Dennis Fong (Thresh)

Dennis Fong (&#58; 方鏞欽 ; &#58; 方镛钦 ; &#58;  Fāng Yōngqīn ; &#58;  fong1 jung4 jam1 ), also known by his online alias Thresh, is an American businessman and retired player of the first-person shooter video games Doom and Quake. He is a co-founder of, an instant messenger and social networking site for gamers, which was acquired by for US $102 million in April 2006. He also co-founded, a social customer relationship management company.

In his playing career his highest profile victory came in 1997 at the Quake tournament, where he placed first and won id Software CEO John Carmack's. Fong is recognized by the  as the first professional gamer. He played in the and  leagues. His lifetime earnings in tournament prize money are estimated at around US $16,000.

Playing career
Fong began playing Doom at the age of 16 in. He initially 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 "" and liked the word's meaning of "to strike repeatedly".

Fong played in the DWANGO tournament Deathmatch '95, the final rounds of which were hosted at the Microsoft-sponsored Judgment Day event in on. Thresh defeated Ted "Merlock" Peterson in the semi-finals, and defeated opponent finalist Stoney to finish first among between 23 and 26 competitors from across the US, France, and the United Kingdom.

The highlight of his gaming career was at the tournament in 1997. He and Tom "Entropy" Kimzey emerged from a crowded field to face off in the Quake level E1M2 "Castle of the Damned", where Thresh defeated Entropy 14−1.

At the peak of his gaming career in the middle to late 1990s, he earned approximately $100,000 a year from prize money and endorsements. He retired in 1997 to focus on his business ventures.

On July 27, 2016, Thresh was announced as the second inductee into the. Fong has also been featured in  for his gaming prowess.

Playing style
In games, Fong is known for his reflexes, intuition and tactics. People coined the term "Thresh " to describe his unnatural knack for knowing exactly what his opponents were doing. However, he is not considered exceptionally accurate at aiming. In 1-on-1 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.

Fong has been credited with popularizing the now commonly used in PC gaming.