Saiyan (gamer)

Last updated

Saiyan
Personal information
NameRyan Danford
BornOctober 20, 1985
Cary, North Carolina, U.S.
Career information
Games Halo: Combat Evolved
Halo 2
Playing career2004–2007
Team history
2004–2005 Shoot to Kill
2005–2006 Team 3D
2006 Final Boss

Ryan Danford (born October 20, 1985) is an American former professional Halo player known by the handle Saiyan. [1] He was influential in the early days of professional video gaming or esports and played for the champion teams Shoot to Kill, Team 3D, and Final Boss: [1] In 2006, Major League Gaming stated, "One of the true veterans of the league, Saiyan has been a force in Major League Gaming's upper echelon since its onset." [1] Saiyan retired from professional gaming in 2007.

Contents

Early life

Danford is from Cary, North Carolina. [2] He attended West Cary Middle School where he made the A Honor Roll. [3] He swam and played soccer during high school but a soccer accident his senior year, resulted in a bad break in his thumb. [4] [5] He also broke his thumb on another occasion. [4] These injuries caused ongoing pain, requiring him to ice his hand before gaming. [4]

After graduating from high school, Danford attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. [6] However, he took a year off in 2006 to focus on video gaming. [6] Danford noted, "It's hard to keep your grades up at a top university and play on a top team." [6]

Danford's handle Saiyan comes from a temporary name he selected to match the yellow master chief he was using while playing locally—the Saiyan are yellow-haired beings from the anime Dragon Ball Z . [1] He recalls, "Every game I played that day I was on fire." [1] Around that time, he needed a handle to enter the Halo 50k1 and went with the name from his winning streak—Saiyan. [1] Held in April 2003, Halo 50K1 was one of the first tournaments in video gaming; Danford came in 2nd place with the Danford/Moore 4 vs. 4 team.[ citation needed ]

Career

Shoot to Kill

Danford began competing professionally in 2004 with Major League Gaming (MLG). [2] That year, he played Halo: Combat Evolved with Team StK or Shoot to Kill. [6] [1] His teammates were Dave "Walshy" Walsh, Tom "OGRE2" Ryan, and Dan "OGRE1" Ryan. [7] Danford was released from StK after it can in second place at the MLG 50K3 in Atlanta in July 2004. [8] StK picked up Danford for the Halo 2 2005 season. [9] In February 2005, Walshy said, "Basically, Ryan plays half as much as me, but he’s still as good, which is embarrassing for me." [7] StK competed in five major events om 2005, coming in first place for all five. [1]

Business Decision and Chargers

After leaving StK in 2004, Danford joined Business Decision with NistiC, Sergio, StrangePurplle; they won their first tournament MLG Los Angeles in September 2004 and placed 3rd at the MLG New York City National Championships in October 2004. [10] [11]

In October 2004, he played with KillerN, Toxin, Tupac as the Chargers at MLG Boston, taking first place in Halo: Combat Evolved 4 vs. 4. [12]

Team 3D

In April 2005, Team StK changed its name to Team 3D because of sponsorship by the esports organization Team 3D. Danford and Team 3D won five of their next six events. [6] Team member OGRE2 noted, "Ryan (Saiyan) who sacrifices himself to go through the portal first and take a combo hit for the team gets no credit at all." [13] They ended the season as the number one ranked Halo 2 team and won the national championship. [6] Danford's cash winnings for the season were approximately $40,000. [6] He also won Major League Gaming's 2005 Pro's Choice Award.[ citation needed ]

In December 2005, Danford discussed his recently expanded training regime: " I wake up. I ice my hand so they’re not sore from playing so much. Then I play all day. And I do it again tomorrow. I just realized that in Halo 1 you could just play the game, have fun and be good at it – for me at least – but in Halo 2 it’s all about the little things. So you just have to play it over and over to make sure you’re on. Then all those little things come together; the more you play the more consistent you are, and I think that it helped me to be more consistent and play my best." [4]

Final Boss

When the Team 3D corporation dropped the team in April 2006, they changed their name to Final Boss. [14] In June 2006, Danford and Final Boss signed a three-year contract with Major League Gaming. [15] The team's contract was for one million dollars to play exclusively for MLG, with Danford's cut being $250,000. [16] [5] [17] At the time, this was one of the largest signings in the history of professional esports. [5] In addition to tournament play, Danford played with Final Boss on seven episodes of the Boost Mobile Major League Gaming Pro Circuit television show on USA Network. [2] [6]

Danford was voted Best Support Player and Most Unpredictable Player at the 2006 MLG Halo Pro's Choice Awards. [18] [19] With the former, MLG stated, "While stats do not often reflect how important the support player is to the success of the team, many teams live or die based on the work of their support man. These players were chosen to reflect not only their tremendous skill but their selfless attitudes and team-first mentality. Saiyan's natural awareness and fantastic shooting ability helped him edge out Karma in the race for gold in this category." [18] In addition, MLG said, "Saiyan came away with the gold medal [for Most Unpredictable Player] in the voting here, as he is known not only to support his teammates during combat but also to slip behind enemy lines and completely disrupt the game plans of his opponents." [19]

Despite these successes, Danford became the fall guy in November 2006 when Final Boss had its first loss, coming in second place to the team Carbon at MLG Orlando. [20] Not only was he out of favor with the gaming community, but his teammates expressed their disappointment with Danford's gaming performance and his overall commitment. [20] At the time, a reporter noted, "While one player hardly deserves credit for the failure of an entire team, Danford’s situation as a fallen superstar on a team rocketing towards fame and fortune has made him a unique target of criticism, with some of it deserved; it isn’t hard to see his name at the bottom of the scoreboard in many of Final Boss’ losing efforts against their new rival." [20]

Danford admitted that his game was sub-par at the time, but he practiced and planned new strategies for the 2005 MLG national championships in New York City, saying, “I’m not taking any chances for this, since it’s the biggest I’ve ever played in. I’m very confident going into tomorrow compared to how I’ve felt I’d play at the last few; I feel my hard work is going to pay off.” [20]

Final Boss came in second place at the championships, losing the $100,000 first-place prize—more than the team had made by winning almost every MLG event of 2006. [20] The loss led some to ask, "Did Carbon truly become the best, or did Final Boss just become lazy in their lordship?" [20] Danford believes it was a mix of both. [20] He was dropped from Final Boss on December 6, 2006. [21] He was replaced by StrongSide, a player previously dropped by Carbon. [21]

Free agent

Danford filed for free agency after the end of the 2006 season, giving up his contract with MLG.[ citation needed ] In 2007, he formed the team Make It Rain (MiR) with Detach, BoO, and Neighbor (also known as Toxinsneighbor). [22] They were the number eight seed going into the first event of the MLG season. [22] Make It Rain competed in the Halo 2 4 vs. 4 at the MLG Charlotte in April 2007, but only achieved 21st place. [23] This was a career low for Danford.

In June 2007, Danford played a new lineup with Detach, Burns, and Lunatic called the Rainmakers for the MLG Meadowlands Halo 2 4 vs. 4 competition. [24] They lost to the 132nd seed Generation Four. [24] Danford retired shortly after that game.

Equipment

Danford preferred his controls inverted with the default buttons and sensitivity level five. [1]

Legacy and impact

Danford was a founding member of Final Boss, considered one of the best Halo teams of all time; its members hold the record for the longest consecutive event-winning streak, with eight straight tournament victories in 2005 and 2006. [25] [26] Playing with Final Boss and its predecessors StK and Team 3D, Danford never placed lower than second and won sixteen events between 2004 and 2006. [1]

In 2021, a multi-generational panel of players associated with the Halo Championship Series (HCS) ranked Danford at number 24 of the Top 25 Halo Players, noting: "Before retiring in 2007, Ryan racked up 21 event wins with an incredible average placing of 2.9!" [27] [28] On Twitter , many fans said that he was not ranked high enough by HCS, suggesting that the short length of his career and his retirement before Halo 3 probably impacted his ranking. [27]

Awards

Select tournaments

Halo: Combat Evolved

DateEvent2 vs. 24 vs. 4TeamTeammatesRef
2/22/2004 MLG Philadelphia Halo Nationals1stOgre1/Saiyan OGRE1 [29]
4/25/2004AGP 4 Washington D.C. [lower-alpha 1] 1stThe Dream TeamAlex, Clockwork, Darkman [30]
6/20/2004MLG Chicago1st Shoot to Kill OGRE1 [31]
6/20/2004MLG Chicago2nd Shoot to Kill OGRE1, OGRE2, StrangePurple [32]
7/25/2004MLG Atlanta Halo 50K32nd Shoot to Kill Clockwork, OGRE1, OGRE2 [8]
9/26/2004MLG Los Angeles1stBusiness DecisionNistiC, Sergio, StrangePurple [11]
10/10/2004MLG Boston1stThe ChargersKillerN, Toxin, Tupac [12] [11]
7/31/2005MLG Philadelphia1st Team 3D OGRE1, OGRE2, Walshy [33]

Halo 2

DateEvent4 vs. 4TeamTeammatesRef
1/30/2005MLG Washington D.C.1st Shoot To Kill OGRE1, OGRE2, Walshy [1] [33]
2/27/2005MLG San Francisco1st Shoot To Kill OGRE1, OGRE2, Walshy [1]
3/3/2005AGP 7 Washington D.C. [lower-alpha 2] 1st Shoot To Kill OGRE1, OGRE2, Walshy
3/14/2005MLG Houston1st Shoot To Kill OGRE1, OGRE2, Walshy [1]
4/24/2005MLG Orlando1st Team 3D OGRE1, OGRE2, Walshy [1]
6/26/2005MLG St. Louis1st Team 3D OGRE1, OGRE2, Walshy [1]
7/6/2005 CPL World Tour Championship 1st Team 3D OGRE1, OGRE2, Walshy [34]
7/31/2005MLG Philadelphia2nd Team 3D OGRE1, OGRE2, Walshy [1] [33]
8/7/2005VGL Season 1 New York [lower-alpha 3] 1st Team 3D OGRE1, OGRE2, Walshy [35]
8/27/2005VGL Season 1 Nationals Orlando [lower-alpha 4] 1st Team 3D OGRE1, OGRE2, Walshy [35]
10/16/2005MLG Los Angeles: Western Conference Championships1st Team 3D OGRE1, OGRE2, Walshy [1]
11/27/2005MLG Atlanta Halo 50K4: Eastern Conference Championships1st Team 3D OGRE1, OGRE2, Walshy [1]
12/18/2005MLG Chicago: Central Conference Championships1st Team 3D OGRE1, OGRE2, Walshy [1]
2/26/2006 MLG New York City National Championships 2005 1st Team 3D OGRE1, OGRE2, Walshy [1]
4/23/2006MLG New York City1st Final Boss OGRE1, OGRE2, Walshy [1]
5/21/2006MLG Dallas1st Final Boss OGRE1, OGRE2, Walshy [1]
6/25/2006MLG Anaheim1st Final Boss OGRE1, OGRE2, Walshy [1]
7/23/2006MLG Chicago1st Final Boss OGRE1, OGRE2, Walshy [1]
8/27/2006MLG Orlando2nd Final Boss OGRE1, OGRE2, Walshy [1]
10/15/2006MLG New York City Playoffs2nd Final Boss OGRE1, OGRE2, Walshy [1]
11/19/2006 MLG Los Vegas: National Championships 2nd Final Boss OGRE1, OGRE2, Walshy [20]

Notes

  1. Associates of Gaming Professional
  2. Associates of Gaming Professional
  3. Video Gamers League
  4. Video Gamers League

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esports</span> Form of competition using video games

Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Major League Gaming</span> Professional esports organization

Major League Gaming Corp. (MLG) is a professional esports organization. MLG is headquartered in New York City, New York and was founded in 2002 by Sundance DiGiovanni and Mike Sepso. MLG has held official video game tournaments throughout the United States and Canada. The Boost Mobile MLG Pro Circuit was a television broadcast of Halo 2 MLG tournaments in 2006 and 2007, ESPN.com, and other broadband sites. The company has also been involved in television production, and game development. MLG's aim is to elevate computer and console game tournaments to viable competitive and spectator events.

Matt Leto, known by the gamer tag Zyos, is a former American professional player of the first-person shooter video games Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2. Zyos spent a year in his late teens accumulating video game records, and for a while was the holder of the most records. After dropping out of DigiPen Institute of Technology, Leto pursued a career in professional gaming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tsquared</span> American professional esports player

Tom Taylor, known by the gamertag Tsquared, is a former professional gamer and captain of one of the most successful teams in Major League Gaming (MLG) history, Str8 Rippin, and was also the coach of Status Quo during the 2010 National Championships in Dallas where he helped them place 2nd behind Final Boss. Making him one of the only players to also coach an event. He was signed to a US$250,000 contract by MLG and earned between $120,000 and $150,000 each year in prize money and endorsement deals. He has founded his own company, Gaming Lessons, which tutors prospective professional gamers on various video games, specifically on the Halo series. Several other professional gamers from MLG are also employed by Gaming Lessons as instructors. He also runs an active YouTube channel with over 10,000 subscribers and 24 hours' worth of content.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ogre 1</span> American professional esports player

Dan Ryan is a retired professional Halo player, widely considered one of the greatest professional Halo players of all time. He had 32 Halo championship tournament wins and maintains the position of the highest-average placing professional player in Halo esports history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walshy</span> American professional esports player

David Walsh is a retired American professional esports player. His professional career in gaming began in 2004 under the name Walshy. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most successful Halo players of all time.

Eric Hewitt, also by his tag GH057ayame (Ghostayame), is a retired professional Major League Gaming (MLG) gamer. He now works for 343 Industries working on future Halo games.

Ben Jackson, also known by his pseudonym Karma, is a former professional Halo player from Murrieta, California, United States. He attended Murrieta Valley High School. He started playing Halo intensively when Halo 2 was announced and widespread promotion of the Xbox 360 commenced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ogre 2</span> American professional esports player

Tom Ryan, known under the pseudonym Ogre 2, is a retired professional Halo player from Columbus, Ohio. He is widely considered to be the greatest Halo player of all time. He and his twin brother Dan are known as the "Ogre Twins". In 2005, the Ogre Twins won the gold medal in Halo 2 at the World Cyber Games. His esports tournament history includes in Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Shadowrun, Halo 3, Halo: Reach, Halo 4, Halo 5: Guardians, Halo 2: Anniversary, and Call of Duty: Ghosts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nadeshot</span> American professional esports player

Matthew Haag, better known as Nadeshot, is an American former professional Call of Duty player, and founder, co-owner and CEO of 100 Thieves. As a professional Call of Duty player, Haag was a former captain of OpTic Gaming in the 2014 Call of Duty: Ghosts season and the 2014–2015 Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare season, playing the objective support role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Final Boss (esports)</span> Professional Halo esports team

Final Boss was a professional esports team that competed in Halo competitions sponsored by Major League Gaming (MLG) and other tournaments. With its most successful lineups consisting of a core of Dan "Ogre 1" Ryan, Tom "Ogre 2" Ryan and Dave "Walshy" Walsh, Final Boss is regarded as one of the best Halo teams of all time due to their numerous tournament victories and MLG National Championships from 2004 to 2010. They also hold the record for the longest consecutive event winning streak, with 8 straight tournament victories from 2005 into 2006.

OpTic Gaming is an American professional esports and entertainment organization headquartered in Frisco, Texas. The organization currently operates a Call of Duty team in the Call of Duty League, OpTic Texas, they also operate a Overwatch team in the Overwatch League, Dallas Fuel, as well as Rocket League, Halo and Apex Legends teams. They previously competed in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Gears of War 4, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, Fortnite Battle Royale, Dota 2, League of Legends and Valorant. The organization is currently owned by Hector "H3CZ" Rodriguez and Mike “Hastr0” Rufail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Str8 Rippin</span>

Str8 Rippin is a professional Halo team in the United States that competes in the Halo Championship Series. Str8 Rippin was first formed in 2005 for Halo 2 on the Major League Gaming (MLG) Pro Circuit. Their most successful period was during the MLG Halo 3 Pro Circuit, when they won several tournaments. Tom "Tsquared" Taylor was their longtime captain and was considered the face of the team for several years.

Team 3D was an American esports organization that formerly had teams competing in Counter-Strike: Source, Warcraft 3, Dead or Alive 4, Halo 2, Painkiller, and Call of Duty. Team 3D was one of the most successful North American Counter-Strike teams and briefly became a part of the Championship Gaming Series (CGS). The owner Craig "Torbull" Levine decided not to continue the team after the demise of the CGS in 2009.

Boost Mobile MLG Pro Circuit is a television program on US cable television network USA, and later G4, airing recordings of the Major League Gaming (MLG) Halo 2 Pro Circuit in 2006 and 2007. It was sponsored by Boost Mobile and Scion. Boost subscribers had access to exclusive videos such as match highlights and player profiles. The production company was Red Brick Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Team Envy</span> American esports franchise

Team Envy was an American esports franchise based in Dallas, Texas, owned by Envy Gaming. Founded in 2007 as a professional Call of Duty team under the moniker Team EnVyUs, they fielded rosters in Counter-Strike, FIFA, Fortnite, Gears of War, Halo, League of Legends, Chess, Magic: the Gathering, Overwatch, Paladins, PUBG, Rocket League, SMITE, StarCraft, Super Smash Bros., Street Fighter and Valorant. Following the merger between Envy Gaming and OpTic Gaming, Envy Gaming retired the Team Envy brand in June 2022, shifting all of them to the OpTic Gaming moniker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Splyce</span> Former esports organization and media company

Splyce (SPY) was a professional esports organization and media company based in Rochester, New York. Their League of Legends team was a franchise member of the LEC, Europe's top professional league for League of Legends. Splyce announced its rebranding from Follow eSports in November 2015. On November 29, 2019, Splyce's parent company, OverActive Media, announced it had merged Splyce with its other esports subsidiary, MAD Lions, and that all of Splyce's teams would henceforth compete under that name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crimsix</span> American professional esports player

Ian Porter, better known as Crimsix, is an American former professional Call of Duty player and current esports driver. As an esports competitor he has represented multiple organizations in multiple game titles, most notably representing Optic Gaming and Complexity in Call of Duty.

Michael Sepso is an American video game, media and technology entrepreneur and currently co-founder and CEO of Vindex, a gaming and esports technology infrastructure business. He is the co-founder of Major League Gaming, a professional esports league and media company acquired by video game publisher Activision Blizzard in December 2015

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 "Pro Player – Saiyan". Major League Gaming. Archived from the original on February 17, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 "Saiyan: Final Boss". USA Network. Archived from the original on December 17, 2006. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  3. "Honor Roll, West Cary Middle". The News and Observer. September 11, 1998. p. 8F. Retrieved January 30, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Retribution: The 3D Interview". Major League Gamming. December 12, 2005. Archived from the original on September 16, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2022 via Wayback Machine.
  5. 1 2 3 "MLG Signs First Five Next-Level Pro Player Contracts!". Major League Gaming. June 21, 2006. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2022 via Wayback Machine.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Slayden, Tanner (April 23, 2006). "Middle School Student is Major League Gamer". The Chapel Hill News. p. 9. Retrieved January 30, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 "An Interview with StK". Major League Gaming. February 17, 2005. Archived from the original on January 5, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2022 via Wayback Machine.
  8. 1 2 "2004 Atlanta Halo: CE Results". Wayback Machine. Major League Gaming. September 2, 2008. Archived from the original on September 17, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  9. Ali, Haydar (December 7, 2021). "ICYMI: A bite-sized recap of 20 years of Halo Esports". ForerunnerGG. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  10. "2004 New York Halo: CE 4v4 Results". web.archive.org. Major League Gaming. 2009-02-04. Archived from the original on 2017-09-17. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
  11. 1 2 3 "2004 Events". web.archive.org. Major League Gaming. 2006-09-09. Archived from the original on 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
  12. 1 2 Magee, Kyle (February 4, 2009). "2004 Boston Halo: CE 4v4 Results | News | Major League Gaming". Archived from the original on April 25, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  13. "Team 3D St. Louis Interview". Major League Gaming. March 30, 2018. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2022 via Wayback Machine.
  14. Magee, Kyle (April 20, 2006). "Team 3D changes name to Final Boss". Major League Gaming.
  15. "Final Boss Changes Roster | Major League Gaming". December 6, 2006. Archived from the original on October 27, 2007. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  16. "Play Halo, Get Rich". Video Games Daily Archive. Kikizo. June 22, 2006. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  17. Surette, Tim (June 21, 2006). "Gamers get $1m MLG gig". GameSpot. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  18. 1 2 3 "Halo Pro's Choice Awards: Best Support Player". Major League Gaming. Wayback Machine. January 12, 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  19. 1 2 3 "Halo Pro's Choice Awards: Most Unpredictable Player". Major League Gaming. Wayback Machine. January 12, 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Lingle, Sam (November 19, 2006). "Boss Battle: Carbon vs. FB". Who's Hot? Amped World Ratings. Archived from the original on February 24, 2007. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  21. 1 2 "Final Boss Changes Roster". Major League Gaming. December 6, 2006. Archived from the original on July 16, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2022 via Wayback Machine.
  22. 1 2 "Time for Stormy Weather: MLG Interviews Make it Rain". Major League Gaming. April 9, 2007. Archived from the original on July 16, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2007 via Wayback Machine.
  23. "2007 Charlotte Halo 2 4v4 Results". Major League Gaming. November 5, 2008. Archived from the original on May 23, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  24. 1 2 "Raincallers Hope to Battle Through Open 4v4". Major League Gaming. June 9, 2007. Archived from the original on July 16, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2022 via Wayback Machine.
  25. Lingle, Samuel (July 27, 2015). "Evil Geniuses Defend Halo Championship Series title". The Daily Dot. Retrieved November 13, 2015. "That puts the team on the path to equalling the feat of legendary squads like Final Boss and Team 3D, who absolutely dominated the scene in 2005 and 2007."
  26. "No Continues – Nationals Preview – Final Boss". Major League Gaming. November 16, 2006. Archived from the original on July 16, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2022 via Wayback Machine.
  27. 1 2 Halo Esports (September 26, 2021). "Halo Top 25". Twitter. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  28. "Top 25 Greatest Players of All Time". www.halowaypoint.com. September 29, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  29. "Halo Nationals: MLG Philadelphia Results". www.halonationals.com. Major League Gaming. Archived from the original on March 17, 2004. Retrieved September 22, 2022 via Wayback Machine.
  30. "Spring 2004 Championship Bracket". The AGP. October 12, 2004. Archived from the original on October 12, 2004. Retrieved September 22, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  31. "2004 Chicago Halo: CE 2v2 Results | News | Major League Gaming". January 30, 2009. Archived from the original on March 10, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  32. "2004 Chicago Halo: CE 4v4 Team List | News | Major League Gaming". February 4, 2009. Archived from the original on April 25, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  33. 1 2 3 "Who won each Halo games first open LAN?". ForerunnerGG. December 15, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  34. O’Keefe, David (September 28, 2018). "NYC has a rich tapestry of esports history". Red Bull. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  35. 1 2 "The Video Gamers League | VGL | Premier Console Gaming League". July 15, 2006. Archived from the original on July 15, 2006. Retrieved September 21, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)