To say that the contest was one-sided would be a pathetic understatement. In the finals, Fong faced off against Tom “Entropy” Kimzey in the Castle of the Damned. Quake players memorized every square inch of it, and spent matches whizzing around it at breakneck speed, picking up the armor and health upgrades that were scattered about, and stalking each other with their ridiculously overpowered weaponry. The map in question was called “Castle of the Damned,” a system of interconnected rooms, corridors, and water-filled canals. Willits’ map is where Fong put esports on the map. He jokes that since Tim Willits is the one who designed the Quake map that the competitors at Red Annihilation faced off upon, he deserves some credit too. “A lot of people say that me winning that Ferrari in 1997 put esports on the map,” Fong tells the crowd at QuakeCon. Fong’s stunning and dramatic victory made it one of the most memorable moments in the history of esports. The unique prize alone would have made the Red Annihilation tournament singular. “Over the last two years, he has never lost.” That would hold true for the rest of his career – he would retire without anyone besting him, in practice matches as well as in tournament play. Fong has become a legend,” a breathless August 1996 front page story in the Wall Street Journal noted. “Among the ranks of the oft-manic PC gaming set, Mr. Not just high level shooter tricks like rocket-jumping – using the blast of your own weapon to propel yourself into the air – but fundamental things like the WASD key configuration that most keyboard-and-mouse games now employ as standard. Fong also popularized numerous gameplay techniques. In his mid-teens, he had an agent, and he racked up a six-figure annual income from tournament prizes, sponsorship deals, and appearance fees. “He created a legacy that has helped push the entire esports industry forward.” “He was the Michael Jordan of gaming,” gushed Tim Willits, creative director of Id Software ( DOOM, Quake), who introduced Fong. He was the first person to play games professionally and was honored with induction into the esports Hall of Fame earlier this month at the annual QuakeCon in Dallas, Texas. There will never be another cyberathlete like Dennis “Thresh” Fong, because there simply aren’t as many trails to blaze.
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