Doping for e-sports: Does pro gaming have an Adderall problem?

New York, New York - The use of Adderall and other medication that help people focus might make you think of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD), but according to reports by The Washington Post and PCGamer, there might be widespread use of the stimulants among gamers in e-sports.

Pro gamers abuse Adderall, but it isn't really making them better players.
Pro gamers abuse Adderall, but it isn't really making them better players.  © Collage: IMAGO / agefotostock, IMAGO / AFLO

The players turn to Adderall as a kind of performance enhancer to sharpen their response times and reflexes during games, in what some players call doping.

According to the US Anti-Doping Agency, stimulants are classified as Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) and are 100% prohibited in professional sports, but in e-sports, the rules aren't nearly as clear.

At the moment, regulations either don't exist, or if they do, they have loopholes big enough to drive a semi full of Adderall through them.

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For example, players at in-person competitions can keep popping the pills if they show proof of needing the medication, and since most pro games are online, it's virtually impossible to keep tabs on what players are using when they compete.

It's also important to add that Adderall only improves your ability to focus for longer than usual. It doesn't affect the key skills and reflexes you need to rise to the top of e-sports, so if you don't have those skills, no amount of Adderall can help you win.

So, since there is no solid evidence that Adderall or similar drugs really make gamers better, so are they so common in pro gaming?

The placebo effect

The placebo effect is when you get better because you believe you will.
The placebo effect is when you get better because you believe you will.  © IMAGO / agefotostock

Sometimes, simply believing a pill will help you feel better actually does make you feel better. This is the mind-hacking power of the well-researched placebo effect, which might also be in play with pro gamers abusing Adderall.

PCGamer also put forward the interesting theory that maybe the reason players feel like they play better on Adderall is because they have untreated ADHD. There's already some evidence that having attention deficit disorder leads to playing more video games.

On the other hand, it turns out that people who get the biggest kick from stimulants like Adderall are the least likely to have ADHD. A study showed that genetic susceptibility to amphetamines is inversely proportional to the of having that disorder.

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There is a dark side to the good feels amongst users who don't have ADHD. Those people will build up a tolerance to Adderall and similar drugs, which means they need higher doses for the same feel-good effects – the perfect recipe for addiction.

Pro Call of Duty gamer and former Adderall user, Huke, spoke on YouTube about his own story with the drug in the context of competitive e-sports. He recalled winning an event "with Adderall and the feeling afterwards wasn't that great."

His gaming experience while using ended up being quite toxic: "I was playing out of anger rather than joy."

This is all before we even get to the possible side effects of Adderall, which range from minimal discomfort like dry mouth, to an increased risk for people with heart problems.

Pro gamers definitely don't need to abuse Adderall to be the best in the world, but right now, the temptation is strong for many.

Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO / agefotostock, IMAGO / AFLO

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