With modern origins rooted in independent regional events run by gamers, for gamers; it's perhaps unsurprising inter-personal drama - and corruption - has had an ugly background presence throughout the development of professionalized organized gaming.

Turtle Entertainment's Electronic Sports League (ESL) have been a leader in developing organized "eSports", and will take the next major step toward professional competitive parity with the introduction of player drug testing.

Motherboard reports the move comes in the wake of an admission of doping from Counter Strike competitor Cory “Semphis” Friesen. He reportedly acknowledged abusing ADHD drug Adderall to enhance performance and response. All Cloud 9 teammates were said to have participated in the allegedly widespread practice during an ESL tournament in Poland.

ESL introduced Mortal Kombat X to its league infrastructure with April's Fatal 8 Exhibition Tournament, before launching Season One of the league in May. Inaugural winner Dominique "Sonic Fox" McLean (17) walked away with $60,000 in winnings. He is among the youngest players achieving success, having gained first notice in 2012.

The injection of corporate wealth has already been a catalyst for eliminating lingering conflicts of interest. This year's Evo World Championship forced the omission of Mortal Kombat X players close to development and testing, including scene stalwart: Osu16bit. Warner Brothers and NetherRealm Studios have prioritized tournament support in promotion of the game, offering several large cash prizes to events.

ESL are yet to confirm the specifics of their drug policy, which will not include retroactive policing. It is unknown if all games will be targeted for testing. Mortal Kombat Online has reached out to ESL for more information.

Drug testing will be but one of the struggles eSports faces as it pursues legitimacy beyond the niche. This year's Evo Finals saw viewership increases for most events [full story], but the costs associated with testing and independent regulation may be a bridge too far for most organizers. A cocktail of young demographics, escapist entertainment, competitive culture and unregulated events poses inherent challenges for a world already rocked by ontroversies of match fixing, hacking and exploitation. ESL Head of Communications Anna Rozwandowicz told Motehrboard they will combat this with, "... drugs policing, education, and prevention among participants of [its] competitions."