View source for Dennis Fong

{{Short description|American professional esports player (born 1977)}}
{{Original research|date=March 2008}}
{{Infobox eSports player|
| name          = Dennis Fong
| image         = Dennis Fong at QuakeCon 2016.jpg
| caption       = Thresh at [[QuakeCon]] 2016
| nickname      = Thresh
| birth_date    = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1977|3|11}}
| birth_place   = [[British Hong Kong]]
| nationality   = [[United States|American]]
| team          =
| career_games  = ''[[Quake (series)|Quake]]<br />[[Doom (franchise)|Doom]]''
| career_start  = 1995
| career_end    = 1997
}}
'''Dennis Fong''' ({{zh|t=方鏞欽|s=方镛钦|j=fong1 jung4 jam1|p=Fāng Yōngqīn|first=t}}), better known by his online alias '''Thresh''', is an American businessman and retired [[esports|professional]] player of the [[first-person shooter]] video games ''[[Quake (series)|Quake]]'' and ''[[Doom (series)|Doom]]''. He is a co-founder of [[Xfire]], an instant messenger and social networking site for [[gamers]], which was acquired by [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]] for {{usd}}102 million in April 2006.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="salon" /> He also co-founded [[Lithium Technologies]], a social [[customer relationship management]] (CRM) company. In his playing career his highest profile victory came in 1997 at the [[Red Annihilation]] ''Quake'' tournament, where he placed first and won [[id Software]] CEO [[John Carmack]]'s [[Ferrari 328]]. Fong is recognized by the ''[[Guinness World Records]]'' as the first professional gamer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-person-to-be-a-professional-video-gamer|title=First professional videogamer|work=guinnessworldrecords.com}}</ref>

== Playing career ==
[[File:Thresh at Comdex in 1997.jpg|thumb|Thresh (foreground) at a video game competition for a vendor at [[Comdex]] in 1997]]
Fong began playing ''Doom'' at the age of 16 in 1993. He first chose the pseudonym "[[Threshold of Pain]]", which referred to the ability to withstand enemy fire and suffering. However, as many games had an eight-character ID limit, he went with "[[Threshing|Thresh]]" and liked the word's meaning of "to strike repeatedly".<ref name="the item" />

[[File:John Carmack & Dennis Fong (Thresh), May 1997.jpg|thumb|right|Thresh in the Ferrari he won. [[John Carmack]] stands to the right, and second-place finisher Entropy is in the background above Thresh.]]

Fong attended the [[Microsoft]]-sponsored ''Doom'' tournament Judgment Day 1995 in [[Seattle]] and defeated Ted "Merlock" Peterson to finish first among 24 competitors from across the US and [[United Kingdom]].<ref name="the item">{{cite news|last=Joseph|first=Lawrence E.|title=Master Blaster|work=[[The Item]]|date=December 31, 1996|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1980&dat=19961231&id=kJI0AAAAIBAJ&pg=5586,7736916&hl=en|access-date=June 19, 2015}}</ref>

The highlight of his gaming career was at the [[Red Annihilation]] tournament in 1997. He and Tom "Entropy" Kimzey emerged from a crowded field to face off in the ''[[Quake (video game)|Quake]]'' level E1M2 "Castle of the Damned", where Thresh defeated Entropy 14 to -1.<ref name="mastersdoom">{{cite book | last=Kushner | first=David | title=Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created An Empire And Transformed Pop Culture | publisher=[[Random House]] | at=[https://archive.org/details/mastersdoomhowtw00kush/page/n88 89] | year=2003 | isbn=0-375-50524-5 | title-link=Masters of Doom }}</ref>

At the peak of his gaming career in the middle to late 1990s, he earned approximately $100,000 (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=100000|start_year=1997}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) a year from prize money and endorsements.<ref name="washington post" /> He retired in 1997 to focus on his business ventures.

On July 27, 2016, Thresh was the second person to be inducted into the [[ESL Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eslgaming.com/article/world-s-first-pro-gamer-dennis-thresh-fong-receive-esports-hall-fame-spot-quakecon-2016-3148|title=World's first pro-gamer Dennis "Thresh" Fong to receive Esports Hall of Fame spot at QuakeCon 2016|work=eslgaming.com}}</ref> Fong has also been featured in ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' for his gaming prowess.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Baker|first1=Chris|title=Meet Dennis 'Thresh' Fong, the Original Pro Gamer|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/meet-dennis-thresh-fong-the-original-pro-gamer-w437184|magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref>

== Business ventures ==
Fong and his brother [[Lyle Fong|Lyle]] started GX Media,{{when|date=June 2015}} the parent company of Gamers.com, FiringSquad, and [[Lithium Technologies]]. Fong was the [[CEO]] of the company and Lyle was the [[chief technical officer]]. The company grew to 100 employees.

In 1999, GX Media raised over US$11 million from [[CMGI]] and built gamers.com, a popular [[web portal]].<ref>[https://www.forbes.com/1999/11/12/mu8.html Thresh plays the portal game] Marius Meland, Forbes, 11.12.99</ref><ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1999/12/15/BU66885.DTL&hw=MSN+GAMING+ZONE&sn=002&sc=829 Video Game Champ Creates Web Portal] Kelly Zito, San Francisco Chronicle, December 15, 1999</ref><ref name=bizjournals /> Fong's Ferrari was parked in the lobby of the GX Media offices. In 2001, gamers.com was acquired by [[Ziff-Davis]].

While running GX Media, Fong was also editor-in-chief at the video gaming site FiringSquad, wrote a monthly column in the popular [[PC Gamer]] magazine and co-authored the official [[Quake II]] strategy guide with Jonathan Mendoza and Kenn Spear Hwang.<ref>{{cite book|title=Official Quake II: Strategies & Secrets|last1=Mendoza|first1=Jonathan|last2=Fong|first2=Dennis "Thresh"|last3=Hwang|first3=Kenn "Spear"|date=November 1997|publisher=Sybex Inc.}}</ref>

GX Media spun off [[Lithium Technologies]], a leading Social CRM platform provider that counts [[AT&T Inc.|AT&T]], [[PlayStation]], [[Verizon]], [[Comcast]] and [[Best Buy]] as some of its customers. The company has raised over $40 million from [[Benchmark Capital]], Emergence Capital, Shasta Ventures, [[DAG Ventures]] and [[Tenaya Capital]].

Fong went on to co-found [[Xfire]], an [[instant messaging]] client designed for online gaming, that was acquired by [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]] in April 2006 for  {{usd}}102 million.<ref name=":0">[http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-9060484_ITM Entrepreneur Launches His Third Interactive Computer-Gaming Company.] San Jose Mercury News. 01-SEP-03</ref><ref name="salon">{{cite web | last = Kushner | first = David | title = The Michael Jordan of gaming | work = [[Salon.com]] | date = 2000-09-05 | url = http://archive.salon.com/tech/view/2000/09/05/thresh/index.html | access-date = 2007-06-25 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070624130155/http://archive.salon.com/tech/view/2000/09/05/thresh/index.html | archive-date = 2007-06-24 }}</ref> In 2007, Fong founded [[Raptr]], a social network and related software client for gamers. The company has raised over $12 million in financing from [[Accel Partners]].

In May 2021, Fong backed Bright Star Studios in a $2 million investment deal for the company's [[Massively multiplayer online game|massively multiplayer online]] [[sandbox game]] ''[[Ember Sword]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kaser |first=Rachel |url=https://venturebeat.com/games/bright-star-studios-attracts-new-investors-following-in-game-land-sale/ |title=Bright Star Studios attracts new investors following in-game land sale |date=December 6, 2021 |website=[[VentureBeat]] | accessdate = April 25, 2024 |archive-date=December 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203201242/https://venturebeat.com/games/bright-star-studios-attracts-new-investors-following-in-game-land-sale/}}</ref>

Fong serves as an adviser for WeGame.com Inc and previously served in the same capacity for the defunct [[Booyah, Inc.]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=435196&privcapId=47906050&previousCapId=47906050&previousTitle=Raptr,%20Inc.|title=Dennis Fong|website=[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]]|access-date=November 1, 2015}}</ref>

== Playing style ==
Fong was known for his reflexes, intuition and tactics while playing. People coined the term "Thresh [[Extrasensory perception|ESP]]" to describe his unnatural knack for knowing exactly what his opponents were doing.<ref name="1337mag">{{cite web|url=http://1337mag.com/5577-thresh-how-the-worlds-first-pro-gamer-is-still-changing-esports|title=Thresh: How the World's First Pro Gamer is Still Changing Esports|first=Jonathan D.|last=Lee|website=[[1337 Magazine]]|publisher=[[Aller Media]] |date=July 23, 2015 |access-date=November 19, 2024 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151101150659/http://1337mag.com/5577-thresh-how-the-worlds-first-pro-gamer-is-still-changing-esports |archive-date=November 1, 2015}}</ref> In 1 on 1 [[Deathmatch (gaming)|deathmatch]], he made it a priority to understand the level and "control" vital items using timed runs to repeatedly hoard them from opponents, such as the [[rocket launcher]] and armor in ''[[Quake (video game)|Quake]]''.<ref name="washington post">{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-12/23/093r-122399-idx.html | title= King of the Gamers |newspaper=The Washington Post | first= Mark |last = Leibovich | date=December 23, 1999}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.quaketerminus.com/quakebible/1on1-strat.htm|title=Thresh's Quake Bible – Multiplayer Strategies, Tactics, Tips and Hints for Quake|work=quaketerminus.com}}</ref>

Fong has been credited with popularizing the [[WASD keys|WASD key configuration]] commonly used in [[PC game|PC gaming]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/how-wasd-became-the-standard-pc-control-scheme/|title=How WASD became the standard PC control scheme|work=pcgamer|access-date=2018-10-20|language=EN-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vox.com/videos/2018/10/18/17996084/wasd-history-keyboards-video-games-thresh|title=Why gamers use WASD to move|work=Vox|access-date=2018-10-20}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Fong was born in [[Hong Kong]] on March 11, 1977<ref>{{cite journal|last=Rich|first=Mari|journal=[[Current Biography]]|title=Dennis Fong|date= August 2012|edition=Vol. 73 Issue 8 |page= 47}}</ref> and lived in [[Beijing]] for a while.<ref name="thorin interview">{{cite interview|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApRoxv2UbRg |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/ApRoxv2UbRg |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title='Reflections' with Thresh|first=Duncan|last=Shields}}{{cbignore}}</ref> His parents, David and Lena Fong, were educated in America and are US citizens.<ref name="thorin interview" /> He and his family [[immigration to the United States|emigrated]] to the United States when he was 11 years old, and he grew up in [[Los Altos, California|Los Altos]], [[California]].<ref name="salon" /><ref name=bizjournals>{{cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2000/03/13/smallb2.html?page=all|title=It's all a game for Dennis 'Thresh' Fong|last=Pitco|first=Belinda|date=March 12, 2000|website=San Francisco Business Journal|access-date=May 5, 2015}}</ref> His interests include playing [[roller hockey]].<ref name="the item" /> Fong has two younger brothers, Lyle and Bryant. Lyle helped him co-found GX Media.  He resides in the [[San Francisco Bay Area]].

== See also ==
* [[DWANGO]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}
; Additional sources
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite magazine |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/220165176/
 |access-date=April 19, 2014 |title=Thresh and blood |last1=Story |first1=Rob |date=June 25, 1998 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |pages=87–88 |id={{ProQuest|220165176}} }} {{closed access}} {{subscription required|s}} (about DeathRow)
* [http://www.cyberfight.org/offline/strategy/52/ "Thresh: the legend of Quake"]. Cyberfight.org
* [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-12/23/093r-122399-idx.html "King of the Gamers"] Washington Post.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060807123919/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_33/b3997008.htm "Valley Boys"]. Business Week cover story.
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180628171236/http://raptr.com/ Raptr]
* [http://www.firingsquad.com/ FiringSquad]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140102183306/http://www.xfire.com/ Xfire]
* [http://www.quaketerminus.com/quakebible/index.htm Thresh's Quake Bible]
* [http://www.quaketerminus.com/hosted/methosq_demos/demos/thresh0.zip Thresh vs Entropy at the final of Red Annihilation 1997] ([[Quake (video game)|Quake]] Demo file)
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3iS3k-e-Pc Youtube of the above demo with commentary]

{{Quake series}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fong, Dennis}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American chief executives in the mass media industry]]
[[Category:American computer businesspeople]]
[[Category:American esports players]]
[[Category:American mass media company founders]]
[[Category:American people of Chinese descent]]
[[Category:American people of Hong Kong descent]]
[[Category:Hong Kong emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:American technology chief executives]]
[[Category:American technology company founders]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Berkeley, California]]
[[Category:Quake (series) players]]
[[Category:People from Los Altos, California]]
[[Category:American video game businesspeople]]
[[Category:1977 births]]