Aug 28, 2008 11:30 AM
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Not able to let cyclists and sprinters have all the performance-enhancing fun, pro gamers are apparently equally avid dopers, according to an interview Game Player Australia has with Alex Walker, the director of an upcoming World Cyber Games tournament. They stick him the hard question—what is the WCG doing to combat the growing problem of pro gamers gaining advantage by popping some uppers or hitting the bong prior to fragging? His answer: Um, what?
Says Alex:
Gamers can take all the drugs they like, as long as it's not happening in the actual tournament area. Nobody has the budget to bring in any form of anti-doping agency, let alone keep it afloat or professional enough to adhere to standards that would make it reliable. The scene isn't big enough or stable enough for any world agency to enforce it right now, let alone stop gamers from taking drugs.
And on the eternal question—do you play better on booze, weed, or uppers?
I noticed that you made a mention about people claiming they were better after having a bong or two. That's true. I've seen a number of players at national tournaments who came in "baked" (that's stoned for the uninformed) purely so they could play better. In most cases they did, although obviously they couldn't just pull out another joint midway through.
In one WCG, a player I knew took amphetamines an hour before his match to boost his reflexes. His team ended up losing the match, although it certainly had an impact - his performance helped his team to win one map out of three - it kind of hits home that only the really talented will come out on top in the end.
Players have been ejected from venues for drunk and disorderly conduct – I know one tournament overseas where a player was denied permission to go to the toilet, so in his drunken state he decided to urinate in a plastic bottle instead which got him ejected after he placed the bottle on a table in front of the admins
Man, pro gamers—what a party-down bunch! For anyone raised gaming in the hallowed halls of our nation's collegiate dorm rooms, this is surely ringing some bells. Good to know that if you unexpectedly rise through to the ranks to professional gamer status, you won't have to worry about getting narc-ed. [Game Player via Slashdot]
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