Fatal1ty at Computex

By Alex Villafania, hackenslash Reporter
INQUIRER.net

JOHNATHAN WENDELL is everywhere. The man whose nickname is Fatal1ty is the world’s most popular professional video game player and may perhaps be the richest, having earned about half a million dollars in cash and prizes by joining competitions, not including his many sponsorships and endorsements.

During the recently held computer exhibit Computex in Taiwan, Fatal1ty made his presence as a player, giving tips to wannabe video game professionals. For three days, Fatal1ty played one-on-one against guests of the giant computer exhibit in the fast-paced first-person shooter Quake 4. Of course, he was never beaten.

In all of his competitions during Computex, Fatal1ty never died a single time and was always on target, almost never losing a shot in what seemed to be a superhuman capability to anticipate the enemy’s random moves. His skills were honed through years of intense and dedicated playing.

Fatal1ty became known in the professional video gaming world in 1999 as a third place winner in the Quake III Arena Tournament. He also plays Counter-Strike and Call of Duty. Since then, he has won half a million dollars and a Ford Focus. He has also been endorsing computer peripherals from Creative Labs, Zalman and of course Universal Abit.

Fatal1ty himself explained to the audience that he practices eight hours a day and does physical exercise for at least two hours. He also told would-be professional gamers that video games are as serious as any sport and should be treated as such.

“It develops skills and coordination. Besides, it’s fun for the player and the spectator,” he said.

On the other hand, his visit to Taiwan was not just about playing against video game players but also to endorse motherboard manufacturer Universal Abit, which created the world’s first computer motherboard series bearing the name of a person, simply called the Fatal1ty series.

Universal Abit started manufacturing the Fatal1ty motherboards a few years back as a niche market board for gaming enthusiasts. The latest model introduced in Computex 2007 was the Fatal1ty AN9 32X, which uses AMD multicore processors as well as graphic card maker NVIDIA’s chipset the nForce 590 SLI. This is among the most powerful gaming motherboards in the market and also among the most expensive at around $170 to $200.

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