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Drug Testing Is Coming to E-Gaming

Lance Armstrong. Alex Rodriguez. Kory Friesen.

Kory who?

Flouting rules for performance-enhancing drugs have felled some of the biggest names in sports. Now that list could include competitive video game players like Mr. Friesen, after he boasted that he, his teammates and other professional gamers took prescription drugs to help them focus in a competition.

In response to those comments, the Electronic Sports League, one of the most successful leagues in competitive video gaming, said on Wednesday that it would test players for performance-enhancing drugs starting at a tournament in August. E.S.L. said it would work with two international agencies — the same ones that help oversee anti-doping policies for cycling, the Olympics and other sports — to create anti-doping guidelines and a testing program for players.