DUBAI // Professional video gamers should face the same tests for performance-enhancing drugs as Olympians and if caught should be kicked out of big money e-sports tournaments, contestants in a Dubai tournament said on Monday.
Hundreds of gamers have been competing in qualifying rounds ahead of the Game Evolution finals at Dubai World Trade Centre in November. Teams will do battle in strategic shooter games such as Counter-Strike for a total prize pot of Dh150, 000.
Competition revenues for e-sports globally have exceeded US$613 million (Dh2.25 billion) so far this year, according to analysts SuperData.
Professional US gamer Semphis, real name Kory Friesen, admitted that use of Adderall, a drug prescribed to people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is rife among his colleagues.
The admission led to US-based Electronic Sports League to consider new testing protocols for performance-enhancing drugs.
Regulations are being worked out ahead of the 2016 season in partnership with the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).
Organisers of the Game Evolution finals on November 6-7 hope those taking part will compete cleanly.
“This is something we will definitely take into consideration as it develops,” said Zeyad Nabulsi, operations manager at tournament hosts Index Conferences and Exhibitions.
At Game Evolution, individual players will compete in four different console games with teams from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar and India battling in two major PC games, Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
First place for teams playing Counter-Strike is Dh25,000, whereas individuals playing in console games can win Dh5,000.
Mr Nabulsi said: “We will be working on the honour system. Teams from overseas could bring these kind of trends into the UAE, but it will be hard to tell.”
Dubai resident Love Paras, 23, who goes by the name of Havoc, has practised against Semphis and has heard about the use of Adderall by gamers.
“It gives them a small benefit,” he said.
“Gamers are not sure if they will be able to perform without it so it could be good for those who are clean.”
Team winnings of up to $400,000 in US competitions are not uncommon, so the monetary value of gaining any advantage is clear.
"I've never taken Adderall," said Mr Paras, an events manager from India. "People say it makes you more focused. In a reaction-based game like Counter-Strike that could be an advantage.
“But it can make people overexcited, which causes communication problems.
“I wouldn’t mind being tested, but how it will work practically could be difficult.”
Adderall contains a combination of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, both central nervous system stimulants that affect chemicals in the brain that contribute to hyperactivity and impulse control.
Side-effects range from anxiety, stomach pain and weight loss to an irregular heartbeat and bladder pain.
Dr Michael Hamarneh, a psychologist at Mediclinic City Hospital, Dubai Healthcare City, would welcome regular drug testing.
“If it is to be a true gaming competition, then testing would give it credibility,” he said.
Dr Hamarneh said gamers risked becoming hooked on prescription drugs, caused by a perception of improved performance and a rise in tolerance to the drug.
“The psychological addiction becomes difficult to break. Doctors in the UAE are aware of these issues and will not write a prescription unless they know the patient very well.
“Many will have no option but to turn to illegal markets.”
nwebster@thenational.ae
