Tsquared

Last updated
Tsquared
Tsquared on Esports Arena in 2020.jpg
Taylor in 2020
Personal information
NameTom Taylor
Born1986or1987(age 36–37) [1]
Syracuse, New York, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Career information
Games Halo: Combat Evolved
Halo 2
Halo 3
Halo: Reach
Gears of War
Battlefield 3
Team history
2005–2010,
2014–2015
Str8 Rippin
2011Instinct

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,[ citation needed ] and was also the coach of Status Quo during the 2010 National Championships in Dallas where he helped them place 2nd behind Final Boss.[ citation needed ] [2] Making him one of the only players to also coach an event.[ citation needed ] He was signed to a US$250,000 contract by MLG [3] and earned between $120,000 and $150,000 each year in prize money and endorsement deals. [4] He has founded his own company, Gaming Lessons, which tutors prospective professional gamers on various video games, specifically on the Halo series. [4] Several other professional gamers from MLG are also employed by Gaming Lessons as instructors. [5] He also runs an active YouTube channel with over 10,000 subscribers and 24 hours' worth of content. [6]

Contents

Tsquared has been featured on MTV's documentary series True Life: I'm a Professional Gamer and on Icons , [7] as well as in The Wall Street Journal , among other publications. He also appeared as part of Stuff magazine's list of 20 most influential people under the age of 30 in August 2006. [8] He also makes occasional appearances on X-Play , giving out tips for various online games.

In 20082009, Tsquared appeared on over 175 million Dr Pepper bottles issued across the United States as part of a promotional sponsorship for MLG. [9] He is currently working as a GameSpot ambassador.

Tsquared returned to competitive Halo by heading revived Str8 Rippin in Season 1 of the Halo Championship Series in November 2015. On April 3, 2015, Tsquared announced his retirement from competitive Halo during his livestream on Twitch. [10]

Tournament placements

Personal life

Taylor was born and raised in Syracuse, New York then moved to Florida in 2001 to attend high school. [1] In 2009 he and Str8 Rippin moved to a gaming house in Orlando, Florida.

In 2011 Tsquared appeared on the YouTube reality television series The Controller: Battlefield 3. [11]

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References

  1. 1 2 Cubbison, Brian (December 15, 2008). "Baldwinsville's Tom "Tsquared" Taylor makes hundreds of thousands of dollars playing video games". Syracuse.com. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  2. "Tsquared".
  3. Surette, Tim (2006-06-21). "Gamers get $1m MLG gig". GameSpot.
  4. 1 2 Gameset Inverview
  5. "Halo 3 Instructors". Gaming-Lessons.com. Archived from the original on 2007-05-07.
  6. "TsquaredOfficial - YouTube Channel Stats :: Let's Play Index". letsplayindex.com. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
  7. "G4 - Icons - ICONS: Tom "Tsquared" Taylor". Archived from the original on 2007-03-21. Retrieved 2008-02-18.
  8. "Professional video gamer says it's not all fun". ZDNet. 2006-11-09. Archived from the original on 2006-12-20.
  9. "Making money from video games". Yahoo! Games. Archived from the original on 2009-08-02.
  10. Throop, David (April 7, 2015). "THE LEGACY OF TOM 'TSQUARED' TAYLOR". DEXERTO. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  11. Lish (November 15, 2011). "Tsquared's Blog: The Controller, Print Media Fame, and MLG Providence". Major League Gaming. Retrieved May 20, 2015.