RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Professional video gaming is big business. This year, according to The New York Times, the e-ports industry, as it's known, has more than 100 million fans worldwide and is expected to surpass $250 million in revenue. But this past week, gamers crossed the threshold into the realm of true elite sports, like baseball, football and bike racing. The Electronic Sports League announced it would begin testing players for performance-enhancing drugs. The move came after pro player Kory Friesen said in an interview that he and fellow gamers used the attention deficit disorder drug Adderall to help them focus during competition. Although drugs have already been banned among pro-gamers, up until now there has been no policing of players. E-sport team owner Hector Rodriguez told The Times, we're becoming an actual sport, so that's why I welcome it; it's an indication of growth.
(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO GAME SOUNDS)
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: An enemy has been slain. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
