Not too long ago I had the opportunity to interview Lil Poison - The Youngest Professional Video Gamer in the World . It has to be one of the most memorable interviews I've done yet -- he's so lovable and such a fun kid to hang around . Not only that , but he's skilled at Halo , and by skilled I mean he's one of the best Halo gamers in the entire world .

The audio unfortunately didn't pick up well on the video as I only had about 10 minutes to interview him before his next Halo match and ended up speaking to him in a busy food court . Classy , I know . Fortunately I transcribed the interview below for convenience .

Before we jump into the interview though , here are some interesting facts about Lil Poison :

  • He's in the Guiness Book of World Records for being the Youngest Professional Video Gamer
  • He was four years old when he started gaming professionally in New York , now he's eleven years old
  • Major League Gaming ( MLG ) recruited him at the age of six as a Pro Gamer
  • At the age of seven , Lil Poison registered in the largest free-for-all Halo competition ever held , he placed 2nd out of 550 other contestants .
  • He has participated in over 250 National and Local events since he was 4 years old . For Halo CE , Halo 2 , and now Halo 3 .
  • Massive Productions , is currently producing a full-length documentary on LiL Poison , intended for theatrical release and due out early next year .
  • He has been featured on many prominent news outlets including The Today Show , Wired Magazine , BBC News , The Star , New York Times , 60 Minutes , G4TV Attack of the Show , Electronic Gaming Monthly , and MTV

Well , here's the transcription -- enjoy the interview !

Paul Hunter : Hi everyone , I'm down here at the Fan Expo in Toronto . I'm here with my special guest Lil Poison , thank you very much for joining me today .

Lil Poison : Thank you .

PH : You have the nickname of being the youngest pro-gamer in the world , at what age were you when you first starting playing ?

LP : I started playing when I was two years old -- on my Dreamcast -- I played my Star Wars game , and then when I was four I started competiting .

PH : So when you were four years old that was when you went to your first tournament ?

LP : Yeah , and I got first place .

PH : Congratulations ! Where was the tournament and what game were you playing ?

LP : The games I play mainly for tournaments is Halo 1 and 2 . I've been all around the states .

PH : That's really exciting , have you competed internationally ?

LP : I've been to the states , London and Canada .

PH : You mention Halo , is that the game you specialize in then ? Are there any other games you play professionally ?

LP : No , but I'm good at games . I play Halo Wars , first-person games on the Xbox 360 .

PH : There are a lot of young gamers out there that are interested in pro-gaming , just wondering do you have any advice for them ? How did you manage to get in at such as young age ?

LP : Practice !

PH : How long do you practice ? Describe a typical day .

LP : Two hours a day .

PH : That's amazing , only two hours a day . I was actually wondering , if there's a chance you'd play a Halo match with me ? I'm not that good .

LP : Yeah !

[ Editor's Note : Lil Poison lived up to his word and challenged me first to a competitive Halo 3 match in front of a live audience . He thwomped me 5-0 . Even though he mopped the floor with me I still had a blast . Someday I will have my rematch ( and lose again !)]