Company News
NOVEMBER 6, 2008
Tom's Hardware Launches First Worldwide Overclocking Championship
SEPTEMBER 16, 2008
Bestofmedia Group Acquires Computing.Net
JULY 16, 2008
Bestofmedia Group Attracts $35 million in Growth Funding from Index Ventures
MARCH 12, 2008
Bestofmedia Group Announces Exceptional Performance in 2007
MARCH 7, 2008
Tom's Guide Exceeds 5 Million Page Views Five Months After Launch
DECEMBER 4, 2007
Toms Holiday Buyer's Guide 2007 Picks the Best Technology Gifts
OCTOBER 16, 2007
TG Publishing LLC Changes Name to Bestofmedia LLC
SEPTEMBER 25, 2007
TG Publishing LLC, a Bestofmedia Group company, Rebrands TwitchGuru to Toms Games
AUGUST 1, 2007
Gear Digest Announces Back-to-School Guide for Consumer Electronics and High Tech Products
JULY 17, 2007
Tom's Hardware Launches System Builder Marathon
JUNE 28, 2007
TG Publishing LLC, a Bestofmedia Group company, appoints Antoine Boulin as CEO
JUNE 19, 2007
TG Publishing and John Wiley & Sons Announce a Partnership to Deliver High-Tech Publication Content Online
JUNE 5, 2007
TG Publishing's Tom's Hardware Provides Coverage of COMPUTEX Taipei 2007
MAY 21, 2007
TG Publishing's Gear Digest Launches Fathers Day and Graduation Buyers Guide
MAY 16, 2007
Tom's Hardware Guide and iRobot Launch Create Challenge Contest for Robot Enthusiasts
APRIL 16, 2007
TG Publishing and Bestofmedia Group Merger Creates Tech Publishing Powerhouse
FEBRUARY 6, 2007
TG Publishing Announces Gear Digest, the Online Resource for Accurate Information on Consumer Electronics and Technology Products
JANUARY 7, 2007
TG Publishing Provides Unparalleled Editorial Coverage of the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
NOVEMBER 29, 2006
SmallNetBuilder to Reach High-Growth Segment of Technology Buyers and IT Decision Makers
NOVEMBER 16, 2006
TG Publishing Launches Merchant Hound for Online Price Comparisons
OCTOBER 25, 2006
TG Publishing Launches Maximum Impact™ Advertising Programs for Technology Marketing
AUGUST 29, 2006
TwitchGuru Exposes Video Gaming's Dirty Secret: Narcotic Drug Use Among Players at Tournaments and LAN Parties on the Rise
AUGUST 28, 2006
More Than 60 Nvidia and ATI Graphics Cards Go Head to Head in Tom's Hardware Guide's Latest Benchmark Comparison Charts
AUGUST 21, 2006
MobilityGuru's Back-to-School Buyer's Guide Educates Students on the Best Computer Products for Their Buck
AUGUST 14, 2006
Tom's Hardware Guide Celebrates Tenth Anniversary with One-of-a-Kind $10,000 PC Giveaway
JULY 27, 2006
TG Daily Interviews Intel's Top Mobility Products Executive: New Core 2 Duo Threatens AMD's Long Reign
TwitchGuru Exposes Video Gaming's Dirty Secret: Narcotic Drug Use Among Players at Tournaments and LAN Parties on the Rise
LOS ANGELES, August 29, 2006 - TwitchGuru's investigative report on the little-known underside of video gaming culture reveals that many teen and twenty-something male gamers are turning to narcotics as performance enhancers. By using powerful stimulants and creative drug combinations like Ecstasy and Viagra, they seek to gain a competitive advantage or heightened sensory experience at social gaming tournaments and LAN parties, where groups of a few to many thousand gather to connect their computers to enable multiplayer games.
With $100,000-plus cash prizes fueling increased participation at tournaments, gamers have a greater incentive to use Ritalin, methamphetamine and cocaine if they believe it will prevent fatigue and give them an edge on the competition. Event promoters and professional gaming organizations do not allow drugs but have not instituted a testing policy, effectively contributing to a potential "steroid era" for gaming in its evolution to becoming accepted as a true sport in its own right.
Marijuana and video games have been a popular combination for years, but more recently gamers relied on such energy drinks as Red Bull, Rockstar and Monster and then rapidly progressed to amphetamines and nootropics - so-called "smart drugs" that boost cognitive abilities. The shift from recreational drugs and caffeinated stimulants to the more potent and effective narcotics does not surprise Dr. Maressa Orzack, a psychologist at Harvard Medical School and the founder and coordinator of the Computer Addiction Services clinic at McLean Hospital in Newton, Massachusetts.
Orzack treats video game addiction and believes that frequent game playing can lead to many gamers trying illicit substances to enhance and prolong their play. "Amphetamines and methamphetamines are becoming popular and can certainly help you stay up for long hours and probably helps enhance the excitement," Orzack says. "A lot of gamers, particularly the addicted ones, try to find ways to avoid sleep and keep their concentration."
In an ongoing series of articles, TwitchGuru will explore gaming's new drug culture and examine how it will affect the social LAN parties as well as the future of professional gaming competitions. Filing the first report from gaming's frontlines, TwitchGuru's Aaron McKenna attends a LAN party where snorting Ritalin and consuming other stimulants is commonplace in the quest for ultimate endurance.
To read the complete article, go to:
Gaming's New Drug Culture: Sex, Drugs and Counter-Strike
About TwitchGuru
TwitchGuru is the premier lifestyle publication for the gaming generation. It fills the niche where video games, movies, and pop culture intersect with in-depth reporting on gaming culture, gaming reviews and cult game faves plus behind-the scenes looks at the film industry.
About Bestofmedia Group
Bestofmedia Group (www.bestofmedia.com/us/) is one of the top-three online media publishing companies for technology in the world with over 30 million readers a month. It is the publisher of Tom's Hardware (www.tomshardware.com), Tom's Guide (www.tomsguide.com), Tom's Games (www.tomsgames.com) and other leading web publications. Bestofmedia Group provides real-time technology product reviews, forums, news, technical support, and information to millions of IT professionals, technology decision makers, business executives, consumers, corporate buyers, industry analysts, tech enthusiasts and purchasing influencers. Bestofmedia LLC is headquartered in Culver City, California and is owned by Bestofmedia Group.