Lifetime Achievement awards are the Esports Awards’ way of honoring the foundation of the modern esports industry.
The Esports Awards have unveiled its Lifetime Achievement award class of 2022. The list includes seven recipients, four from esports and three from the industry. The list includes some names that gamers across genres should know, but it paid special attention to first-person shooters this year. Here are all the award recipients and why they deserve the recognition.
HeatoN, Thresh, OGRE bros receive Lifetime Achievement awards
First on the list is Dennis “Thresh” Fong, a Doom and Quake player commonly considered the very first professional gamer in the west. He is estimated to have earned hundreds of thousands of dollars when esports was still incredibly niche. Most famously, he won a red Ferrari 328 at Red Annihilation in 1997. In many ways, Thresh paved the way for modern esports pros to earn millions.
Next up is Emil “HeatoN” Christensen, who Counter-Strike: Global Offensive should recognize as the original captain of Ninjas in Pyjamas. HeatoN remains with the team as a manager. His biggest win as a pro was $60,000 at CPL Summer 2003. Though he has not been entirely free of scandals, HeatoN earned his place at the Esports Awards as a Lifetime Achievement winner.
The last two awards are a package deal for the Ogre bros. Daniel “Ogre1” Ryan and Tom “Ogre2” Ryan are twins who competed at the top level of Halo for more than six generations of the game. Ogre2 is commonly considered the greatest Halo player of all time, while Ogre1 has earned almost $150,000 from tournaments since 2003. Both will be inducted as Lifetime Achievements in esports.
Complexity, EG founders get recognition at the Esports Awards.
In addition to four storied players, the 2022 Esports Awards Lifetime Achievements also include three industry icons.
First is Jason Lake, the founder of founder and global head of gaming for Complexity Esports. The North American-based team has fielded rosters across nearly every major esport since its founding in 1998. Lake is also the public face of the company, which adds to his impressive resume.
He is joined by fellow esports tycoon Alexander Garfield. Garfield has been CEO of Evil Geniuses since 2004, taking the company from a simple Quake clan to a household name in esports. EG’s iconic logo has made appearances across several major esports with multiple championships.
The final Lifetime Achievement award is for Morgan Romine, the director of initiatives at AnyKey. Her company provides resources for aspiring tournament hosts to create inclusive and socially-mindful spaces. The non-profit also works with dozens of streamers and charities to create esports opportunities for all.
The Esports Awards, which was founded in 2015, is dedicated to recognizing movers and shakers in the competitive gaming field. However, its yearly natures make it difficult to acknowledge the efforts of the early era. Lifetime Achievement awards are its method of honoring key contributors from the early days of competitive gaming. The Esports Awards will deliver its contemporary honors on December 3, 2022.
