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Games Entertainment

The World of Competitive Gaming 318

Posted by Zonk from the i-would-have-picked-a-better-handle dept.
cphilo wrote to mention an article in the AP about the world of competitive gaming. From the article: "Welcome to the basement lair of the 24-year-old Wendel, the man known and feared by aficionados of multiplayer games across the globe as 'Fatal1ty.' If you deign to think of video games as simply a childish pastime, consider this professional game player. He collects a six-figure salary, has his own brand of gaming merchandise and travels the world to compete - regarded by those in the know as one of the most gifted players of his kind."
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The World of Competitive Gaming More

The World of Competitive Gaming

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  • He's not pro! (Score:5, Funny)

    by toupsie ( 88295 ) on Sunday November 20, 2005 @04:53PM (#14077261) Homepage
    He is a freaking CAMPER!!!
    • I found this very funny.

  • The Girls... (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 20, 2005 @04:54PM (#14077269)
    And the girls... you can't imagine the girls these professional game players get in addition to that six figure salary.

    • Re:The Girls... (Score:2, Interesting)

      by keyrat rafa ( 856668 )
      If you've seen him on MTV (True Life: I'm a gamer), you see that he does actually manage to pull girls doing this, or they make it seem that way. On the other hand, they also show a guy who is the world's best Golden Tee player, and he looks like he totally lost the game of life.

      Also, comptetitive game playing can be extremely interesting to watch. Just take a look at this SF2 tourney highlight:

      Ken vs Chun-Li EVO 2004 [google.com]
    • Clearly you know nothing of women. Money = women. Rich, ugly men have no problems getting women way above their level. Are you really that ignorant?

  • Out of Touch with an Old Reality (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Quirk ( 36086 ) on Sunday November 20, 2005 @04:56PM (#14077284) Homepage Journal
    ... travels the world to compete

    Not to take away from the guys accomplishments but will a time come when we all but do away with the need to press the flesh?

    Why do we need to gather and mingle in the face of the web, the very essence of which is near instantaneous communication at a distance. This reminds me of those who need to print out hard copies of material in order to study it properly.

    Do we gain or lose signal to noise when we gather to celebrate our heroes?

    I keep a few fundamental books at hand's reach but other than those and the turn over of new material taken out from a library, I'm much more comfortable and able to take from an e format than from dead tree material, and, I can learn more from another at a distance than when merged in a touchy feely mind meld.

    • Re:Out of Touch with an Old Reality (Score:5, Insightful)

      by PDXNerd ( 654900 ) on Sunday November 20, 2005 @05:01PM (#14077323)
      Humans are physical creatures. We touch, smell, feel, and love. I participate in teleconferences all the time, even some with video. Something is lost when you can't reach over and whisper a snide remark in someone's ear.

      I am a book collector, and have many old books. Something about the fact that many people have touched them and loved them makes them all the more special. I have about 10 copies of the Rubiyat of Omar Kayyan - none any less than 80 years old. Something about the different artwork, leather covers, hand-written notes that conveys a continuity, a chain of humanity to them.

      Shaking the hand of the world's best gamer is really no less.

      Is this gamer real? Is he a person or a bot that a marketing exec thought up to encourage the Future Gamers of the World to play more games in the hope that they too can make money by sitting on their arse? Never underestimate the phyiscal world and our need to *physically understand* something.

      • Precisely! Technology extends the range of options, but does not have to do away with the old options. Most of my gaming is via computer, but that doesn't make card night with old friends any less valuable.

        >I have about 10 copies of the Rubiyat of Omar Kayyan - none any less than 80 years old. Something about the different artwork, leather covers, hand-written notes that conveys a continuity, a chain of humanity to them.

        I share the feeling (... and covet your collection, twice the size of mine.)

        The

    • Humans are social creatures and the need to "press the flesh" will exist long past our lifetimes.

      In this case Fatal1ty is a legend, a sort of real myth. He doesn't get paid to play well, he gets paid to make public apperances. Fans want to see him. They want to hear him talk. The want to watch him play, not his avatar.

    • Re:Out of Touch with an Old Reality (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Jeff DeMaagd ( 2015 ) on Sunday November 20, 2005 @05:28PM (#14077461) Homepage Journal
      I question the need to remove physical interaction. Big example: given the choice, would anyone here really chose cybersex over sex in person?

      Or brought down several notches, I suspect that most people would prefer to be in person for basic conversations whenever reasonably possible. Telephones, VoIP, video conferencing are all simply second-rate substitutes that come on for convenience's sake when the expense of being in person isn't possible or justiable.

      Conferences and trade shows are great if you can go, they are great ways to build a social network, great ways to actually try things out in person rather than trusting text descriptions and photos on the web.

      • Re:Out of Touch with an Old Reality (Score:5, Funny)

        by seagis ( 187551 ) on Sunday November 20, 2005 @06:09PM (#14077690)
        Big example: given the choice, would anyone here really chose cybersex over sex in person?

        You realize, don't you, that it's a bit of a stretch to think that most of the people here will have the opportunity to make such a choice?

        ;-)
      • would anyone here really chose cybersex over sex in person?

        For fun I would..., with a twist. Consider the possibility of all the male geeks who masturbate having a method for home storage of their sperm, (they might want to store some off site for redundancy). Maybe at the time they're alone in their mom's basement jerking off to porn their chances of finding a mate are slim, but who's to say in time they might become highly sought after and their late adolescent and early adult sperm might be preferable

    • Because it's fun to go to an event and compete and see people and have fun.
    • ...will a time come when we all but do away with the need to press the flesh?

      Likely not until fibre is everywhere.

      Travel for professional gamers is a requirement. The internet has this nasty thing that ALL gamers hate called "lag" (varied and fluctuating ping that causes noticable hiccups in the game). The problem for the pro is that lag can be the difference between 1st place and last place. When money is on the line it's LAN play all the way for any serious gamer.
    • There's online competitions, but cheating and latency are big issues. A LAN setting is required when money is at stake.
    • There is a very good reason why people print out hard copies "in order to study it properly". The eye is able to perceive, and thus it is easier for the brain to understand, reflected light as opposed to transmitted light. CRTs and LCDs emit light into your eye, paper will reflect it. That's why people print out hard copies, because it is actually easier to study it properly.

      Likewise, there is much more to be learnt about and observed by someone in the flesh as opposed to via a webcast. So I'd say no, there
      • There''s no physical difference between reflected and transmitted light. They're both just photons and not perceived by the idea any differently, if they're the same wavelength and intensity. The crucial difference is that the light you use to read a book is usually a lot brighter than the light your monitor emits and the image has more detail.
    • Not to take away from the guys accomplishments but will a time come when we all but do away with the need to press the flesh?

      No. And that's mostly because it proves he's a real person. How would one tell a very skilled player from a corporate-sponsored bot? Think along the lines of the movie S1m0ne [imdb.com].
      I suppose that'll be the next big thing... don't beat Deep Blue at chess, frag it at Quake4! ;)

  • But still.. (Score:5, Funny)

    by slashmojo ( 818930 ) on Sunday November 20, 2005 @04:57PM (#14077295)
    regarded by those in the know as one of the most gifted players of his kind.

    But still a nerd with no sex life. (presumably)

    "Gaming is so much fun and so relaxing," he said. "I don't see why anyone would want to stop playing."

    Yep, no sex life is confirmed..

    Yes I am still very jealous ;)

  • sure "the best" (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Turn-X Alphonse ( 789240 ) on Sunday November 20, 2005 @04:58PM (#14077299) Journal
    I very much doubt he's the best gamer ever as they try to make out. "Pro gaming" is based on abusing bugs, short cuts and general lamer tactics. The type of people who bunny hop around maps using the rocket launcher to frag you as you spawn, collecting all the weapons before anyone else can get to them.

    I don't care how much people get paid, I refuse to play with people who abuse these bugs (and trust me, they all do. It's become socially acceptable) and I outright refuse to call any of these people "pro".

    • Re:sure "the best" (Score:2, Informative)

      by briancarnell ( 94247 )
      Understanding and exploiting the game to its limits is not "abusing" bugs.

      Learn To Play.

      • Re:sure "the best" (Score:3, Insightful)

        by tomstdenis ( 446163 )
        The point to video games is to have fun, not win.

        When you sacrifice any sense of competition [e.g. spawn camping, unbalacing teams, tk'ing] you just make the game a waste of time. This is largely why I don't MP [well that and the lag].

        Tom
        • All the things you talk about (spawn camping, etc) are things that can be frusterating. Nobody wants to have frusterating things done to them.

          There are two classes of these kinds of things:

          1) Unfixed problems in the game. If there *really is* a single, simple strategy, using knowledge of the game's rules that lets you easily beat anyone using any other strategy, then the game is simply broken. On the other hand, very, very few people play games like this.

          2) Strategies that you are not willing to counter.

        • Re:sure "the best" (Score:3, Interesting)

          by masklinn ( 823351 )
          The point to video games is to have fun, not win.

          The point of sports, likewise, is to have fun, not win...

          Do pro-sports seem any less acceptable to you?

      • Re:sure "the best" (Score:5, Interesting)

        by PDXNerd ( 654900 ) on Sunday November 20, 2005 @05:05PM (#14077358)
        I agree. Knowing and using the limitations of a system is the mark of someone who wants to win, not necessarily an abuser.

        Hiding in a wall hack is cheating. Bouncing around a map using rockets on rocket arena requires talent.

        Each game has it's own limitations, and each fight has it's own strategy. Many British generals decried the foul tactics of the American Revolutionary army as they used guerilla tactics. Come out and fight us face to face! Line up in bright colors! Don't attack during tea time!

        Do you want to win or have a long set of rules? If it's the rules, go play D&D, not FPS. You (and the rest of us who won't have to listen to Yet Another Whiner) will be happier.
        • "Each game has it's own limitations, and each fight has it's own strategy. Many British generals decried the foul tactics of the American Revolutionary army as they used guerilla tactics. Come out and fight us face to face! Line up in bright colors! Don't attack during tea time!" Fortunately, we're playing a game, not shooting at each other on actual battlefields. So fun counts, and players have some responsibility to make sure other players are having fun. Most games are meant to be fun if everyone jus
          • So fun counts, and players have some responsibility to make sure other players are having fun.

            Fun counts as long as people want it to count.

            This guy is a pro-gamer, he takes part in pro-gaming tournaments, and he has fun doing it.

            Noone involved in pro-gaming tournament is *forced* to do it, they do it because they want to, and for some because they have fun in doing so.

      • "exploiting the game"

        Says it all.
      • It's the same kind of lame thinking that leads to crap in more traditional sports as well, from squeezing another guy's testicles in a football pile [cnn.com] so he lets go of the ball to milkshaking [all-creatures.org] in horseracing and everything in between.

        Good sportmanship will always be an ideal to uphold and strive toward.
    • Most leagues have rules or modes that severely curtail lamer tactics. Also, if it's a team-based game, then usually they're already nerfed.

      Any competitive conoutner-strike or team-based league I was in was devoid of any lamer tactics when you got into a high enough level. Those tactics might work great on big public servers, but they need to change when playing someone good.

      As far as spawn killing goes, some people consider it a very large part of the game -- playing cat and mouse, and trying to outsmart

    • Re:sure "the best" (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 20, 2005 @05:43PM (#14077560)
      From someone who takes part in competitive gaming and is very knowledged on the subject, it is very hard to deny him of being the best gamer (in terms of FPSs). He has an unparalleled track record in past competitions, and has continued to prove his place at the top. The only rival that Fatal1ty currently has is "Vo0", a Norwegian player that has traded many matches with him. Fatal1ty is definately is above the rest.

      "The type of people who bunny hop around maps using the rocket launcher to frag you as you spawn, collecting all the weapons before anyone else can get to them."

      I'm failing to see how this is considered an "exploit" or "lamer tactic". It is a very viable strategy that, when attempted versus other players of high calibre, CAN be countered.

      Keep in mind that the higher level players do not fall into the holes that average players would. Actual strategy is employed to avoid being spawn fragged, locked out of weapons, etc, whereas the average player would throw up his hands in frustration.

      Your claim that pro-gaming is based on abusing bugs and shortcuts is ridiculously unqualified and shortsighted.

    • Re:sure "the best" (Score:4, Informative)

      by ToxicBanjo ( 905105 ) on Sunday November 20, 2005 @05:58PM (#14077639)
      Seeing how abusing bugs, short cuts and general lamer tactics will get you booted and/or banned from most organized gaming I can't agree with your statement.

      There is a HUGE difference between knowing and using a map to it's full potential and exploiting bugs.

      Bunny hopping is something I personally don't like but I don't see anything "cheat" worthy about it. Neither is spawn camping with a rocket launcher. It's just part of the game.

      I'm sorry but when I read your collecting all the weapons before anyone else can get to them I actually laughed out load... quite hard too. The whole point of the game where there are many weapons is to limit the amount your opponent can get thus maximizing you potential to frag the hell out of 'em.

      I think you're confusing PRO with NOOB. I've been in many MP servers in all kinds of games and it's the same crap all the time. Get pro's playing against each other and you'll see some of the best game play you could imagine.

      (and trust me, they all do. It's become socially acceptable)

      I don't and no it has not. Exploits get you banned, simple.

    • Re:sure "the best" (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Bootvis ( 913169 )
      Maybe you should watch the pro's play. Which you obviously didn't because pro's don't play the game like you described

      You getting owned != opponent abusing the game

    • Re:sure "the best" (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Verloc ( 119412 )
      I refute that. I agree that it's a different game than a casual player would play, but to watch a duel between two of the best players out there (q3 is what I know) is an exercise of instinct and grace. I've seen 1v1 games between players like ZeRo4 and Cooller and been marvelled at the kind of shots, jumps and movement they can pull. It is a skill and it can be stunning. If one person is using the rocket launcher to spawn kill, the other ususally made a mistake to get into that position. There are 4v4

    • Re:sure "the best" (Score:5, Interesting)

      by friedmud ( 512466 ) on Sunday November 20, 2005 @06:10PM (#14077699)
      You have obviously not seen him play then...

      I have, _several_ times at Quakecon and let me tell you it is unbelievable. He will play just hard enough to screw with his opponent... only whipping out the "tricks" when he needs them.

      For Quakecon 2004 he was setup in the Abit booth and was playing people for spectacle... if you could even kill him _once_ you got a prize. If you could beat him then you got a whole new computer.... only a few people got a prize at all.

      One of the memerable moments from watching him play was when he was taking on a beginner in Doom3... Fatal1ty ran into a room and knew the guy was coming behind him... he shot out all of the lights and crouched in a corner... while his opponent ran _right_ past him... the crowd HOWLED with laughter and his opponent swung around dumbfounded until he got a shotgun in the face.

      Fatal1ty plays _so_ often that he is basically one with the game... he knows every nook and cranny of every map and knows exactly which weapon to use in every situtation... he also has an uncanny ability to predict the behaviour of his foe.

      Go see him play sometime... then tell me he is some kind of "lamer".... I think you will be surprised.

      Friedmud
      • Sounds like a better test of his skill would be having him play on never-before-seem maps.

        • Re:sure "the best" (Score:3, Insightful)

          by friedmud ( 512466 )
          I guess that depends on the "skill" you are trying to test... it takes a _lot_ of skill to analyze a map... and be able to effectively utilize your knowledge of the map. I've played most of the maps used in Quake3 competition a _lot_ (as in, at my peak I was playing 4 to 5 hours a day), but I still get completely owned by the pro's because their ability to use the maps to their advantage is superior to mine.

          That said, I do agree that it would be interesting to plop down a bunch of the pro's in never before

        • My be, even though actually knowing the maps is part of gaming (even at non-pro level).

          That's pretty equivalent to satellite image and "real world" intelligence: you know how the field is, you can devise which tactics your opponent is likely to use, and you can try to counter or outsmart is.

          At pro-level, everyone knows the maps, in fact most tournaments run on very specific (and quite small amounts of) maps, chosen for various factors (fun, balance, tricks, points of interrests, ...) and knowing them by h

  • If you can smoke and drink while doing it.... (Score:5, Funny)

    by st0rmshad0w ( 412661 ) on Sunday November 20, 2005 @04:58PM (#14077301)
    ...its not a sport, and you're not an athelete.

    Just saying.

  • A Child Prodigy (Score:5, Interesting)

    by nmb3000 ( 741169 ) on Sunday November 20, 2005 @04:59PM (#14077306) Journal
    Another professional gamer, this one only 7 years old, is LiL Poison [lilpoison.com].

    Now this is a child prodigy. Pbbbt...that other kid [slashdot.org] only got to college by 8.
  • A real-life Player of games [amazon.com] (no, it's not an affiliate link...). Of course we're missing some of the Culture [bris.ac.uk] yet...

    I recommend the book, btw, but then most of the 'M' banks (the sci-fi stuff) is pretty damn good...

    Simon

  • Frausters (Score:5, Interesting)

    by LiquidCoooled ( 634315 ) on Sunday November 20, 2005 @05:01PM (#14077325) Homepage Journal
    Ok, theres a user here on slashdot called Fatal1ty [slashdot.org]

    What are the chances now that this guy is the real one, or its just a troll using his name?

    How much respect does a name get you, and how would an online site decide who was the real Fatal1ty?
    (I only ask this after taco's recent ponderment about WoW banning his account)
    • "fatal1ty" is not a terribly original name, though. It *may* be that someone registered this account after reading about this guy, but it's just as possible that it's coincidence. leetspeak-ifying a common word, especially one that's both fashionable (as far as nicknames are concerned) and gaming-related, like "fatality", is not the pinnacle of creativity.
    • On a gaming site you get more respect for being proven, your complaints are taken as valid rather than just whining. On any other site, nobody really cares. Ingame, a lot of the 'famous' people fakenick just to avoid harassment. Unless you're actually competing, you're better off not letting others even know who you are. People either give you shit for it or start cheating or whatever. Much more fun to ace them as ":)" and let them look up your id later.

  • Big $$$ talk generally misleading. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by external400kdiskette ( 930221 ) on Sunday November 20, 2005 @05:05PM (#14077357)
    Remember the vast majority of people will do nothing but ruin there lives trying to make a professional career out of playing video games at this stage in time. Only a handful of reflex freaks are going to be living it up and there livelihood will depend on maintaining those skills. The vast vast vast majority of computer geeks are better off getting a programming job or something. You have more chance of making a career in the NBA, at least then a few thousand people make huge money as opposed to a handful making good money as is the case with this "career option".
  • To him I am like an unimportant background character. The one which looks impressive, but actually never manages to hit anything with the level 1 weapon he managed to gather.
  • **Sigh** Just what my middle schoolers need to hear about. Some lucky rogue that makes a living at FPS games.

    I mean, if he stepped into a pot of gold...Hey great for him. I've been playing videogames since my folks brought home an Atari 2600 back in the day. (Yow....That's like 20 years ago) Now, I'm more ancient than this fellow and I certainly can't make a living at gaming even with 20 years under me.

    I can see it now...Sitting in the Guidance Office, looking the counselors in the eye, and stating

  • Envy. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Xarius ( 691264 ) on Sunday November 20, 2005 @05:14PM (#14077394) Homepage
    I am extremely envious that this person is capable of doing this for a living, and making a good amount of money for it also. I am aware that professional gaming is no walk in the virtual park, but still it's something that I would absolutely love to do.

    And for all the people who complain about it not being a sport, or it not being fair, you're all just as jealous as myself that you can't play computer games for a living...

    I'm just saying.

    • And for all the people who complain about it not being a sport, or it not being fair, you're all just as jealous as myself that you can't play computer games for a living...

      I won't complain about him having his job....

      But I couldn't envision myself having it. Actually went to a video game college (to make them!) and after the 3rd semester, all I could think about was that I was going waste my life making products that would be enjoyed for maybe a year before it became hopelessly obsolete. Actually that wo

  • This is riduculous (Score:4, Interesting)

    by AutopsyReport ( 856852 ) on Sunday November 20, 2005 @05:23PM (#14077439)
    "I'm doing something no one else has ever done before. I'm kind of a pioneer."

    Yeah, okay. Whatever happened to Thresh [wikipedia.org], who preceeded this kid by years? Pioneer? Please.

    This fellow is far too full of himself, in part because there's so many fanboys lurking in the online community that just envy everything about him. But realistically, anyone could win these tournaments. He is nothing special -- he just happened to dedicate more time than most to become exceptionally good. So what does it require to win? An insane amount of time spent in front of the computer, and a little bit of insanity for good measure.

    • Re:This is ridiculous (Score:5, Insightful)

      by kms1 ( 23201 ) on Sunday November 20, 2005 @06:26PM (#14077778)
      I think by saying he is a pioneer he's referring to the fact that he's the first to make a steady living off of competitive gaming. Thresh was probably equally dominant, but there just wasn't the corporate interest in gaming that there is now.

      Also, there are plenty of people who dedicate huge amounts of time to these games, and very few are anywhere near his league. You can't discount his talent by writing it off as just time spent playing. That would be like claiming that Tiger Woods is just good at golf because he practices more than anyone. There is definitely an element of talent involved in playing these games.
    • An insane amount of time spent in front of the computer, and a little bit of insanity for good measure.

      I'm not disagreeing with you but that can be said of any champion in any field. I know a lot of us come from a background where natural talent has given us an advantage that we never really had to put any real effort into doing something, mainly in school. When you are near the top of your game though, it's usually passion and obsessive dedication that makes the difference and to me that makes the vict

  • I can see (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    why he chose Fatal1ty over W3ndell.

  • Passion for winning (Score:5, Interesting)

    by polv0 ( 596583 ) on Sunday November 20, 2005 @05:32PM (#14077489)
    I was a competitive quake3 player, in the clan stickmen, and used to play with fatal1ty before he won his first major tournament. I would travel to Kansas City and LAN with him for a few days, and what most people don't realize is that he is truly obsessive about playing. He would put in 15 hour days 7 days a week, exericise to keep in good physical shape, and study the game, and more importantly, it's players, incessantly. Any time I had an advantage over him in a 1v1 map, we would play it over and over and over again untill he had learned all of my patterns.

    Few people appreciate how much passion he has for winning.
  • Is there a FPS game out there that has done a good job of keeping hacks out? I play Return to Castle Wolfenstein [activision.com], based on the Quake 3 engine, and there are plenty of players who can see through walls, and others that seem to have a supernatural sense of aim. I hear even the punkbuster enabled retail version has been hacked.

    It seems trusted computing may help this some in the long term, but I find it hard to trust that I'm not wasting my time fighting an impossible opponent at times.
  • I've played against him before, he co-founded a LAN party I helped organize in my city (Lee's Summit, MO). It's amazing how good he is at the games he plays. About the income, think about it. The first year he won the CPL, he won 50,000 dollars, a contract with the original Razor mouse company, and then went on to make money in other various tournaments around the world. Hell, he drives a Ford Focus around town that he won by being the best. Now he's got the (arguably) most gamer-oriented hardware company i
  • The key to making this a successful sport that supports lots of professionals is viewers- if you can't fill a stadium or arena or have millions watching on tv then there isn't going to be a lot of money in it. Watching someone sitting in front of a computer doesn't make for a good viewing experience (millions of shitty webcam photos to prove that, even when there is cleavage involved), and the games themselves aren't yet so visually stimulating that watching but not playing is all that worthwhile for exten

  • Fatal1ty? More like pipe-tality! (Score:3, Interesting)

    by illumina+us ( 615188 ) on Sunday November 20, 2005 @07:11PM (#14078030) Homepage
    Some pro-gamer fat' is. During the Pain Killer world tour he hid in the rafters of a map for the remainder of a match because he was afraid of losing. Competitive gamer my ass.

  • Get over your envy some were just born with skills (Score:4, Insightful)

    by TheNarrator ( 200498 ) on Sunday November 20, 2005 @07:17PM (#14078071)
    I went to high school with some very talented professional atheletes. One guy was a pro-snowboarder and skater. The guy was good at every single sport he tried. At the local cafe/video game parlor he got the highest score anyone had ever seen on 720 and he didn't even play that often. I spent a lot of time at this particular cafe and had never seen anyone even get close to matching his performance.

    Another example, the wife of a friend of mine who's a native born Czech went target shooting and on her first try she had almost perfect aim.

    So the moral of the story is, stop being envious, look for your natural talents, and develop them.

  • Interesting to note... (Score:3, Informative)

    by apederso ( 619173 ) on Sunday November 20, 2005 @07:28PM (#14078135)
    That if you go to this guys site http://www.fatal1ty.com/players/?players=f [fatal1ty.com] and click on his picture, and click on his record this is what you see for 2005:

    --------2005-------
    (1v1)
    2nd - CPL Turkey Qualifier for Spain (PainkilleR) - Instanbul, Turkey
    4th - CPL Turkey World Tour Stop (PainkilleR) - Instanbul, Turkey
    6th - CPL Spain World Tour Stop (PainkilleR) - Barcelona, Spain
    2nd - CPL Brazil World Tour Stop (PainkilleR) - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
    2nd - CPL Sweden World Tour Stop (PainkilleR) - Jonkoping, Sweden

    Certainly better than I would do, but he is losing to people. Good, but I don't know how much of the talk about 'the best in the world' isn't just marketing and PR. Most stories like this that you see on AP newswire and the like are there because of PR firms. My bet is that we are seeing him now becuase Abit wants to make sure they are getting thier moneys worth from their deals with him.

  • From his web page: (Score:4, Interesting)

    by deadlocked ( 864900 ) on Sunday November 20, 2005 @10:11PM (#14078822)
    Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel started professional gaming in 1999 by entering the CPL (Cyberathlete Professional League) tournament in Dallas and won $4,000 for placing third. Emerging as one of the top players in the United States, he then flew to Sweden where he competed in a tournament against the top 12 players in the world. By winning 18 straight games and losing none he took first place, becoming the number one ranked Quake III player in the world. Two months later he followed that success in Dallas by successfully defending his title as the world's best Quake III player and winning the $40,000 grand prize.

    Since then Fatal1ty has traveled the globe to compete against the best in the world, winning prizes and acclaim, including the first DOOM 3 Inaugural Deathmatch Championship at QuakeCon 2004 for a $25,000 grand prize. He presently reigns as the only 3 time CPL Champion of the Year, winning each, annual title in a different game, a feat never before accomplished.

    Now, products of the highest quality are being introduced under the Fatal1ty brand. The same dedication that drives Fatal1ty to be the world's best gamer is being translated to offer innovative products intended to enhance the gaming lifestyle and experience. At the same time, Fatal1ty is dedicated to expanding the popularity and opportunities for cyber athletes.
    -------------

    It is possible to view recordings of matches in most FPS games today. Websites like cyberfight.org and esreality.com has quite an archive.
    However, most of these replays requires the respective game and any additional mods and maps installed in order to view the replay, in order to save size. I would recommend watching a video compilation. own-age.com is a site with many videos in the most popular games, and this is the link to the top downloaded video. it features mostly highlights in Quake 3. http://own-age.com/vids/video.aspx?id=660 [own-age.com]

    If you arent familiar with Quake3, it will be very hard to spot anything but fancy moves and aim when you're spectating "pro" players, but keep in mind that there is a high level of tactics involved. Pay attention to item timing.
    I would recommend watching this video as a starter. It requires Quake3 with newest pointrelease and the mod "OSP". It is played on the custom map ztn3tourney1, so you will have to get that too. It features two swedish top players at ESWC2005.
    It is recommended to use "DemoShowCreator" (DSC) or similar to view the replay as it may be tricky doing it manually if you havent done it before. Here are some step by step instructions http://esreality.com/?a=longpost&id=35018&page=3 [esreality.com]

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