Free Republic

Introduction A common scene at today's LAN parties and competitive tournaments includes scores of young gamers and a very simple extra ingredient: energy drinks. Many gamers, whether they're aspiring professionals or amateurs who enjoy displaying their talents in front of an audience, will load up on Red Bull, Rockstar, Monster and other popular energy drinks loaded with caffeine, sugar, and various stimulants. But if you look harder at some of these events, you may find something else that gamers are using to stave off fatigue: Ritalin. The prescription medication - generic name methylphenidate - is a potent stimulant commonly used...

Video-game 'orgies' for devoted players By Steven Zeitchik The New York Times BUTLER, New Jersey At least once a month, James Callari, 36, grabs some cans of the energy drink Red Bull, packs up his computer and tells his girlfriend he is going out to play some video games. Don't bother waiting up, he says: he won't be back for two or three days. Callari's destination is a LAN party, an intense, almost ritualistic convocation of gamers that has been springing up - almost invisibly - all over the world. While Asian gamers have long gathered at cybercafés to play...