of hardware? And furthermore, (as an example) how do individuals who are prescribed Amphetamines cope without them? Will they be exempt from screening? A purse that big - their fellow competitors might be quite upset at the notion that some individuals are still allowed to use Adderall/Vyvanse/Dexedrine/etc.

I should have worded my previous post differently. What bothers me about event organizers trying to quash performance enhancing substances is that, in many cases, it seems like they're doing it more so because the activity in question is considered illegal rather than because they want a fair competition. And also, I'm willing to bet that, if the war on (certain) drugs never existed, the apparent crusade against performance enhancing substances would never have received such attention from event organizers and media alike.

Believe it or not, I'm actually a huge 'gamer' myself, and I hoard far too many consoles and PCs for my own good (to relive past experiences when I wish to). In fact, for ~7 years, I was the main tank in a former top tier raiding guild in WoW. And we were so successful with respect to clearing PVE content in record time (on our realm at least) that our guild website and vent server were both hosted and paid for by some rich dude from Dubai who was apparently a huge fan (I'm not shitting you). And he continued to pay for the server and site costs while we were at our best. And he even supplied us with some hardware (mainly headsets) for our efforts, but he absolutely abhorred hearing anyone on Vent who was drunk (they were told they couldn't raid while intoxicated).

Anyways, we eventually stopped playing WoW for good in early 2011, and that was the end of that, but the memories (and the collective screaming in Vent from fellow raiders) that I have from first kills in raids ranging from BWL, AQ40, and vanilla Naxx to patch 2.4 SWP, and to hardmode/heroic Ulduar and ICC25 will always, always remain with me. Those were some good times - I miss them :-(

P.S. - For what it's worth, I sincerely appreciate your support regarding my posts, and also the fact that you expressed yourself in your aforementioned comment without resorting to ad hominem attacks (I feel there's a lot I could learn from you). And for this reason, you have my utmost admiration and respect. And should you need help with anything (or to just chat), please don't hesitate to PM me, and I'll gladly help you to the best of my ability, good day :)
 
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Crankinit said:
I can't speak for e-sports, but meth use is pretty big amongst MMO gamers in Australia. You'll see constant references to it with character names, guilds, etc. in the same way you see constant weed references, and most guilds have at least a couple guys who smoke it regularly. It makes sense when you think about it, both are primarily consumed by the same market (teenage - 30's men), and playing an MMO is a non-stop, social activity which rewards constant, repetitive and precise behavior. They're a perfect match.
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Makes sense. A friend of mine that's big into gaming and who only drinks alcohol, once wanted to try Ritalin, Dexedrine/Adderall to see what it was like since he had an insanely high caffeine tolerance from gaming on weekends and going to weekend long LAN parties; but he never used any other stimulants besides caffeine.
 
One Thousand Words said:
I find cocaine gives me a competitive edge when it comes to trash talking 13 yr olds over Xbox live.

That's until their mum comes online to tell me to stop bullying their daughter
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Thank you for a good laugh... almost as good as the organization "Electronic Sports League" lol

Just because you play as a team doesn't make it a sport. (especially if the "sport" you're discussing is killing)
 
^I don't think so...

Any perceived benefit that one gets from hard stimulants are only manifest from increased confidence. There isn't evidence, still, that stimulants make one smarter. They can improve processing speed, though.

Sugar is indeed addictive, probably more than most of us know. But in my experience at least, amphetamine had a much more functional, pleasurable experience to offer.

Sugar is not a drug technically, but it's certainly drug-like more than many things.

I think it's more than just an extension of the war on drugs. It's about preserving the purity of human competition. People like to be able to relate to the players they root for. If the player(s) are taking performance-enhancing substances, how human are they? Aren't we impressed by feats of hard work more than the gains simply popping a pill can produce?
 
The ability to counteract fatigue alone is enough to make it beneficial in competitive gaming. I've never been into the hyper-competitive level of things, but I've done enough gaming to know that performance slides downhill quickly once you get tired, and in games like this a single mistake or slow reaction can be the difference between a win and a loss.

I think with millions of dollars at stake, the debate over whether it's a "sport" or not is semantics. People entering a competition have the right to expect equal footing.

[hardware & software]
- wired vs wireless input/output devices (mice, keyboards, headsets)
- monitor/display refresh rate (e.g. 144 vs 120 vs 60)
- ISP infrastructure and ISP plans/packages
- wired (LAN) vs wireless (Wi-Fi) network connection
- choice of operating system (e.g. Windows vs Linux vs OSX)
Click to expand...

All of this is standardized, I imagine. These teams are playing at a specific location, not from their homes with individual setups.

[health/fitness, diet and gender]
- amount of carbs, protein and fats typically consumed
- any mental issues (e.g. ADD, ADHD, Autism)
- any physical health issues (e.g. vision and/or hearing problems)
- on average, females have twice the number of nerve fibers that men do (this may aid or hamper their 5 senses during competition including reaction time)
Click to expand...

All of this is either easy to control (diet) or impossible to control (gender). On top of which, it's unlikely that someone who has a disability which interferes with their playing would be on a professional team in the the first place. The problem with drugs is that they're accessible enough that a team looking for an edge can go to the effort of obtaining them, but it isn't something which is obvious and out in the open, so you end up with an artificial gap in a competition where they do everything they can to reduce the deciding factor down to skill.

There's also the issue of protecting the players - if stimulant use becomes common enough, players will feel that they're necessary to compete (and they probably would be), leading people who otherwise wouldn't do so into taking dangerous and addictive drugs.

If people want to get twacked and game for days in their own time, that's their business, but someone entering a competition which is supposed to be skill based has the right to expect everything within reason is done to ensure an even playing ground.
 
Crankinit said:
If people want to get twacked and game for days in their own time, that's their business, but someone entering a competition which is supposed to be skill based has the right to expect everything within reason is done to ensure an even playing ground.
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Well when you put it that way, I see your point (touché).

I just hope that mind altering substances in particular are being scrutinized solely because they may (or they can) provide a competitor with an advantage considered unfair (and thus unacceptable), and not because the stench of drug war hypocrisy has now also permeated the world of competitive gaming.

Seems that whenever and wherever there is a significant amount of new money to be made by way of an up and coming, annually scheduled competition of some sort, Uncle Sam's war on drugs inevitably makes an (often unpleasant) appearance.

Actually pardon me, it's not just limited to professional competitions. Pretty much anywhere where there is a noteworthy amount of new money being made, (perhaps I'm being biased, but) it seems that the drug warriors inevitably show up en masse and they waste little time digging their collective parasitic claws into such pursuits of the American dream by finding a way to exploit the operation.

Then again, I suppose that's what one tends to learn to do well when they are legally authorized to confiscate virtually anything of value (including cash) from anyone who supposedly looks and/or acts suspiciously. What's more suspicious is the fact that they are known to use Asset Forfeiture cash to pay off their own bills (and it's sickening).

I've changed the subject from the sport of competitive gaming to unjust and abusive examples of Asset Forfeiture. For that I apologize, however, there is a point in my discombobulating post: the unintended path of corruption, death and destruction that has, after ~44 years, branched out into what is a spectacular fuck up, and undoubtedly the biggest waste of tax payer money in the history of paying taxes.

There, I'm done, pardon me :p
 
ro4eva said:
I believe I understand what you're saying, but there are many, many more factors other than certain mind altering substances that can give competitive gamers a possibly unfair edge over their counterparts, including (but certainly not limited to):

[hardware & software]
- wired vs wireless input/output devices (mice, keyboards, headsets)
- monitor/display refresh rate (e.g. 144 vs 120 vs 60)
- ISP infrastructure and ISP plans/packages
- wired (LAN) vs wireless (Wi-Fi) network connection
- choice of operating system (e.g. Windows vs Linux vs OSX)

[health/fitness, diet and gender]
- amount of carbs, protein and fats typically consumed
- any mental issues (e.g. ADD, ADHD, Autism)
- any physical health issues (e.g. vision and/or hearing problems)
- on average, females have twice the number of nerve fibers that men do (this may aid or hamper their 5 senses during competition including reaction time)
Click to expand...

I definitely see your point here, however, I see this as more of an argument to regulate some of these things than as reason not to implement drug testing.

The impression I got from the article is that this is a reaction to a comment which was made by a professional gamer about his whole team using amphetamines at a competition. Since this comment was made in an interview, it isn't surprising that the people who organise these events felt they had to react to it in some way. I bet they would rather not spend their money on drug testing people, but I can imagine that professional gaming struggles with image issues at the best of times, and if they don't do something then this revelation could potentially hurt their credibility even more.

ro4eva said:
P.S. - For what it's worth, I sincerely appreciate your support regarding my posts, and also the fact that you expressed yourself in your aforementioned comment without resorting to ad hominem attacks (I feel there's a lot I could learn from you). And for this reason, you have my utmost admiration and respect. And should you need help with anything (or to just chat), please don't hesitate to PM me, and I'll gladly help you to the best of my ability, good day :)
Click to expand...

Cheers mate, for what it is worth the respect is mutual. :D
 
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