The World's First Esports Pro - Dennis "Thresh" Fong | PROfiles

In this week's PROfile we would like to recognize the achievements and legacy of Dennis "Thresh" Fong. Thresh is a Guinness World Record holder, has played both DOOM and Quake at the highest level, and is one of the pioneers of modern competitive gaming as we know it.

After his time as a professional gamer, Thresh has gone on to pursue his career as a businessman. Dennis Fong and his brother, Lyle Fong, founded GX Media, a predecessor to Gamers.com, FiringSquad, and Lithium Technology. In 1999, the company had more than 100 employees and raised $11 million. Fong also co-founded Xfire, a messaging client for gamers which was later acquired by Viacom, and in 2007 founded Raptr, which has raised more than $12 million. One of Raptr's latest and most popular projects is Plays.tv, a free gameplay capturing software that allows its users to create a 20-second video clip and upload it to share it with one's friends.

Video credit for some of the clips in this video goes to TWiT Netcast Network, TheAGPTour, PhobosLabratory, and ESL.

Chapters

0:00 Introduction to Thresh

0:49 The state of early esports

1:42 Rise of a gaming legend

2:21 Dominating tournament play

3:57 Maintaining championship form

5:27 Red Annihilation victory

6:35 Post-retirement entrepreneur

7:22 Enduring legacy in gaming