The world of gaming is full of legends, colourful characters and those clinging to short-lived glory. But some gamers have had a hand in influencing the way we think about games, what games we play and the way we play them. These are my picks for the Top 5 most influential gamers out there.
Jonathan Wendel – Fatal1ty
Probably the first person who came to mind when you read the title, Fatal1ty is a household name in gaming. With five World Championship titles under his belt, Fatal1ty is considered by many to be the greatest FPS player ever; crushing nerd skulls under his boot-heels in Alien vs Predator 2, Quake 3 Arena, Quake 4, Doom 3, Unreal Tournament 2003 and Painkiller. Beyond his gaming accomplishments, which have netted him over 500,000 US dollars, he is also an entrepreneur, attaching his name to various types of gaming hardware through partnerships with big names in the industry. By turning himself into a brand, successfully, Wendel showed that e-sports are no longer in the minor leagues, and with the right amount of skill and business savvy, being a professional gamer isn’t just a pipe dream.
Lim Yo-Hwan – BoxeR
Perhaps the most important gamer in this list, this man is the reason gaming has become a national pastime in Korea. When Starcraft, and competitive gaming itself, was still very much in its infancy, Lim Yo-Hwan almost single-handedly raised it to unforeseen heights. His charm, wit and dominance put gaming in the spotlight, making it a national culture, and the Korean gaming scene grew into the powerhouse it is today.
Billy Mitchell
Ask anyone in the admittedly small old-school arcade scene who the best player in the world is, and you’ll be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t say Billy Mitchell. This guy has a gift for the arcade, and has set world-record scores for Centipede, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Pacman and Burgertime. He was the first person to ever achieve a perfect score in Pacman – every dot, every piece of food, every ghost, without dying once. He did this for all 255 levels of the game, and he did it in front of a live audience; it only took him a mere 6 hours. I can’t even make it through Titanic without taking a break. There is a 256th level, but half the screen is a jumbled mess and is impossible to complete – possibly because the creators never expected anyone to ever get there. Billy Mitchell makes the list because his passion and competitive nature helped drive the intense competition in this scene, where people are still setting new records to this day. Today, when he’s not running his successful hot sauce company, he’s defending his world titles on documentaries such as The King of Kong.
“Lol, I own this kid. He doesn’t even have a chair. What a noob.”
Manuel Shenkuizen – Grubby
Grubby is just one of those gamers; talk to someone who’s never played so much as a game of Tower Defense, and they’ll still know who this guy is. He has become the poster-boy for Warcraft 3, winning tournaments consistently for years, and has helped keep the flagging Warcraft 3 community fighting on for quite some time. In fact if it wasn’t for him, the scene may have died out in the West quite some time ago. With Grubby transitioning into Starcraft 2 this year, however, Warcraft 3’s days seem numbered.
Leeroy Jenkins
You didn’t think I’d make a list without including this guy did you? His drunken ruining of a well-planned World of Warcraft raid became an overnight sensation. He made the list simply because he represents all those epic moments in gaming. Some, like Leeroy’s, are moments where a player’s foolishness results in hilarity, spoken about for years to come. Still others are remembered for their amazing showcase of skill, such as the viral video of Daigo’s perfect parry to defeat Justin Wong in Evo 2004, or your very own perfect across-the-map headshot to win your local clannie.
It reminds us that as gamers, we have something other people can’t understand. Every gamer has a look on their face that they know something you don’t; it’s that shared culture which sets us apart from others, that allows us to smirk at the girlfriends who don’t get it and the exasperated parents who’ve given up trying to make us quit – they just don’t get it. From arguments over strategy to playing until sunrise, we all have friendships, memories and epic stories that we can credit to gaming. “Hey, remember that time Leroy was drunk off his ass and we tried to do a raid and he got us all killed and it became a meme? Yeah, that was awesome.”
On a side note; if somehow you haven’t seen Daigo’s epic comeback in Evo 2004, you need to. Check it out.
Did I leave someone off the list? Am I entirely wrong? Could you crush Billy Mitchell at Burgertime? Have your say in the MyGaming forum.
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