Pro gamers on the road to become drug addicts?

We have all witnessed the expansion gaming worldwide and nowadays we have a growing army of devoted gamers both pro and amateur. They may both be addicted to gaming, but in some cases gamers have bigger problems than gaming addiction: some are addicted to marijuana and other performance enhancing drugs!

Alex Walker, the Australian World Cyber Games Tournament Director, admitted in an interview with Gameplayer that some cyber athletes like to smoke marijuana or even take amphetamines to boost their reflexes before competition.

In this research we will try to find out whether this is true or not and whether this is just one of the ways to additionally discredit gaming and gamers. In other words, we will find out whether climbing high on the result list is in connection with getting high.

Gaming –a sport?

Professional gaming is a new area that’s drawing timeless tough questions whether gaming is a sport or not. People would say what about Olympics. Despite the fact that gaming is not an Olympic sport, they cannot deny the fact, that professional gamers are players who make a good deal of money competing and they use their prestige to create lucrative brands. People also cannot deny the fact that cyber athletes in US are competing in two major leagues: Major League Gamin, league that offers up to $100,000 in prize money for a tournament and Championship Gaming Series, which has offered as much as $500,000 in tournaments! These leagues have big sponsors such as Microsoft and they continue to gain support and popularity not only in US but from all around the world. Leagues are broadcasted on MTV, USA Network and Direct TV in the States, and there are numerous websites that broadcast matches, track scores and stats and report cyber gaming news. These leagues create celebrities,  take for example, the almost rock star level of fame enjoyed by Jonathan ‘Fatal1ty’ Wendel, who has managed to win more than $1 million in prizes and not only that – he has his name blazed across gaming equipment such as mice and video cards.

Simply no one can deny the fact, that electronic sport or esport is becoming a global phenomenon, and that people are earning good bucks and living a good life playing games. 

The dark side of gaming – doping  

Some cyber athletes have another thing in common with professional athletes: doping. Doping is not a new word in professional sport – in any sport where the big is money involved, there are ways and substances to enhance player’s performance: to jump higher, run faster, drive faster, and at the end to play better.  With the money being thrown at gamers, is it possible that some elite players are looking for ways to improve their performance – and if so, should drug testing be part of big gaming events?

Australia’s leading gaming site identified commonly abused substances among gamers:  
Marijuana – has psychoactive and physiological effects when consumed; creates euphoria, but in some cases also slows down reflexes. Among many side effects, such as lung cancer (if smoking), there is also addiction. 
Speed (Amphetamines) - an extremely potent stimulant that increases the body’s activity, heart rate, breathing, increases blood pressure and has numerous side effects.
Dexamphetamine and Methylphenidate (Ritalin) – also known as ‘focus drug’, usually prescribed to children suffering from ADHD; more potent than caffeine but less than amphetamines; has numerous side effects, including addiction.
Caffeine – it is very popular because its effects are fast as it can reach all tissues of the body within five minutes, but let’s not forget the fact that is extremely addictive. Caffeine is one of the oldest and most popular stimulants in the history of mankind; 90% of Americans consume caffeine in some way every day.

Pill designed especially for gamers 

With help from Free University Berlin a drug, FpsBrain was created which is supposed to accelerate neural processes, heighten perception and improve reactions, or to put it more simply a drug that would make you better at gaming. Drug was approved by German government – it is no amphetamine and it essentially contains coffee, guarana and some vitamins replacements.

MTV blog asked a registered dietitian to provide a report on the product. The results reveal that FpsBrain works through stimulating your muscles, heightening your awareness, decreasing your reaction time and easing your body during stressful conditions.

Nevertheless, pill that is designed especially for gaming is an alert that says that pharmacy found a new niche – gaming niche, whether talking about marijuana, amphetamines or vitamin B complex, designed especially for cyber athletes.

At the very least, it is not realistic to assume that taking amphetamines or Ritalin will give you any real advantage at esports (or a any other sport) if you don’t have the talent to back it up.


Not only pro gamers …

Speculations are present that many people who are fond of gaming and spend a lot of time either one on one with their powerful machines or those who enjoy competing with other people in the cyberspace simply have to take something in order to be able to spend all that time with joysticks in their hands.

Many gamers enjoy combining pot and video games: the combination is popular enough that a movie has been made about stoner gamers. It is believed that just about every gamer knows someone – a friends or a friend’s friend who like to get lit while playing their favorite game.

Interesting survey which has been conducted by the University of Southern California shows that an ordinary gamer has a lower body mass index than an average American which is actually good news as almost 50% of the population is inclined to obesity, and that the large ratio of 7000 EverQuest II players suffer from depression. However, the research cannot be linked directly to drug abuse among cyber athletes and amateur gamers.   

Will we soon see men in white suits holding out urine sample at gaming tournaments?

High scores and being the winner is about being recognized for your skill and prowess at gaming. It’s about being the best in the world at what you do, and it is also about winning a nice deal of money. Cheaters will always be looked down upon, even more so in cyber sports, and at the end it kind of hits home that only the really talented will come out on top in the end.

There are no men in white suits planned in esport at the moment but we might be surprised at what the future holds for cyber athletes.

Nevertheless, drug testing is an issue and responsibility that should be examined closely by the organizers of gaming events! At least then pro-gaming would not have to suffer the negative PR from reports that it is turning a blind eye to drug abuse.