Aaron Elam, known in the world of competitive Halo as Ace, just earned $200,000 for a single kill. He took the sudden death grand final over over Justin Deese, the Halo legend known as iGotUrPistola, in the championship match of the 2013 Halo 4 Global Championship on Sunday.
It doesn’t get much more tense than sudden death match with a screaming crowd and a monster check at stake.
Elam, 20, beat out eight of the world’s top Halo players on Sunday to grab the prize. The two top finishers reacted on Twitter.
I honestly can’t believe I just won 200k.
— Aaron Elam (@MLGACE) September 3, 2013
Getting 2nd has made me want to improve my skill. I’ll be even more practiced and prepared for upcoming Halo events. #Ambition
— Justin Deese (@iGotUrPistola) September 3, 2013
When he’s not conquering the Halo world, Elam studies chemical engineering at the University of Kentucky—a state school charging about $10,000 per year. Before taxes, this check covers his full college tuition five times over. Not bad.