Gaming and Drugs - The Debate

GENWire speaks to two gamers who used drugs to win tournaments.

[christian hour]

Performance Enhancing drugs should not be allowed in any form of competitive tournaments. The only way it would ever be OK is if EVERY person involved in the tournament was handed them upon entry.

As for gaming and drugs at home, fine by me. Gaming and some weed go hand in hand, although you wouldn't smoke that for a competitive edge XD "Wait, why are we even fighting against each other guys? We should be like, in minecraft, building a better world!"

I played Minecraft on the tail end of Acid once... and then this happened and scared the poop out of me --> https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Lesson Learned :)

"Another gamer who was contacted by GENWire did not say if he had or hadn't won any tournaments while using drugs, but said he had."

This part makes no sense, I thought maybe I read it wrong but... nope. Guessing it's a grammar mistake/oversight.

[HaveSumNuts]

I use to smoke joints and play multiplayer in BF4 a lot I'd usually come out 1st or 2nd in matches. My first thoughts would usually be "Imagine if these players knew that the rank 30 guy is beating all the prestiged players while high as f#ck."

[christian hour]

Yeah I personally know a tonne of stoners who are insanely good at FPS PVP.

The guy I game share with on ps4 is basically a shut in, all he does is play FPS and get high XD Used to be some years ago, you'd go to his and there'd be a crew of 3 or 4 with 2 tvs and 2 consoles set up playing people online in CODMW1/Halo daily.

The rest have since moved on and spend less time either playing (one has moved to spain and grows his own, but doesnt game anymore) or they've stopped smoking but still play although not as frequent.

Everyones finished college, grown up and have responsibilities, basically XD Some of those guys even have kids, have gotten married or are engaged. Scary stuff!

[sephiroth420]

lol i find weed helps with competitive playing, well with mates anyway, i personally play tekken a hell of a lot better high and rocket league, to be honest they should just be like you cant use anything other than weed to participate, unless you dont want it.

[SaveFerris]

In regards to eSports, do these drugs really work? There must be instances where 'clean' players have beaten players who have used some kind of performance enhancing drug.

[rainslacker]

Depends on which drug it is. Something like Adderall could cause a marked improvement on concentration which a skilled player could convert into an advantage. Overusing it though can actually cause a downgrade in performance, leading to being too twitchy.

I take adderall by prescription, and when I play games when it's finally fully sunk in, I play the game better. it doesn't make me a more skilled player though, just makes me able to react better to what needs to be done, or concentrate better and be more perceptive of things I wouldn't otherwise as my mind tends to wonder wildly.

If one has a prescription to adderall, or similar drugs, I don't feel they should be cast out of the tournaments. but if one is taking it without need, then I could agree. However, it's fairly easy to get a prescription nowadays if you can just find a doctor willing to prescribe it, and there are no government mandated regulations on what is required to diagnosis ADD/ADHD so it kind of muddys the waters and screws it up for the more honest folk.

[Bigpappy]

Why use the Xbox controller? The druggies are NOT on Xbox. That's slanderous and not funny. Well except for Snoop Dog.

[SteamPowered]

Gaming, Weed, and Munchies. It's the holy trinity of any great session.

[antikbaka]

there is a debate?...

[2cents]

yeah there is...

is it puff puff give, or puff give.
pass to the left or the right?
looser rolls?

hehe...

[rainslacker]

Apparently. To me, professional sports don't allow PED's so I don't know why it's even a topic of discussion. Heck, I don't know why it wasn't already in the rules that they couldn't be used.

[DefenderOfDoom2]

If you have a prescription for Adderall it is okay to use while playing Major League Baseball . But using Adderall without a prescription is not allowed in MLB. E-sports is pretty much doing the same as MLB rules .

The real problem is, too many doctors giving out prescriptions of adderall to kids .

[rainslacker]

It's very easy to get a prescription, and if one doctor refuses, you just go to another.

I personally went to a psychologist, had tests run, got a prescription from an actual doctor and had the tests run again, so I feel I did things the way they should be done...and I was never one to want to put drugs in my body on a regular basis. But I know several people who just told their doctor they were tired all the time, and they got a prescription without any other tests. When one person was still like that after 6 months, but now always high strung, he went to another doctor, and eventually was diagnosed with sleep apnea.

I'm really surprised, given that it's a controlled substance, that there isn't more regulations on how to diagnose ADD or ADHD. I also think it's sad that ADD and ADHD has become the defacto diagnosis for rowdy children, but that's a whole other debate.

Personally, I don't think they should be allowed. I don't even see why that's a discussion for debate. Obviously you can't legally be revoked if you are prescribed as that's actually discrimination.

However, given that I use Adderall on a daily basis, I do know that it doesn't actually artificially improve one's abilities, it simply improves their ability to access those skills and stay focused on a task. I'm trying to think of a corollary between that and something sports related, but my Adderall wore off a couple hours ago.:)

[GENWire]

I think the important thing to remember is that anything that enhances your chances of winning a money prize or title should be deemed illegal in a competitive market. It's not like taking an energy drink to keep you going. It's a grey area that needs stricter guidelines for. If you admit to taking concentration tablets then you are breaking the rules... Professional Footballers are not even allowed to take some cold and flu tablets.

[iceman06]

The new thing in American sports (football and baseball specifically) is using Testosterone, under "medical guidance", for the "new" (trendy) diagnosis of Low T with the idea to conceive children.

[rainslacker]

The drugs being discussed in this "debate" actually are very much like those energy drinks which help concentration. They just achieve it in a different way, and the effects aren't the same nor do they last as long.

I'm personally dubious on whether those energy drinks are actually effective, but that's another thing. The drugs being used in esports are not ones that give people abilities that they don't already possess, and while I think they shouldn't be allowed, there is some merit to allowing them to be used by those who have a prescription.

Technically, any caffeinated drink could improve one's performance. Difference between caffeine and amphetamines is that caffeine is not a controlled substance.

[2cents]

Recreational is fine, but competitive is not.

There shouldn't be any allowances for drugs at a professional competitive level, bar maybe redbull.

As others have mentioned, professional e-sports should have the same rules as traditional sports.

[urwifeminder]

Same as normal sport these days I see an athlete and just think oh a straight up jukie lol, all the 60s and 70s Olympics where full of it most likely earlier secret cold war programs. Would like to see augmented Olympics anything goes roid up hearts exploding in the 100 meter dash ha ha would make for some funny gaming as well. Disclaimer am very high.