Dennis Fong

Computer games aren't just for fun anymore -- there is real profit to be made. Dennis Fong, who goes by the name Thresh online, is one of the first to reap the benefits. At the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Atlanta in June 1997, he silenced friends and family, who thought he might be wasting time shooting pixelated enemies in virtual dungeons, when he drove off in the grand prize of the Quake tournament there, a red Ferrari.

He went on to win the Quake tournament at the first Professional Gamers League finals in Seattle in January 1998. But that victory was marred when observers noticed the Berkeley company he helped found, Gamers Extreme, had a professional consulting relationship with the league.

Fong answered the critics by placing all his chips on his skills as a professional gamer. He resigned from his company to devote his efforts to professional computer gaming.

David Sims asked Thresh what makes for a really good Quake player. (Recorded Jan. 14, 1998.)

» read interview
» hear interview
Job
Professional Gamer

Home
Berkeley, Calif.

Recent accomplishment
Won the Quake tournament at the first Professional Gamers League championship in Seattle in January, 1998. In June 1997, won a Ferrari in a Quake tournament at the E3 conference in Atlanta.

First time on the Internet
"It was probably playing a game. ...In a MUD [Multi User Dungeon] That's probably when I first interacted with someone on the Internet."

Optimistic statement about online gaming
"It brings people into a community like no other. You can make so many friends just by playing people online and chatting with them afterwards."

Pessimistic statement about online gaming
"It gives people a false sense of security. For some people, it almost becomes their life. For others, they think that when they're in the safety of their home, behind their computer, they can act ways they wouldn't normally -- really cocky and arrogant, overall jerks. ...I think that really hurts the community."