Prodigy

Prodigy X is one of the first gamers I started working with in '07. He explained to me then, that he was unlike other Pro Gamers. Whereas they were all striving to be the best at their game, or genre, while he was, "an all-around gamer." It was no surprise to me then, when I saw him on WCG Ultimate Gamer, a reality competition show on the SyFy network, like a Top Chef or Project Runway for gaming. I pitched him this idea that I'd been chewing on for a while about the scene in Pink Floyd's The Wall, after Pink destroys his hotel room, just before he shaves his eyebrows and nipples. A compulsive and psychological moment of clarity where he rejects all the outside influences trying to puppeteer him and the physical detritus accumulated over the years as he's strived to be the artist he wanted to be and the icon they've made him into. There were some gaps, sure, but I felt like this intense focus on the physical to craft some psychological understanding, even if obtuse, was on brand for Prodigy. There are many stars in the world of Pro Gaming celebrity. There are Shaqs and Steve Nash-es, 50s and Snoops, David Lee Roths and Eddie Vedders. Prodigy is more like a Reznor.