Pro Gamer Fatal1ty Talks Tactics, Endorsements

An anonymous reader writes "Quake master Johnathan Wendel, better known as Fatal1ty, talks about his life and the professional gaming scene over at ZDNet. Asked how he keeps his reflexes sharp, he said: 'I use the same tactics in 'Quake' that I used in tennis. It's all about mind games, knowing what your opponent's thinking, knowing where a shots going to go. Anything in a computer game, I can relate it to something in sports I've played. The rail gun (the heaviest weapon in 'Quake') -- that's like going for the overhead slam in tennis. You set 'em up and then you drive it home with your hardest shot. It's like all the shots in tennis are, back and forth, trying to get them off balance. And when you do, you slam it down their throat. Same as gaming.'"

Re:Sports

[Neppy]

You'll never know. One day you might see a Quakefest on ESPN2.
I really doubt it. Videogames tend to focus on a single players perspective, as opposed to established sports like basketball, football, soccer, baseball etc. Notice how all those games use a ball to focus attention, and are readily viewable from an "exterior" point of view. Watching someone play quake when you get only a single person's perspective is pretty shallow compared to watching a whole team. until games jump this gap they wont be taken seriously as sports.

Serious ego problem

[DeathPenguin]

Comparing himself to Micheal Jordan? Oh puh-leeze. Jordan could piss in a bottle and sell it as perfume. This "professional gamer" is worth nothing compared to a real athlete.

Re:Sports

[TwistedGreen]

Ever hear of spectator cameras?

Disadvantage of going pro in computer games

[TheLink]

Games like golf, tennis, basketball, chess, etc have been around for a long long time. If you're pro in these games, by the time the game changes significantly due to technology you'd have retired or something.

In contrast with computer games, people tend to _change_games_ quite rapidly. OK so people are still playing counterstrike and starcraft, but will enough people be playing it in years to come, in order to make it worth being a pro? Not many people are still playing Doom, or Quake 1.

Thresh was very good at Doom, Quake but is he still a pro-gamer?

Fata1ty speaks of a basic priciple....

[StressGuy]

of combative sports.

In the course of my life I've participated in various forms of swordplay (sabre, shinai, boken, medieval styles, etc.) and have coached others on the same. In all forms of combat, there is a fundamental truth - the person who controls the space between the combatants wins. This is true for his tennis match, a football game, a chess game, hand-to-hand, swordplay, or total war.
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During a typical contest, there will be moments when you have control and moments when you don't. When you do, you strike - immediately. When you don't, you get the hell out of the way and re-engage under more neutral circumstances. The whole trick is to get control of the space between you and your opponent and strike before he can react.
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Between novice fighters, combat is like a game of "rock-paper-scissors" as both opponent throw various moves and techniques without much thought as to what the other person is doing, where his center of gravity is, etc. However, between experienced fighters, it's like watching an intricate dance as both opponents try to out position and out think each other....very cool to watch.

Er, was that comment necesary?

[AzraelKans]

But don't get too jealous. He travels too much to settle down and still lives in the basement of his father's house.

Did you HAD to mention that in your article Zdnet? I pretty much doubt this guy HAS to live with his parents, you already stablished he makes enough money NOT to, I also doubt he doesnt have at least a girlfriend (/boyfriend if thats his taste I dont care) you are just mentioning he is not married or in a serious relationship the guy is 22! what was the point of making hardcore gamers look like rejected kids who live in basements? you tried to be one until you remembered how much you sucked in quake or what?

Seriously is time for the media to realize GAMER is not a social stereotype, anyone can be a gamer we are just people who like videogames just like people who like reading books or watching movies, thats all! We dont tattoo pacman to our foreheads, we dont go screaming "HALO/MARIO FOREVER" through the streets thats nonsense, we are guys and girls with normal lives and normal jobs. not a small ethnic race desserving study.

Computer Geeks on the other hand...