In a surprising announcement out of Washington, a sitting United States Senator has called for the United States Congress to investigate the allegations of Steroid Use in video games.

Independent Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut has called for a special investigative panel to look into the charges of rampant steroid use among prominent video game superstars made by S. Toad and Miles T. Prower in their book “Game of Pixels: Chris Redfield, EA and the Steroids Scandal that Rocked the Games Industry“. In a letter to the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Bobby Rush (D-IL), Lieberman expresses his concerns:

It is my belief that as video games continue to grow as an entertainment medium, we in the United States Congress are responsible for ensuring that these individuals set a good example for our children.

Any kind of drug abuse, whether it is intended to enhance their performance or for recreational use, should be investigated with the full authority of the United States Congress.

As Congress looks into the issue on their own time (and your tax dollar), the video game industry is also being proactive in the matter. Electronic Software Association president Mike Gallagher has enlisted the help of former video game journalist N’Gai Croal to head up an internal investigation into the matter. While the ESA is being tight-lipped about the details of the investigation so far, loose talk around the Washington D.C. headquarters is that Croal’s list of offenders already tops 100 names, some of whom go as far back as the golden age of the arcades.

All of this stems from accusations that such prominent video game personalities as Gears of War’s Augustus Cole (“cream”), former Video Game superstar Duke Nukem (“clear”) and acclaimed video game critic Ben Croshaw (Speed) have been using performance enhancing drugs for years. However, much of the book focuses on the actions of Resident Evil star Chris Redfield. In the seven years between his appearances in the Resident Evil remake and Resident Evil 5, Redfield gained some 30lbs in muscle.

In an excerpt from the book, Miles Prower describes Redfield’s alleged descent into the world of performance-enhancing drugs:

After the remake, Redfield didn’t receive the calls that he thought he would. However, it wasn’t until Chris learned that he had lost the lead role in Resident Evil 4 to his bitter rival Leon Kennedy that Chris seriously considered the “buff”, as he liked to call it.

Redfield and Kennedy had never been best of friends. In 1997, after Kennedy’s sexual advances drove original co-star, Elza Walker, off the set of Resident Evil 2, Chris’s sister Claire Redfield was cast as the new female lead. Chris was always seen on the set whenever Claire had a scene to render and one day, after Kennedy arrived an hour late and inebriated, the two came to blows. Redfield was banned from the set and production was delayed for three months while Leon healed.

The volatile combination of his desire to have the spotlight and his hatred for Kennedy eventually drove Chris to begin experimenting with SGH (Sprite Growth Hormone) and other light drugs in late 2003. He continued to use SGH sporadically throughout 2004. However, once he saw the praise Kennedy was getting for Resident Evil 4 in early 2005, Redfield began to experiment with more potent “buffs”.

Evidence of Redfield’s PED use can be seen as early as Resident Evil: Deadly Silence, where he once again reprised the role that made him famous.

At the time of this story’s publication, no response has been given to our repeated requests for a statement out of the Redfield camp regarding these accusations. However, we did hear back from the authors, both of whom stand behind their account of the events in the book.

We will keep you updated throughout the day as this story unfolds.

Popularity: unranked [?]