Doping scandal hits the world of international video gaming
VIDEO game competitors will be subjected to random drug testing at tournaments after a leading player admitted using a stimulant during a competition.
The Electronic Sports League (ESL), the world’s largest e-sports organisation, said it will begin a comprehensive anti-doping programme to fight the use of drugs to boost performance.
The ESL, which is based in Cologne, said it will begin administering the first anti-doping tests next month.
Kory Friesen, a professional video gamer, admitted to taking Adderall, a performance enhancing drug, during an ESL tournament in Poland. In an interview, which can be seen online, Mr Friesen admitted using the drug, which is usually prescribed to people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
He alleged that his former teammates in Cloud9, the e-sports team for which he plays, were also using the psycho-stimulant, a claim denied by the team manager.
Mr Friesen alleged: “We were all on Adderall. It was pretty obvious … tons of people do it.”
He told the New York Times that he used the drug as a last resort to help his team win in the midst of a losing spell.
“It was just one of those things where it’s like, maybe it would help,” he said. However, it did not have the desired effect. “You don’t just take Adderall and instantly become better,” he added.
Jack Etienne, Cloud9’s owner, is reported as saying: “We don’t agree with Kory’s statements about Cloud9, and don’t condone the use of Adderall unless it was prescribed for medical reasons.”
The ESL said that the popularity of e-games and the growing value of prizes had “made the temptation of rule-breaking even greater”. It added: “We wish to ensure we can provide a fair playing field for all participating players.”
The tests are only expected to take a few seconds to be carried out, ESL said. It has joined with Germany’s Nationale Anti Doping Agentur to help introduce an anti-doping policy that is “fair, feasible and conclusive while also respecting the privacy of players”.
The league also said it would discuss with the World Anti-Doping Agency ways to enforce the new policy.
Competitive e-sports have been around for several years, but prizes are on the rise. The largest prize pool in the world is roughly £6.5 million for the International Tournament. Another popular tournament is Call of Duty e-sports, where players can win up to £260,000. There are now even scholarships for e-sports athletes, including one at Robert Morris University, Pennsylvania.