A slacker's dream

The basement looks like a typical slacker hangout: randomly placed TVs, some well-worn sofas, a set of bunk beds against the wall and a pile of video game equipment. The two 20-something characters who use this place as their base of operations appear to fit right in to the décor. Both are rail-thin college dropouts with perfect skater haircuts who sleep in after long hours spent on the Xbox.

David 'Walshy' Walsh, second from right, holds a $100,000 check after winning a Major League Gaming competition in Las Vegas with twins Dan and Tom Ryan at his side on Oct. 15, 2007.

Dan and Tom, who are twins, make a living playing video games. They are among the best professional gamers in the world, and are probably the most accomplished "Halo" players of all time. For the entirety of their brief but impressive careers, the brothers have lived just outside of Columbus, in Pickerington.

"A lot of people think it's not a lot of hard work," Dan said. "They think, 'You're playing video games, what can't be fun about it?' "

His brother echoes his sentiment.

"It's definitely more fun than working a regular job but it's not as fun as you might think it would be. There's a lot that goes into it," Tom said.

The brothers are better known by their game tags Ogre1 and Ogre2 (Dan is Ogre1 because he was born first). They started playing in organized competitions when they were just 16, and gradually worked their way up through larger and larger events. Their freshman year they attended Ohio University full time, but dropped out to focus on gaming.

The Ogres have played in dozens of tournaments all over the country and overseas. One high point was a 2005 event in Singapore, where the twins represented the United States in the World Cyber Games. They beat a Canadian team to be crowned the best "Halo 2" players on the planet.

The brothers see their unique relationship as a big part of their success.

"We've always been really competitive, we've played sports our whole life, uh, lives," Tom said.

"I think it's definitely an edge to be not only brothers but twins," Dan said. "We played competitive sports growing up and we've always been on the same team. We know how each other work as teammates and people."

Their slight builds mask the fact that they were both serious athletes in a more typical sport, playing soccer for well over a decade. Those years are commemorated on the same walls that bear their checks, in the form of two big posters showing the brothers in action on the field. These images are the only thing in the basement that embarrass the Ogres. They practically cringe when looking at their young inelegant selves in uniform. The game that they used to play for fun sits practically a lifetime away from the game that they turned into a business.

At their gaming peak, they were going to competitions or group practices every two to three weeks. It's impossible to count the hours spent on the road and in the air. Fly out of state, stare into a screen in a noisy ballroom or dark basement for the weekend, fly home, maybe crank out a paper due in class that Monday, sleep.

This hard work has earned them not only cash prizes but also a cult following. Their fans even show up at international events.

"I had no idea we had fans in Singapore. It was mind-blowing," Tom said.

"There were maybe 20 or 30 kids that showed up wearing Ogres T-Shirts," Dan said. "The one kid that spoke pretty good English said, 'Yeah, this is pretty much everyone in Singapore that plays Halo.' "

At regular competitions stateside, the fans are far more prevalent.

"I definitely sign well over 100 autographs," Tom said. "Every event it's a new record."

Their notoriety occasionally spills out of the venues that host the competitions and into the street.

"I've been recognized publicly quite a few times, even recently," Dan said. "I think we've grown used to it now. Most people are cool but some have been pretty creepy."

Major League Gaming

Most of the competitions the Ryans enter are events through Major League Gaming. The league is the biggest organization in the U.S. for video game tournaments. MLG is holding five major events this year for several video games, but "Halo" is by far the biggest draw. In June, MLG will host it's first event in Columbus. Hundreds of four-person teams will jam the Greater Columbus Convention Center in hopes of taking the top prize of $20,000. The Ogres will be among them.

It is with MLG that the Ogres have had their greatest continuous success, in the form of their team, Final Boss. Along with a small group of other teammates, Final Boss tore through event after event for almost three straight years without finishing below second place.

Michael Sepso, co-founder and chairman of the league, remembers that the Ogres established their dominance quite quickly.

"There were all these early-stage rumors of them having some kind of twin ESP," he said. "There were a lot of conspiracy theories about the Ogres."

As the popularity of the competitions has grown, so has the audience.

"There a lot more people that show up at tournaments just to watch, as spectators," Dan said. "Gaming in general is becoming more mainstream and popular. All these kids hear about it and might not get to make the competition but they'll come to watch."