Kat Gunn
| Mystik | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Name | Katherine "Kat" Gunn |
| Born | April 20, 1988 |
| Nationality | American |
| Career information | |
| Games | |
Katherine Gunn (born April 20, 1988), also known by her online alias "Mystik", is an American esports player and cosplayer. She won the second season of WCG Ultimate Gamer in 2010 and also competed in the Championship Gaming Series.
Gunn is featured in the Guinness World Records 2016 Gamer's Edition for being the highest-earning female gamer.[1] The book states Gunn has earned $122,000 since 2007. However, when her earnings from the 2007 and 2008 seasons of the Championship Gaming Series are factored into her income, Gunn's earnings jump to over $160,000 since 2007, as her salary alone was a minimum of $30,000 per year during the CGS.[2]
Early life
Gunn grew up in Antelope Valley, California, primarily in Lancaster and Palmdale. Her father, Patrick Gunn and mother, Pamela Gunn, raised Gunn alongside her older brother Peter and older sister Samantha. The entire family played games together as Gunn was growing up. Most notably, they would play the original EverQuest.
Outside of video games, Gunn's family owned a comic book and trading card store in Canoga Park. It was one of the highlights of Gunn's youth and helped feed her interests in video games and trading card games. With easy access to trading card games, Gunn's love for Magic: The Gathering grew, but that wasn't the only TCG she played. Gunn would dabble in the Pokémon trading card game.
When Microsoft first announced the Xbox Live online gaming service, Gunn was one of the original beta testers. MechAssault quickly became one of her favorite games, alongside Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge. It didn't take long for Gunn to hit the top of the leaderboards in the Wild Chicken online mode.
Career
Gunn was part of the female gaming clan PMS Clan, but it didn't last long due to creative differences. Gunn attended the World Cyber Games 2006 National Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada. Gunn took the opportunity to network with the WCG executives and work her way into the competitive Dead or Alive scene. The following year Gunn attended the inaugural Championship Gaming Series Region 1 Combine in Los Angeles, California.[3] Shortly after, she was drafted in the third round of the 2007 Championship Gaming Series draft by the Carolina Core as the 18th selection. Her team would go on to take second place at the World Finals, losing only to the Chicago Chimera.
Gunn stayed with the Carolina Core for a second season. The team lost to the Birmingham Salvo in the semi-final round of the World Finals.
In 2010, Gunn auditioned for the second and final season of the WCG Ultimate Gamer reality television show.[4] She was targeted early by the other contestants due to her abnormally high gamer score. She won the season and $100,000, becoming the final winner of the show as it was not renewed for a third season.
She made an appearance at the fourth IGN Pro League (IPL) tournament in Las Vegas and made a few contacts, which led to an opportunity to commentate on the initial round of the "I'm a Fighter" World Championship at the 2012 Electronic Entertainment Expo. While most enjoyed Gunn's commentary, she was not pleased with her overall knowledge of the unreleased Dead or Alive 5 and began studying the game. Gunn is featured in the credits of Dead or Alive 5 because of her IPL contributions.[5] She continued to work for the IPL until IGN closed down the league in April 2013.
Gunn also created the professional gaming and cosplay team, Less Than 3 (LT3). The team was sponsored by Mad Catz and featured notable cosplayers such as Jessica Nigri and Linda Le.[6] While the team was sponsored by Mad Catz, they also attended Anime Expo, PAX Prime and many other events for Sentai Filmworks.
At present Gunn streams almost daily on Twitch. She frequently streams with her sister or father. In addition, Gunn continues to travel to events, such as BlizzCon, as a brand ambassador for Gigabyte, Newegg and other companies.
On October 16, 2015, Gunn began hosting GamerChix, Newegg's weekly YouTube show, with her co-host, Hailey Bright.[7] The show is produced by Tom "Tsquared" Taylor of G4 fame and airs every Friday. She is also featured on a weekly Newegg live stream known as Game with Newegg.[8]
Filmography
Television
| Year | Title | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 2007–2008 | Championship Gaming Series | DirecTV |
| 2010 | WCG Ultimate Gamer | Syfy |
Cosplay
Video games
| Character | Game |
|---|---|
| Sleeping Panda | World of Warcraft |
| Miss Monday | Yaiba |
| Luigi | Super Mario Bros. |
| Harley Quinn | Batman: Arkham City |
| Kasumi | Dead or Alive |
| Honoka | Dead or Alive |
| Scorpion | Mortal Kombat X |
Comics, anime and film
| Character | Title |
|---|---|
| Spawn | Spawn |
| Edward Elric | Fullmetal Alchemist |
| Marika Kato | Bodacious Space Pirates |
| Hana Isuzu | Girls und Panzer |
| Cloud Strife | Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children |
| Selene | Underworld |
Gallery
See also
References
- ^ Lynch, Kevin (September 2, 2015). "Record Holder Profile Video: Kat Gunn – the highest-earning female gamer". Guinness World Records. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ^ Hatfield, Daemon (May 23, 2007). "Championship Gaming Series Home Teams". IGN. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ^ "Championship Gaming Series North America Draft Sets The Stage For The 2008 Season". PR Newswire. PR Newswire Association. March 10, 2008. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ^ Castillo, Michelle (October 8, 2010). "And The Winner of WCG Ultimate Gamer 2 Is…". Time. Time Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ^ Dawson, Bryan (2012). Dead or Alive 5 Prima Official Game Guide. Prima Games. p. 336. ISBN 978-0307895905.
- ^ "Mad Catz Announces Partnership with Less Than Three!". Mad Catz. Mad Catz Interactive. February 14, 2013. Archived from the original on May 9, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ^ "GamerChix Ep.1 : Game Like a Pro – Newegg TV". Retrieved October 16, 2015.
- ^ "Game with Newegg – Halo 5: Guardians Campaign". Retrieved October 16, 2015.