Now Gamers Will Be Drug Tested, Too

After big-name player makes Adderall boast
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 24, 2015 12:15 PM CDT
Now Gamers Will Be Drug Tested, Too
File photo of a participant in an Electronic Sports League competition.   (AP Photo/Matthias Rietschel, File)

If you still have a hard time buying the notion that gamers are professional athletes, maybe this doping scandal will help. The Electronic Sports League plans to conduct random drug tests at future tournaments after a big-name player 'fessed up, reports the Wall Street Journal. Anything off-limits to more traditional athletes, as laid out by the World Anti-Doping Agency, will be off-limits to e-athletes. The move comes after pro Kory Friesen remarked in an interview that "we were all on Adderall" at a recent tournament; Vice reported the comments earlier this month.

The drug, used to treat ADHD, is apparently used by gamers looking to improve their focus. As the Vice article noted, "There's been a lot of speculation and accusations related to Adderall use in eSports, but rarely does a player like Friesen lay it out so plainly." Maybe too plainly. "It's safe to say that everything traditional sports prohibit, we shouldn’t allow in e-sports either," says an ESL spokeswoman. (More random drug testing stories.)

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