Federal Way player mad for "Madden"
Who: D.J. Mazzola of Federal Way, a player in the digital Electronic Arts Madden Challenge this weekend in Honolulu, where he'll be playing the Xbox football video game for a $100,000 prize. Electronic Arts, based in Redwood City, Calif., is publisher of the popular "Madden" franchise of games.
Stats: Mazzola, 20, won the four-day trip to Hawaii at a playoff in Nashville, Tenn., in October. Playing as the Philadelphia Eagles, he completed 13 of 18 passes for 151 yards and held the ball for 10 minutes, 38 seconds during the 16-minute game against the Atlanta Falcons. The final score: 10-3.
Xbox Live gamer tag: Money2481. Money is his nickname, and 24 and 81 are the numbers of his favorite players, the Raiders' Charles Woodson and (now-retired) Tim Brown.
"Madden" game plan: "I was going to play [as] the Raiders, but I think I'm going to play [as] the Giants. They have really big players, really tall, and in this year's game tall players are what you want — my game is a lot of passing. And they have a good defense."
Bio: Born in Modesto, Calif., Mazzola went to high school in Grants Pass, Ore., and moved to Federal Way a year ago. When he's not playing games, he sells hardware to retailers as the Washington and Montana representative of Portland-based Larsson and Associates.
Workout: Usually five to six hours a day on the Xbox, but he's playing even more now to prepare for the big game. He plays via Xbox Live with friends in Ohio and California and with his friend Paul Ziegler in Bellevue. He also plays weekly with a group of friends in SeaTac.
Tournament history: At a playoff in Seattle a year ago, he finished third and decided to get serious. He traveled around the country to compete in tournaments in Nashville and Southern California with Ziegler. He met Ziegler on a "Madden" online message board. "We just travel all over the place playing," he said.
Setup: Mazzola's Xbox is connected to a 27-inch TV at home. His cable service is connected to a smaller TV on top of the 27-incher, so he can watch TV while he plays.
First video game: "Oh geez, man, probably 'Sonic the Hedgehog' for Genesis. I take that back, it would be 'Mario Brothers' for Nintendo. Talking when I was, like, 5 years old."
On pro gamers: "It's tough; there's a lot of competition out there. To do it professionally you have to be really good, and there's not enough money in 'Madden,' I don't think."
Tournament dreams: "If I win, I probably wouldn't play 'Madden' any more. I'd probably start my own business, start living a real life, I guess you could say."
— Brier Dudley