Jonathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel

Shift Magazine
November 2002
By MICHAEL DOJC

In the annals of videogames, Kansas City's Johnathan "fatal1ty" Wendel is a bona fide superstar. The twenty-one-year-old full-time button masher earns six figures playing titles like Counter-Strike and Aliens versus Predator 2. He is the No. 1 seed in the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL), launched in 1997 with a mission to turn computer gaming into a legitimate spectator sport. A virtual homicidal maniac, fatal1ty -- who already has his own agent -- aims to kill and thrill. Here's what he has to say about his profession.

You're rarely killed [at press time, his record is 24-4]. How do you take it when you do lose?

It just happens; it's part of the game. You can't win every tournament. Tiger Woods doesn't win every golf tournament he goes to, but he wins the majority of them. That's what I aspire to do.

Is it stressful being at the top of the food chain?

I'm the one that everyone is shooting for. I'm the rabbit, so I have to be in the best shape every time I play out there or else it won't look good.

What's it like driving down the streets of Kansas City in the bright green customized Ford Focus (it has alien decals all over it) that you won in last year's Aliens versus Predator tournament?

I don't think you've ever seen so many heads turn in your whole life. People see the car and they're like, "Whoa!" And some of them are like, "You're that guy -- you're that guy who plays videogames for a living!"

What do you like best about all the attention you've got?

Being known as the best gamer in the world -- I think that's the ultimate. I mean even without the cash, just to have that fame of like, "Hey, this guy did it, this guy is the best gamer in the world." I really take pride in what I've accomplished through gaming.

Do you ever cramp up?

When I was younger I did cramp up, but I found ways to prevent it from happening. I used to put a towel under my mouse hand, but now I use a gel pad for my keyboard so I rest my wrists on that and it feels perfect.

Is there such a thing as being "cheap" in professional gaming?

A cheap move is never fighting a guy, always pushing him away and then running. Push then run, push then run, and then eventually when he comes over and attacks that's when you pounce on him and kill him.

What kind of power do you pack under the hood of your computer?

I have a P3-800, overclocking to 992MHz. It's fast enough to play any game out now.

What's the coolest thing in gaming right now?

Counter-Strike -- everyone's playing it all over the world. Next year, I see Doom III and Quake IV being very, very big.

Have any groupies yet?