According to Official Guinness Records,
Dennis “Thresh” Fong (USA, b. 1977) is regarded as the first professional gamer in history. He won every tournament he attended over a five-year period, a feat that earned him the nickname “the Michael Jordan of the gaming world”. Fong is perhaps best known for his victory in the Red Annihilation Quake Tournament, sponsored by Microsoft and held at the 1997 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. As winner of the tournament, he was given a red Ferrari 328GTS convertible that had belonged to John Carmack (USA), co-creator of Quake.
For a complete list of 1997 records, please visit 1997 Guinness Records in United States.