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The Story of a Halo 2 Champion

Posted by Zonk on from the plenty-of-asskicking-to-go-around dept.

Sam Machkovech writes "My buddy Paul Kix of The Dallas Observer did some digging to uncover the life of Matt Leto (aka Zyos), whose track record places him in the top rankings of worldwide Halo & Halo 2 competitions. Professional gaming leagues are nothing new to those who know about the CPL, but this story shines a light at console-focused leagues like the MLG that may very well get the mainstream crowd interested in gaming as a viable sport, along with gamers like Zyos who buck negative stereotypes associated with hardcore gamers -- 'perhaps surprising, Leto's not a nerd. He's an athlete' -- while still kicking virtual ass. Show this article to your parents/spouses next time they harass you about your habit."

7 of 49 comments (clear)

  1. Re:An Athlete? by MikeD227 · · Score: 3, Informative

    read the article. he's a swimmer. lettered in swimming in hs. they're comparing being an athelete to being a nerd (which i suppose infers very little physical activity).

  2. Great Player? by Psychor · · Score: 3, Funny

    Come on guys, with a name like 133to, he is obviously good. Where is the story?

  3. Re:May I point out by SkyWalk423 · · Score: 3, Interesting
    So I guess auto racing isn't a sport either? Since the "only" thing you have to do is work the pedals and turn the steering wheel...

    Stop oversimplifying.

  4. Time to cut the cord. by SkyWalk423 · · Score: 3, Funny

    What I want to know is how come a 21 year old guy pulling down almost six figures playing Halo 2 is still living with his parents.

  5. Correction... by hollismb · · Score: 3, Interesting

    As far as I know, Zyos is a Halo Champion, and not yet a Halo 2 champion. He's arguably the best 'professional' Halo 1 player, but I've seen nothing regarding his Halo 2 skills. Obviously, they'll transfer over for the most part, but there are differences (lack of the original pistol, for example) that do significantly impact how one plays the game. I know plenty of people that aren't nearly as good at Halo 2 as they were at Halo 1 for that reason alone, so I thought I'd make the distinction about which game truly made him a 'champion'.

    1. Re:Correction... by hollismb · · Score: 3, Interesting

      That would be the battle rifle and the covenant carbine, respectively. Anyone who says the thos weapons suck (which I read a lot) obviously doesn't know how to use them very well, because you can destroy people from a decent distance with a few well placed battle rifle shots to the forehead.

      In fact, in most of the custom games I set up, the battle rifle is the starting weapon because it's so useful in most situations, aside from having a shotgun liberally inserted in your nostril from a foot or two away. It's an invaluable tool on larger maps like Coagulation (the new Blood Gulch), Headlong, and Burial Mounds, for example, where you'd otherwise start out in the middle of the field with an SMG, which'll normally get you killed pretty fast.

  6. Re:May I point out by VendingMenace · · Score: 4, Informative

    hmm...well actually, the original definition of a sport (which you can still see as the first entry in webster) was an amusement or diversion -- which video games definately count as.

    The problem is that most sports that (up till now) the mainstream media would cover, where those that were heavily athletic. So, in most peoples minds sports = athletics. However, this is just simply not true. (you can still hear people calling something that was fun "good sport")

    So in the end we find that most diversions and compititions are actually sports. HOwever, not all of them are athletic. SO video games = sport != athetic.