There's little point in arguing the assertion that Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel is the best-known gamer in the world. Over the years he's become something of a media go-to on pretty much any story dealing with the world of professional gaming. It's a testament not only to his ability as a gamer--it also owes a large amount to the Missouri-born 28-year-old's ability to market himself.

As evidenced by the employees in Fatal1ty t-shirts showing off Fatal1ty-branded computer accessories on the floor of E3, his name is now as much a brand as a gaming handle.

We caught up with Fatal1ty on the floor of this year's E3 to talk about the world of professional gaming

BH: Obviously there's some money to be made on the professional gaming circuit, but at some point you realize that you've got to attempt to use this ability create more income.

F: That's why I launched a line of products. I realized that these companies were making millions of dollars off me or using me to make money. I thought, Why can't I make money?' They weren't going to offer me a percentage of, say, Microsoft or Intel or whoever else, so I started my own company with my name on it. it's totally made for gamers. So I won't have to game for the rest of my life to make money.

Do you still actively compete in the circuits?

Well, there's no tournaments right now that are offering a huge amount of money. The only one that's coming up soon is Playcon. That one's offering a pretty good prize. I think it's probably like $25,000 or $50,000 up for grabs there in the pool, but I was used to making six figures a year playing video games.

Did the bottom drop out? Are they just not offering as much because of the recession?

I think the economy has a large effect on it. The same thing happened back in 2001, when the dot-com bust happened. So this is something that's happened before. I think in the next year or two it'll come back again, and we'll have a lot of money out there, and I'll be training my butt off.

E3 is big again--that seems like a good sign.

Gaming's never going to die. It's recession-proof. We're always gonna have games. Kids will always save up to buy games. I was the same way when I was a kid. I had no money, but I'd save up as much money as I could to buy Super Mario Brothers 3. And Mortal Kombat, when that came out--I was always there. You find ways to play games.

When you were playing those early games like Super Mario, were you always better than your friends?

I was better than my friends at games like NBA Jam and Mortal Kombat--any game that was about brain versus brain, instead of high score against the computer. Me versus another human being, like let's clash our brains together and see who wins. Like NBA Jam, I was sick at. My neighbor introduced me to Doom--he was actually better than me at it in the beginning, because he got to play all day on his computer and I had to go over there to play. But I quickly picked it up. Quake 1 came out, we had a rematch, and I won.

It must be difficult to evolve your playing as the games change over time. There's a pretty dramatic difference between NBA Jam and Quake--just because you're good at one, doesn't mean you'll be good at the other.

Yeah, but the mind game is still there. You just have to find the right tools so that it becomes a mind game. It comes back to the same thing--rock, scissors, paper, almost. If you can ever find an edge, exploit the hell out of it.

Are there any games that you've not been able to master?

I suck at Rock Band. I cannot sing for crap.

What about the guitar parts?

I can play Hard, I can almost play Expert. The drums I can only do medium. It's all about practice. I'd say upfront I'm pretty good at it.

You admit that, and people are probably going to immediately want to play you at Rock Band, just to beat you at something. All of these people line up at your booth at these conventions, in hope that they might beat you at something.

Well, if you pick your favorite game and play me, I'll probably lose to you. If I really train at it, I might be able to beat you, because I try to find some kind of a loophole. But if we have a singing contest on Rock Band, I'm gonna lose.

I remember reading an interview with a gamer who said something along the lines of, "Once you hit 18, your gaming skills start to decline." What's the upper threshold for a career as a pro gamer?

I think 18 is when you hit your stride and you can take it in stride.

So you don't see any kind of retirement for yourself in the near future?

I think what happens is, when you hit 23 or so, real life starts to invade that world.

Not everybody gets to do this for a living.

Yeah. Even for me, I almost went to college. Even though I was already making money playing video games, I missed the whole environment of being in college, hanging out with the guys, and drinking. But at the same time, I was doing something cool here. MTV followed me in the few months that I went back to college and I was training for a tournament and I won it. That's when I started my business, and it just took off.

You're a role model for a lot of kids. Do you ever suggest to them that maybe professional gaming isn't necessarily the best career path for them?

I definitely tell them how tough it is. I put a lot of hours into it, and I didn't make a dime. But I did it because I love doing it and I thought I had a lot of potential.

So you don't necessarily dissuade people from pursuing it professionally?

Well, I think if you have goals in your life, you should definitely go for them. You don't want to go through life not knowing if you could achieve them. If you tried your hardest and didn't make it, at least you know that you tried. I went into my first tournament with that attitude. I had $5 in my bank account.

Have your parents been supportive of your career choice?

Not in the beginning, of course. I was going to work part time and going to school part time. I managed to fit it all in, but I spent most of my time just sitting in the basement working on it. I made a deal with my dad to try this just once.

I had an experience when I was 13 to play billiards internationally. I was a really, really good pool player. I had a chance to compete in Vegas if I won in St. Louis, so I trained for months. Eventually that weekend came, and my mom told me I couldn't go. So all of this hard work was smashed down at a young age.

So I always had this hunger to do something to the degree that I played pool at. Gaming just happened to be it. My dad said, "This is your chance, do it." I won the tournament, and when I got home, I slapped the check on the table and said, "This is what I earned playing video games." After that, that's when I realized that I wanted to keep doing it.

Do you still play pool?

Occassionally.

Do you ever go down to the bar--

I actually went down to Vegas last year. They game me a seven handicap, and I just kind of cleaned house.

Speaking of handicaps, you've got a wheel for literal handicaps where you can't use an arm or something.

Yeah, we have that up there, but I'm kind of tired of doing that. The players who come to play me, they want to experience what it's like to play a real pro.

It's kind of cheap to use that.

Yeah. This is their chance to play against a real pro. See if you have what it takes. Of course I've shut out some of the best guys in the world. It's really hard to get a kill on me, because of how I play.

Do you ever get beat at these events?

In the last nine years, I think I've lost five times.