| Tsquared | |
|---|---|
 Taylor in 2020 | |
| Personal information | |
| Name | Tom Taylor |
| Born | 1986 or 1987 (age 36–37)[1] Syracuse, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| 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 |
| 2011 | Instinct |
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, and was also the coach of Status Quo during the 2010 National Championships in Dallas where he helped them place 2nd behind Final Boss.[2] Making him one of the only players to also coach an event. 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]
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 2008–2009, 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
- MLG New York Championships 2004 – 4th
- MLG New York Championships 2005 – 5 – 6th
- MLG Las Vegas Championships 2006 – 3rd
- MLG Las Vegas Championships 2007 – 3rd
- MLG Las Vegas Championships 2008 – 1st
- MLG Orlando Championships 2009 – 6th
- MLG Providence Championships 2011 – 20th
- MLG Winter Championship 2012 – 13-16th
- ESL MCC Launch Invitational 2nd
- 2015 Halo Championship Series Season 1 – 5th
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]
References
- 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.
- ↑ "Tsquared".
- ↑ Surette, Tim (2006-06-21). "Gamers get $1m MLG gig". GameSpot.
- 1 2 Gameset Inverview
- ↑ "Halo 3 Instructors". Gaming-Lessons.com. Archived from the original on 2007-05-07.
- ↑ "TsquaredOfficial - YouTube Channel Stats :: Let's Play Index". letsplayindex.com. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
- ↑ "G4 - Icons - ICONS: Tom "Tsquared" Taylor". Archived from the original on 2007-03-21. Retrieved 2008-02-18.
- ↑ "Professional video gamer says it's not all fun". ZDNet. 2006-11-09. Archived from the original on 2006-12-20.
- ↑ "Making money from video games". Yahoo! Games. Archived from the original on 2009-08-02.
- ↑ Throop, David (April 7, 2015). "THE LEGACY OF TOM 'TSQUARED' TAYLOR". DEXERTO. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ↑ Lish (November 15, 2011). "Tsquared's Blog: The Controller, Print Media Fame, and MLG Providence". Major League Gaming. Retrieved May 20, 2015.