Many players in the Overwatch League use medications to enhance their performance. At least that’s what one player from the league claims.
The Overwatch League might have a problem with performance-enhancing drugs. At least that’s what player Timo “Taimou” Kettunen asserts in one of his streams.
What did Taimou say? During a Twitch stream, Overwatch player Taimou, who currently plays for the Dallas Fuel in the Overwatch League, spoke about an issue in the league. “Twenty players or more” are using the drug Adderall to improve their in-game performance. If drug tests were to be implemented in the league and the drug were banned, that “would be a big problem for many teams.”
What is Adderall? Adderall is actually a medication designed to help with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Due to its “positive side effects,” such as increased and prolonged attention and faster reaction times, it is also used by many Overwatch players in the league, according to Taimou.
Overwatch wants to keep and bring back players without drugs.
Even in Germany, there have been problems with similar medications for years. For example, students use Ritalin (which has a very similar effect) to get through tough exam phases and study more effectively (via faz.net).
No drug tests in Overwatch: In many esports leagues, drug tests are standard to check players for certain substances beforehand. This is not the case in the Overwatch League, and Nate Nanzer from Blizzard stated that they would “continue to discuss drug tests in the future.” So far, the reason against it is that “scientific studies would need to show that certain substances make one better at video games.”
As long as this is not the case, it seems that no drug tests will be conducted in the Overwatch League.
When Nanzer was specifically asked about Adderall, he simply stated that “Adderall would be a legal medication in America and there is no data suggesting that it makes anyone better at playing Overwatch.”
Do you think drug tests should be a normal part of the Overwatch League? Or should we really wait until studies prove that substances enhance performance in video games?
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