The Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) has begun preparations for testing gamers for drugs at its pro tournaments. CPL founder and president Angel Munoz talks with TwitchGuru about the growing concern over potentially performance-enhancing drugs in gaming, and what his organization is doing about it.

What a surprise :?

If they were serious about this they would test all semifinalists automatically.

I can understand the logistical and financial nightmare that testing ALL participants would be, but all semifinalists, or even all finalists, would greatly reduce the overhead and make it much more feasible.

All they are saying is that they will have the right to test their participants now whereas previously they did not, but that they do not plan to enact this right unless there are specific allegations.

This is honestly a weak stance.

yes it is a weak stance but from this starting point they can strengthen it if need be.

Its always better if you can just trust people to do the right thing, it makes it more fun. Take Halo for example, they released updates to keep people from cheating by finding some small flaw in the game then exploiting it.

I liked to do some of that stuff just for fun, not in a real game, but now i cant do those things at all because jerk-offs would use this to win and in turn piss someone off. I would think anyone who uses a cheat or a drug for that matter to win would loose all the meaning of the win.

This stuff takes all the meaning out of any competition and to keep it "fair" for all, the only way is to continually restrict those who want to cheat. Now the responsible honorable players have to be dragged down with the cheaters. Basically people just need to learn to have a sportsman's attitude, if you lose you lose no big deal, use that as motivation to get better without cheating.

That is all well and good, but as you pointed out, there ARE cheaters. Trusting people to do the right thing in a competitive atmosphere will always result in cheaters.

When there is money on the line, even more so.

By testing at the semifinalist or finalist level, you are effectively making any benefit to cheating null and void, because the prize will be denied to you as well as any prestige of getting close if you cheated in the earlier rounds.

yes i agree with you completely. I just don't like being guilty until proven innocent. Sure I have nothing to hide but still its just makes things more enjoyable to be presumed innocent.

Much like living in a high crime neighborhood. You lock your doors and windows all the time it doesn't matter if your there or not you still lock everything up. The worst part is it most of this doesn't matter, someone really wants into your house they are going to get in.

Then you go to a neighborhood that you can just leave your doors and windows wide open all the time and not worry if everything you own will be gone when you come back. it just makes life a lot better and you can relax more. I find this to be true in games as well they are just more fun and relaxing if i know the people im playing with aren't using drugs and cheats just to win.

But like i said in my other post, "cheating" can be fun in some cases as long as everyone playing agrees with it. Like with Halo my friends and I would play games that all you could do was some little exploit of the game, those are crazy and quite fun. People switching between an empty rocket launcher and a plasma sword, or games with nothing but a shotty and a sword. yeah you have to get real good at a particular little cheat but thats the competition of it, and if we went to a serious or real game that "cheating" got dropped at the door.

infornography42 and samir_nayanajaad, I see both your points on the matter. But remember, this is uncharted territory for pro gaming and anything the CPL or any other organization does (or doesn't do) regarding drugs is bound to upset some people.

The simple fact of the matter is that people cheat in every sport, and if there's that much money to be won playing games and people can get an edge on the competition by using drugs, then a significant portion of people will do it. Samir, you point out tha gamers need a "sportsman's attitude" about the purity of competition, but that competition (and attitude) is exactly what will lead gamers to use performance enhancing substances. It isn't about gamers having a natural tendency to use drugs or cheat (which I don't believe the majority do); it's about people's desire to win at any cost.

And Info, keep in mind that the CPL is taking the initiative here. Sure, you'll probably need random testing to really keep eSports clean, but remember that at this point, we're not sure about all the drugs that need to be tested. Plus, we don't know definitively what drugs actually enhance people's skills. There are no studies, to my knowledge, about the effects of Ritilan or amphetamines. All we have is anectdotal evidence. So the CPL and other groups need to get together and figure out what substances contribute to gaming performances and what drugs, both illegal and prescription drugs, should be banned at competitions. That's going to take time. At least requiring all players to submit to testing is a step in the right direction.

Under no circumstances would I suggest an organization to allow Illegal drugs to be used in a competition, However, I think one point needs to be clarified here: On the matter of Prescription Drugs, there is no reason to unilaterally ban drugs like Ritalin or Adderol, BUT proof that it is prescribed and you are not taking it illegal must be presented. If a prescription drug is used without a prescription, that is an illegal substance and should be treated as such, however there is a need for these drugs and it would be a detriment to the sport to bar people from participating due to the fact that they require a prescription medicine.

It is a step, but it is a weak step. They should start with major prize winners and testing for only illegal substances. If they find taint then they should consider random testing.

Anything short of that is basically relying on stool pigeons and tattletales. People will use the accusation system as a way of getting back at those that beat them, fairly or not. Honest players who suspect drug use by their competitors will often remain quiet while immature squeeky wheels will result in a lot of finger pointing without any reason. The results would be less than reliable.

To be honest, I don't care too much as I am not and will likely never be "Pro" material. I'm just not that good. My honest opinion however is that this wishy washy half step will likely cause more problems than it solves and a solid stance would be much more effective at this point.

I dunno. Where I live pot is legal. I don't think it effects the way I play. Other people? Mabye. I wouldnt care if people are taking drugs while playing, it's unfortunate when leagues, agencies, etc., start thinking that they need to "protect" individuals from themselves. And hey, if some player goes and puts and 8-ball up their nose and dies... too bad, the IDIOT asked for it.

Hmmm. Can you drink at these things? I always play better with a couple or 3 brewskies in me.

is it alright to use a gigantic negative ion generator? which rushes blood and oxygen to the brain, or enrich the room with oxygen by baking soda and peroxide