Gamers get $1m MLG gig

Major League Gaming, a professional gaming league that currently tours across the US, today announced it has signed a new group of cyber athletes to the largest contract in pro-gaming history. Tom Taylor, also known as Tsquared, and the Final Boss team of David "Walshy" Walsh, brothers Thomas and Daniel Ryan, and Ryan "Saiyan" Danford, each signed three-year deals worth a total of $1.25 million dollars.

Tsquared is known in the gaming community as the leader of team Str8 Rippin and has been featured in various television shows and publications, including MTV's True Life, the Wall Street Journal, and Stuff Magazine. The 19-year-old also started his own company, Gaming-Lessons.com, which provides personal instruction in games.

"Like any professional athlete, I want to be the best at what I do, and getting this contract shows the dedication I've put forth," said Tom "Tsquared" Taylor. "I'm living the dream playing video games for a living."

Final Boss is the country's leading four-man Halo 2 team, according to MLG, and has dominated the competition in Bungie's game, winning first place in the 2004 and 2005 MLG national championships.

Each of the five gamers will earn $250,000 for their commitment to MLG, which hits the Anaheim Convention Center this Friday for its next stop. For more information on the league, head over to the official MLG Web site.