Video game competitors might be checking their inhalers at the door because drug testing is coming to e-sports.
The Electronic Sports League said Thursday it will begin randomly drug testing players at its competitive video game tournaments. The e-sports organization plans to work with the World Anti-Doping Agency to curb the scourge of PEDs in its ranks.
The announcement came after a competitive video game player said in a YouTube video posted last week that he and his team used the drug Adderall during a tournament in March where players competed for $250,000 in prize money. Adderall is a prescribed amphetamine that is used to treat ADHD.
The random tests will begin at a tournament in August.
The random tests will begin at a tournament in August.
Previously, ESL prohibited the use of drugs, alcohol and other performance enhancers but didn’t test for doping. Other e-sports organizations, such as Major League Gaming, have similarly prohibited but not tested for doping.
The ESL was founded in 1997 and is the largest e-sports league with more than 5 million registered players. Over the past 10 years, e-sports has evolved from a niche genre of gaming to a lucrative sport that draws tens of millions of spectators both online and in person.
And I thought in this world, roid-rage usually meant hemorrhoids.
