Do you think Riot should start drug testing competitive players?

WhoSoup·Oct 23, 2014·3 votes·1,540 views

Hey all, this is probably going to be a pretty controversial topic, so I'm gonna stat out by saying that I am not accusing anyone of actually doping.

Why would someone cheat? League has become very high profile in recent history, possibly being more popular than traditional sports ( http://qz.com/195098/last-year-71-million-people-watched-other-people-play-video-games/ ). In addition there are millions of dollars of prize money, exposure and fame attached to competitive league. In that kind of environment there are always people looking for an edge. Even in the season 2 finals several teams were fined for cheating (through means other than substance abuse), and most people will probably remember the big tour de france / lance armstrong doping scandal.

I am sure that there are teams, managers or organizations out there that would be ruthless enough to abuse the system.

** How would someone cheat? **

That's a much more interesting question. There are various beta blockers that would help players deal with the immense stress and pressure they are under on the stage. Beta blockers are, for example, banned by the IOC. And there are various amphetamines (ie Adderall) that can help players with concentration, focus and energy to play for several hours (much longer than most other athletes or players are competing).

I'm not particularly knowledgeable in this area, and these are the two biggest obvious examples I could think of, but someone here might know way more than I do.

I really think Riot, who are working very hard to make Esports legitimate, should consider this and take measure to ensure that Esports remains competitive and fair to all teams.

21 Comments

chuybakkaOct 24, 20143 votes

By banning beta blockers and certain amphetamines you are eliminating legitimate medicine from the players. Just like how you can't really ban all pain meds for other sports it would be the same here. But for the most part drug tests are there to eliminate the unfair advantage given by a specific drug and unless a player can be proven to be taken a certain med only for the benefits you can't really say ban it all.

Some of these drugs are prescribed by the players doctors. Would you also ban any sort of medicine meant for mental health? Or how about pain meds the hand cramps that are bound to happen after playing for elongated periods?

Who SoupOct 24, 20142 votes

By banning beta blockers and certain amphetamines you are eliminating legitimate medicine from the players. Just like how you can't really ban all pain meds for other sports it would be the same here. But for the most part drug tests are there to eliminate the unfair advantage given by a specific drug and unless a player can be proven to be taken a certain med only for the benefits you can't really say ban it all.

Some of these drugs are prescribed by the players doctors. Would you also ban any sort of medicine meant for mental health? Or how about pain meds the hand cramps that are bound to happen after playing for elongated periods?

I think only the best gamers should be allowed to compete based on their skill, not because they take medication that lets them perform better. The IOC for example makes exceptions for players for valid medical reasons. This thread is not about those. It's about players taking performance enhancing medication. Do you think that's ok?

chuybakkaOct 25, 20142 votes

Performance enhancing? No. I don't believe that any athlete Esports or not should take any PeD's. But you again get into what is considered performance enhancing. With regular sports blood doping and steroids are easy to quantify as performance enhancing.

Esports on the other hand are mainly mental. So what medication or drug can you take to improve your mental status and still not be considered cheating? Would meditation be banned because it increases endorphins that allow pros to stay calm and collected during matches, or just meds?

Cheating is wrong especially when in a professional capacity. But who would decide what is legal and what is not? And who is allowed to get past those rules due to religious or medical reasons?

This is a much larger discussion than just should they be allowed to cheat or not.

Yandere CarryOct 28, 20141 votes

You are taking a very simple topic and trying to make it more complicated than it actually is.

chuybakkaOct 28, 20141 votes

The problem is that this is not a simple topic. Why do you think they have regulations on drug testing in major sports? Because its simple? No, because its a very detailed discussion over what is and what is not allowed.

They look at what can improve your abilities and what they find ok. Pain meds can make a player go longer and play harder. Steroids can increase muscle mass and aggression.

But what about esports? What can you take that will enhance your abilities beyond your natural limit that is not already prescribed by a doctor or used to treat real conditions?

Yandere CarryOct 29, 20141 votes

That's just it though, you are pretending that people don't understand that medical conditions exist. "Meditation" Are you kidding me? That's obviously not the same thing. It's a slippery slope logical fallacy used to try and discredit the OP.

chuybakkaNov 1, 20141 votes

Its actually not a logical fallacy. Based on my thoughts since this is a forum and not a medical journal I was thinking of what the op said and tried thinking of both sides to the issue. On the one side we have the basic discussion of "yep make it all legal, cheating is cool." And on the other we have the more complicated discussion of what constitutes cheating in an esport.

Physical sports have huge regulations because it is easy to augment your own physical ability. Hell even in professional cycling the superman style handlebars were banned at one point because it was considered an unfair advantage. So my thought on meditation is not a fallacy (I would love to see which one you thought it was though.)

But to discredit me by saying that I am using some logical fallacy is to discredit this discussion. At least right now I am trying to continue the discussion instead of shutting it down by throwing accusations of discrediting the op and going down a slippery slope.

Yandere CarryNov 1, 20141 votes

no, it IS a logical fallacy. The discussion is the use of medication strictly to enhance one's play and you took it to "what's next?! meditation"... This is some gateway drug type bs argument.

I am not discrediting the discussion. I am discrediting your baseless claims.

chuybakkaNov 1, 20141 votes

You can feel that they are baseless if you want. I will continue to believe that my argument is based on fact and brings up good points about what possible drugs and practices could be included in the overall theme of cheating in an esports arena.

If you disagree then that is your right. I can't force you to agree with me or look at what I am saying as anything other than what you already think it is.

I will put this out there then. What do you think would be included in the cheating part of esports? Drugs, caffeine, special equipment? Im interested in what you think on the subject since you haven't said your thoughts on the issue yet.

Yandere CarryNov 1, 20141 votes

Medication/Drugs used strictly to enhance one's play is what is being discussed and that is what would be targeted. Not meditation. Not Grandma's Special Gumbo, but drug use.

chuybakkaNov 1, 20141 votes

I get it. You think that only medication and drugs are what make cheating possible. Thats fine. But I will ask again, what drugs and medication would you ban or consider for cheating? Based solely on the fact that they would inprove your skills or abilities at League.

At this point you have only said that my argument is invalid and that drugs are the main issue. If you have nothing to put in to add to your argument then I will leave it at that. I'm not trying to tell anyone what to think. I dont even believe that meditation would ever be a bannable offense. But I was playing devils advocate and apparently you got too hung up on that to move on with the discussion.

Yandere CarryNov 6, 20141 votes

Your playing devil's advocate to explore a topic which has already been hashed out.

PoisonedPeaceOct 23, 20142 votes

Drug testing....These are a bunch of teenage/early 20's boys. I would be willing to bet 98% of NA league players use some sort of recreational drug.

I know OP mentioned performance enhancers, but most sports that ban ped's also ban recreationals.

JuniorlokeyOct 23, 20142 votes

I think they should leave the players alone, I can't even amount the stress a lot of players already have to deal with, they're literally fighting for their job. The last thing riot should do is test their integrity. Besides I think players should be able to smoke marijuana to relax.

KzooCrasherOct 23, 20141 votes

What drug testing? Give Esports some sense of legitimacy? Nah lets just let them do drugs instead of making it more legit in the sports community

Who SoupOct 24, 20141 votes

I think they should leave the players alone, I can't even amount the stress a lot of players already have to deal with, they're literally fighting for their job. The last thing riot should do is test their integrity. Besides I think players should be able to smoke marijuana to relax.

So you're saying it's ok for players to cheat?

XaihadyOct 25, 20141 votes

I think they should leave the players alone, I can't even amount the stress a lot of players already have to deal with, they're literally fighting for their job. The last thing riot should do is test their integrity. Besides I think players should be able to smoke marijuana to relax.

So you're saying it's ok for players to cheat?

Cheating? Are you kidding me? These aren't physical sports, they're primarily mental. There really is no way to cheat in a biological sense. Like was said above:

"Esports on the other hand are mainly mental. So what medication or drug can you take to improve your mental status and still not be considered cheating? Would meditation be banned because it increases endorphins that allow pros to stay calm and collected during matches, or just meds?"

Austin CovelloOct 25, 20142 votes

They should just ban energy drinks and mountain dew. :P

FoolerOct 25, 20141 votes

darien plz

prozak82Oct 28, 20141 votes

first wed need to determine if any drugs actually help you win games easier or if it's just speculation. mental performance is harder to quantify than physical performance