A video gaming organization has decided to test its players for performance-enhancing drugs after a player candidly admitted taking the substance.
A professional video game league will test its competitors for performance enhancing drugs starting this month. The move comes at the heels of Kory Friesen a.k.a. Semphis admitting that he had taken an ADHD medicine called Adderall at a tournament in March.
In a bid to create "fair, feasible and conclusive" policy, the Electronic Sports League (ESL) stated that it would work alongside the World Anti-Doping Agency.
On Thursday, the ESL said in a statement that in collaboration with Germany's anti-doping agency, it will develop a policy on the issue and also perform tests at all its major events immediately after the policy is established, IBNLive noted.
Use of drugs or alcohol by players at its events was banned by the ESL long back just like any other organization. No other organization has tested its cyber athletes, the ESL will be the first.
In the wake of eSports' growing popularity along with the ever increasing prize pools, teams and players may be tempted to break the rules causing damage to the sports as a whole, the ESL explained.
Video game experts are aware of the ill effects this might have on video gaming as whole too. Talking about how bad this really is, a video game expert told BBC that doping was indeed a "big problem" in the growing industry. The ESL is reportedly the world's largest eSports organization, with a mind boggling close to six million members.
Tom Phillips, who is the deputy news editor for the Eurogamer website explains that several games are based on the number of interactions per minute, requiring players to have fast reflexes in order to compete.
Some of the competitions, on the other hand, offer loads of money besides fame and sponsorship deal which are part and parcel of winning the competition. This clearly encourages some people to "enhance their performance illegally," Phillips said.
Obviously, this situation poses a huge threat "if the sport is going to be taken seriously," he explained.
While in traditional sports, athletes tend to take performance-enhancing drugs "to increase their physical ability," in eSports, gamers take these drugs to enhance their mental ability.
The ESL will reportedly conduct skin tests at its upcoming tournament next month, but the organization is yet to publish a list of banned substances. In addition, the ESL also will be conducting a prevention programme hoping to educate gamers about the risk of doping. The programme will also provide the basic support they need "to help them manage the physical and emotional pressure of professional gaming."
