Teenage angst of top PC gamer

TJ- · Jun 21, 2005, 04:18 AM

A weekend in 1994 changed the life of the world's top PC gamer forever.

When Johnathan Wendel was 13 years old, his mother scuppered his ambition of becoming a top pool player.

She had stopped him from taking part in the qualifying rounds for a US national competition.

"My parents had divorced a year earlier and it was my mum's weekend so I couldn't go," said Johnathan, who is better known under his gaming alias, Fatal1ty.

The frustration he felt after training hard with his manager led to a steely determination in Johnathan to stop this happening again.

Taking a gamble

Fast-forward to five years later, and a young man who had been playing video games from the age of five.

Johnathan recalls how he heard about people who played video games professionally, winning local tournaments for big cash prizes.

"I wanted to see how good I was," he told the BBC News website. "I wanted to have my one shot at doing something and succeeding."

Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel
By now he was living with his father, who was concerned about where his son was heading.

"He wanted me to get a job or go to school full-time because I was going to college part time, working part time and gaming full-time," says Johnathan.

"I told him, 'let me go to this one tournament and if I can make any amount of significant money I'm going to keep on doing it. If not, I'll go to college full time'."

His father agreed and Johnathan went on to win third place in the tournament and bag a pot of $4,000.

From that point on, there was no turning back.

"Ever since then I've been travelling the world, playing games and winning tons of money," says Johnathan.

He has earned a fan base around the globe, winning six Cyberathlete Professional League championships, the only gamer ever to do so.

He is Doom 3's first ever world champion, according to the Twin Galaxies' Official Video Game and Pinball Book of World Records, the industry's official record book.

Johnathan has even become a brand. In January he reached a deal with Creative Labs to design gaming peripherals and accessories to be sold under the Fatal1ty
name.

Drakon · Jun 21, 2005, 04:22 AM

I'd kick his a$$ anyday... LOL

Sargentwhitey · Jun 21, 2005, 05:09 AM

Odd story :/ I guess it takes a lot of skill to get two whole lines of products produced under your name

The_Neon_Cowboy · Jun 21, 2005, 05:19 AM

He plays only over lans 100mbps/1000mbps networks the rare time if online he has to
host the sever. Meaning he never deals with something called "lag" that requires more
"skill".

Haveing being in the gameing an lan scene I'd never herd of him before he was "fluffed"
by abit to sell product. excpet for "maybe" seeing the name in a clan video. He does things
like "bunny hopping" to move faster then normal people can in game wich other consider
lame & same as cheats. Others that haveplayed has maid claims but thats just rumor

some of the wins hes credited with are where he was part of a TEAM there is no "I" in
team.Yet he seems to net 105% of the credit. He wouldn't be nearly as popular or well
known if ABIT a more recently drowning PC company wasn't piping him and his atlas to
sell product. Creative picked up on trying to use him to sell stuff more recently. Though
the products are no better or worse then they would be with out the added title.

You have to watch the way he's advertised to in stuff PR articals. Little mistakes i notice
like in this one for example:

"Johnathan has even become a brand. In January he reached a deal with Creative Labs
to * design gaming peripherals and accessories to be sold under the Fatal1ty name. "

*The word "help" as in the scence to provide limited feedback and ideas is missing.
Not the way you could percive it from that sentance...

If i ever see him at an event I will of course have to play him and decide for my self how
"good" he is win or loose. There are better and worse players out there rest assured they
just don't get paid for it Or thier names plasterd all over. There are people that I wipe the
floor with and probubly vice versa would wipe the floor with me. But I wonder how many
players play him more then once? becouse evey time i play when i came back i'm better
then before. You lern how they think and how they play and learn thier weak and strong
points. For exampke you can play someone good as in knows the game from mouths or years of play and learn to beat them in "hours".

Also just becouse he can play a hand full of games well doesn't mean he verry good in
every game either. The list of games he played offically was verry "limited" before like
quake 3 and a couple others least that i could find record of. There is also a big diffrence
in a normal gamer VS one that is payed to play the game all day long and master it.
Especally if he for example was or is allowed to play / master a game before realese then play against people who haven't played long becouse the game hasn't been out long. Even the betas that leaked would give you an edge...remember he's the winner of the first ever doom III tourney. I know I played the beta's.... People like that with out doubt get to see 1st looks, play the game 1st etc.. etc..

"QuakeCon 2004 will be the hotspot for gaming this summer, with the very first DOOM3
tournament being held at this years event. No date was set for the actual release of the
game, but the tournament begins on August 12th, the first day of QuakeCon"

"With the first appearance of DOOM 3 at QuakeCon 2004, last year's tournament was
wide open; none of the competitors had an opportunity to practice or learn the
subtleties of the game. Now, players have had a full year to hone their skills and put
them to the test in a 1-on-1 battle for $50,000 in cash. "

So he one he one he 1st ever tourney VS a group of people that never played the game before... Wow what a skill

I think the companies are a fool to put so much into a now 24 year old kid as in if
he even gets busted in trouble or anthing he's the spokesman front person for thier
company. Just like how dell was ashamed when the dude you getting dell guy who got
busted with marijuna. They Pulled him from thier ads and was never used again last
I ever herd of him.... But some nasty PR for Dell.... Now just image if the guys name
was on the PC's and all over the place...

I play at lans for "fun" though I've neve messed with any of the tourneys I'm sure
i've played the same guys that play in it on the many severs... Alot of noobs as well
as skilled players...

Though i looked him up in the past since he was making headlines and had never herd
of him before. I really don't care... Just get tried of seeing a name plasterd all over things
as being the best gamer ever .when I can garentee with out any doubt there are better gamers out there.... As sure as the sun will rise and set tomarrow...

MSX · Jun 21, 2005, 07:22 AM

No argument there neon.

I was hoping they would have more "gamer" oriented things on such products... but no such luck.

Zardon · Jun 21, 2005, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Neon_Cowboy

He plays only over lans 100mbps/1000mbps networks the rare time if online he has to
host the sever. Meaning he never deals with something called "lag" that requires more
"skill"....

lol everytime I see fatality threads, neon is right there busting his a$$

The_Neon_Cowboy · Jun 21, 2005, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zardon

lol everytime I see fatality threads, neon is right there busting his a$$

Jun 21, 2005, 04:18 AM	#1
TJ- DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Infinity Posts: 3,679 Rep Power: 0	Teenage angst of top PC gamer A weekend in 1994 changed the life of the world's top PC gamer forever. When Johnathan Wendel was 13 years old, his mother scuppered his ambition of becoming a top pool player. She had stopped him from taking part in the qualifying rounds for a US national competition. "My parents had divorced a year earlier and it was my mum's weekend so I couldn't go," said Johnathan, who is better known under his gaming alias, Fatal1ty. The frustration he felt after training hard with his manager led to a steely determination in Johnathan to stop this happening again. Taking a gamble Fast-forward to five years later, and a young man who had been playing video games from the age of five. Johnathan recalls how he heard about people who played video games professionally, winning local tournaments for big cash prizes. "I wanted to see how good I was," he told the BBC News website. "I wanted to have my one shot at doing something and succeeding." Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel By now he was living with his father, who was concerned about where his son was heading. "He wanted me to get a job or go to school full-time because I was going to college part time, working part time and gaming full-time," says Johnathan. "I told him, 'let me go to this one tournament and if I can make any amount of significant money I'm going to keep on doing it. If not, I'll go to college full time'." His father agreed and Johnathan went on to win third place in the tournament and bag a pot of $4,000. From that point on, there was no turning back. "Ever since then I've been travelling the world, playing games and winning tons of money," says Johnathan. He has earned a fan base around the globe, winning six Cyberathlete Professional League championships, the only gamer ever to do so. He is Doom 3's first ever world champion, according to the Twin Galaxies' Official Video Game and Pinball Book of World Records, the industry's official record book. Johnathan has even become a brand. In January he reached a deal with Creative Labs to design gaming peripherals and accessories to be sold under the Fatal1ty name. Read More

Jun 21, 2005, 05:09 AM	#3
Sargentwhitey Has a JOB.. Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: NJ Posts: 1,473 Rep Power: 0	Odd story :/ I guess it takes a lot of skill to get two whole lines of products produced under your name __________________ Mobile:Intel Celeron M 1.5GHz, 40GB WD, 1GB PC24000, Intel Mediocre Graphics 2, SB Audigy 2 Notebook

Jun 21, 2005, 05:19 AM	#4
The_Neon_Cowboy HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 16,009 Rep Power: 90 System Specs	He plays only over lans 100mbps/1000mbps networks the rare time if online he has to host the sever. Meaning he never deals with something called "lag" that requires more "skill". Haveing being in the gameing an lan scene I'd never herd of him before he was "fluffed" by abit to sell product. excpet for "maybe" seeing the name in a clan video. He does things like "bunny hopping" to move faster then normal people can in game wich other consider lame & same as cheats. Others that haveplayed has maid claims but thats just rumor some of the wins hes credited with are where he was part of a TEAM there is no "I" in team.Yet he seems to net 105% of the credit. He wouldn't be nearly as popular or well known if ABIT a more recently drowning PC company wasn't piping him and his atlas to sell product. Creative picked up on trying to use him to sell stuff more recently. Though the products are no better or worse then they would be with out the added title. You have to watch the way he's advertised to in stuff PR articals. Little mistakes i notice like in this one for example: "Johnathan has even become a brand. In January he reached a deal with Creative Labs to * design gaming peripherals and accessories to be sold under the Fatal1ty name. " The word "help" as in the scence to provide limited feedback and ideas is missing. Not the way you could percive it from that sentance... If i ever see him at an event I will of course have to play him and decide for my self how "good" he is win or loose. There are better and worse players out there rest assured they just don't get paid for it Or thier names plasterd all over. There are people that I wipe the floor with and probubly vice versa would wipe the floor with me. But I wonder how many players play him more then once? becouse evey time i play when i came back i'm better then before. You lern how they think and how they play and learn thier weak and strong points. For exampke you can play someone good as in knows the game from mouths or years of play and learn to beat them in "hours". Also just becouse he can play a hand full of games well doesn't mean he verry good in every game either. The list of games he played offically was verry "limited" before like quake 3 and a couple others least that i could find record of. There is also a big diffrence in a normal gamer VS one that is payed to play the game all day long and master it. Especally if he for example was or is allowed to play / master a game before realese then play against people who haven't played long becouse the game hasn't been out long. Even the betas that leaked would give you an edge...remember he's the winner of the first ever doom III tourney. I know I played the beta's.... People like that with out doubt get to see 1st looks, play the game 1st etc.. etc.. "QuakeCon 2004 will be the hotspot for gaming this summer, with the very first DOOM3 tournament being held at this years event. No date was set for the actual release of the game, but the tournament begins on August 12th, the first day of QuakeCon" "With the first appearance of DOOM 3 at QuakeCon 2004, last year's tournament was wide open; none of the competitors had an opportunity to practice or learn the* subtleties of the game. Now, players have had a full year to hone their skills and put them to the test in a 1-on-1 battle for $50,000 in cash. " So he one he one he 1st ever tourney VS a group of people that never played the game before... Wow what a skill I think the companies are a fool to put so much into a now 24 year old kid as in if he even gets busted in trouble or anthing he's the spokesman front person for thier company. Just like how dell was ashamed when the dude you getting dell guy who got busted with marijuna. They Pulled him from thier ads and was never used again last I ever herd of him.... But some nasty PR for Dell.... Now just image if the guys name was on the PC's and all over the place... I play at lans for "fun" though I've neve messed with any of the tourneys I'm sure i've played the same guys that play in it on the many severs... Alot of noobs as well as skilled players... Though i looked him up in the past since he was making headlines and had never herd of him before. I really don't care... Just get tried of seeing a name plasterd all over things as being the best gamer ever .when I can garentee with out any doubt there are better gamers out there.... As sure as the sun will rise and set tomarrow... __________________ Last edited by The_Neon_Cowboy; Jun 21, 2005 at 10:57 AM.

Jun 21, 2005, 04:22 AM	#2
Drakon DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Floatin'... Posts: 4,957 Rep Power: 56	I'd kick his a$$ anyday... LOL

Jun 21, 2005, 07:22 AM	#5
MSX Burning the frozen... Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 1,201 Rep Power: 0	No argument there neon. I was hoping they would have more "gamer" oriented things on such products... but no such luck.