One thing that has consistently struck me when interviewing the luminaries in Architects of Tomorrow is how humble and ordinary most of them feel during the interview. Many of them might tell you they were just lucky. Not so with Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel, arguably the most accomplished professional gamer in the world. His unabashed and unapologetic approach definitely set him apart in this collection.
WVW: How did you feel when showing up at your first world tournament?
Wendel: It was definitely exciting. I mean, going to a LAN event where there are 1,000 gamers or more, and all the top gamers from all around the world there, it makes it really intense! When arriving at the tournament, I knew I had what it took to win it and dominate anyone I played against. I played against tons of gamers in the BYOC [Bring Your Own Computer] area, and I was playing extremely well. I didn't lose one game the whole time in the BYOC. During the tournament, I was playing flawlessly the whole time, just winning every game with ease every time. Then I finally had a tough match against one gamer named DethStalker. I literally felt like I was playing in my very first tournament again, where my nerves were going crazy and I couldn't shoot for anything. So I had to resort to 100% strategy and no aim. Fortunately, it worked out for me, and I came away winning 11 to 9.
After that match, I believe I finally lost one match, and I was in disbelief. I swore I was unbeatable. So after that match, I decided it’s all balls out now, and just play like you do at home. From there on out, I was winning every match again with ease and then I had to have a rematch with the guy who beat me earlier in the tournament. It was a very thrilling match. It actually went into overtime, and about two minutes in, I finally got the last kill while shooting him in the back with the lightning gun to win it. I remember I threw off my headphones, and I'm like, “Thank God!”
No comments:
Post a Comment