Dennis Fong (AKA Thresh)
Hailed as one of the most successful professional gamers not just for his gaming ability, but his smart business sense which led him to invest his professional gaming earnings into various online media and social platforms. The sale of his brain child, Xfire, and the profits of his current ventures render him the most financially fulfilled professional gamer.
| Game(s) To Fame? | Doom I, Doom II, Quake I, Quake II, Quake III, StarCraft |
| What's Up Now? | Gamers.com, Raptr.com, WeGame.com |
| The $$$ Figures | $102,000,000 (Xfire's Selling Price), 1 (Official FPS Matches Lost) |
Tom Taylor (AKA Tsquared)
T2 has not only appeared on the front page of The Wall Street Journal, but was labeled Stuff Magazine's "Most Influential Person Under 30" as well. He is currently in the employ of the Major League Gaming for a three year contract worth $250,000 plus prizes and endorsements. His most recent campaign with Dr. Pepper has probably done the most for professional gaming awareness in North America.
| Game(s) To Fame? | Halo: CE, Halo 2, Halo 3 |
| What's Up Now? | Major League Gaming, Dr. Pepper, MTV's True Life: I'm A Professional Gamer |
| The Numbers | $250,000 (Major League Gaming Contract), 175,000,000 (Dr. Pepper Bottles Featuring Tsquared) |
Manuel Schenkhuizen (AKA Grubby)
Regarded as the world's best Warcraft III player for most of his seven year career, the "King of Orcs"' victories at the World Cyber Games have landed him in the tournament's hall of fame. He is now in residency with his third team, the North American clan Evil Geniuses, along with his Singaporean model-turned-professional-gamer Cassandra Ng.
| Game(s) To Fame? | Warcraft III, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne |
| What's Up Now? | Warcraft III, Cassandra Ng |
| The Numbers | 5 (Consecutive Warcraft 3 MVP Awards), 12 (Countries Whose Top Player Have Been Defeated By Grubby) |
Lee Jae-Dong (AKA n.Die_Jaedong, Jaedong, JD)
Probably my personal favorite on this list, Jaedong is a South Korean StarCraft player who is hailed as the best Zerg player worldwide, even recognized as the best player worldwide by the Korean E-Sports Association. His gaming hand has been forever immortalized onto a piece of clay, which is traditional when being accepted into the South Korean Hall of Fame.
| Game(s) To Fame? | StarCraft |
| What's Up Now? | Rank #1 Worldwide (Korean E-Sports Association), Rank #2 ELO Ranking |
| The Numbers | $110,000 (Hwaseung Oz Yearly Contract), 2809 (ELO Ranking) |
Johnathan Wendel (AKA Fatal1ty)
Fatal1ty is probably the most recognized name on this list, and to call him one of the most accomplished cyber athletes this world has seen is an understatement. He plays on hardware from his own brand name, developed by Creative Labs, Intel, and other esteemed technology product manufacturers. He now resides in Las Vegas, happily making money as a Full Tilt Poker Pro, and enjoying a steady steam of revenue from his online gaming gear store.
| Game(s) To Fame? | Quake III Arena, Unreal Tournament 2003, Painkiller |
| What's Up Now? | FATpads, Fatal1ty.com, Full Tilt Poker |
| The Numbers | $500,000 (Accumulated Prize Money), 672 (Frags In 60 Minutes, Guinness World Record), 13 (Games Competed In At Professional Levels) |
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