The 9 biggest moments in pro gaming

From grrrl gamer victories to Fatality's emergence as a bonafide star, GamePro presents the world's first pro gaming highlight reel

We'll be candid in our ambivalence. Compiling a list of professional gaming's greatest moments seems a tad premature.

The Cyberathlete Professional League and World Cyber Games have only been around since 1997 and 2000, respectively. But as this nascent form of eSports garners increased national exposure - gamers are inking lucrative endorsement deals, major TV networks are covering it -- the very culture of gaming is being pulled to the forefront. It certainly feels like pro gaming is teetering on the cusp of widespread commercial success on the level of other alterna-sports like Hold'Em Poker and Mixed Martial Arts.

So, premature as it may be, the GamePro editors have sized up the nine most important pro gaming moments to date. We've also put them in the context of other traditional sports milestones.

Enjoy!



9. The first big girl gamer victory

Part of the success of gaming leagues -- and video games in general (see Nintendo Wii) -- may be predicated upon the long term strategy of appealing to a broader-no pun intended-audience.

In order to attract the masses, half of which are female, female fans must be shown that girls can not only compete against smelly boys, but win and win big. That's why the Frag Dolls' victory at CPL 2006 is such an important moment. "Psyche, Valkyrie, Seppuku and I dominated in Rainbow Six: Vegas, says Alyson "Calyber" Craghead.

It was the first time an all-female team took first at a professional video game tournament. The pro gaming world took immediate notice. Girl Power!

Sports-world analogy: Manon Rheaume breaking the gender barrier in professional sports as the NHL's first and only female player.


8. Fatal1ty goes MTV

"The key to any successful media company," says Ted Owen, CEO of the Global Gaming League, "is getting your product in front of eyeballs." That means television. The NBA resurrected and revived its image in the 70s and 80s by judiciously applying this ethos, and by leveraging the popularity of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. ESPN's nightly coverage of the sport cemented the connection.

By partnering with TV networks across the country to cover not just the sport but the very culture of basketball, the NBA quickly cultivated a link between basketball and urban youth. The Global Gaming League, USA and DirecTV are blazing the same path with eSports and gaming. The germinal seed for placing pro gaming in front of the TV viewing audience, however, was planted with MTV's True Life: I'm a Pro-Gamer, featuring Jonathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel.

Sports-world analogy: ESPN's inaugural SportsCenter broadcast


7. Thresh wins John Carmack's Ferrari

Massive stadiums, orgiastic fireworks displays and exorbitant prizes are the norm for nearly every sporting event, today. Just look to the Super Bowl. Or any All-Star Game for that matter.

To be successful, sports have to be larger than life; they have to be a spectacle. In eSport's case, Red Annihilation at E3 in 1997 was undeniably the foundation for future tournaments and festivals. At this event, staged around E3, Quake creator John Carmack put up his custom Ferrari 328 GTS Cabriolet as a grand prize for a nationwide online Quake tournament. Dennis "Thresh" Fong took first place and drove home in Carmack's sweet ride.

Sports-world analogy: Doctor J winning the first Slam Dunk Contest in 1976.

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