Karma
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Player Name: Karma
Real Name: Ben Jackson
Birth Date: 1988
Hometown: Murrietal, California
Current Team: Retired
First Event Attended: San Francisco 2005
Number of Events Attended: 27+
Best Placing:1st (Las Vegas Championships 2006 - Carbon - Shockwave, Gandhi, Karma, and Ghostayame)
Controller Settings: Bumper Jumper, 4 Sensitivity, Vibration
Other Favorite Competitive Games:
Hobbies: Working Out and Reading
Gamertag: Karuma no Sekai
Awards/Accomplishments
- 2005 Pro's Choice Best Battle Rifle
- 2006 Pro's Choice Best Battle Rifle
- 2006 Best 1v1 Player (undefeated)
About
Ben Jackson (born March 1988) (also known by his pseudonym Karma) is a professional gamer from Murrieta, California, United States. Ben Jackson attended murrieta valley high school, was in the graduating class of 2006. Jackson first attended a Halo 1 Major League Gaming tournament in Los Angeles, but performed poorly because of lack of tournament experience. At the age of 17 in May 2005, Jackson became a professional Major League Gaming Halo 2 gamer. After initially participating on Team Carbon as a part time player, Jackson became a full time team member in late 2005. At the 2005 MLG National Championship in New York City, New York, Jackson became the MLG National Free-For-All (FFA) Champion in Halo 2 and would remain unbeaten throughout the 2006 MLG season leading to another title.
In December 2006, Jackson signed a contract with the Major League Gaming worth $250,000 for him and each of his team members. CNBC has interviewed Jackson, who also regularly appears as an expert on Major League Gaming's USA Network television show. Ben Jackson placed second at the 2007 MLG Championships in Las Vegas, NV. Jackson's team, Carbon, began to underperform in Halo 3 tournaments, placing within the top four only once. This spurred Jackson to leave Team Carbon and join second-ranked Triggers Down before Dallas 2008, where his new team won in a major upset. Many in the Halo community commented that this was in part due to Jackson's high quality of play, comparable to his Halo 2 play.
Karma ended his 2008 Season with a playoff win in Dallas and a 5th place finish at the National Championships with Triggers Down. Had it not been for SK and Hysteria's decision to significantly alter the TD roster, many saw the best of prospects for the league veteran heading into 2009. In looking for a new team with which to enter the new season, it was with VG The New Order that Karma eventually found himself. Alongside several other league veterans, the new team entered the Meadowlands with the 8th seed only to suffer a disappointing 9th place finish. The team quickly parted ways, forcing Karma to look for new teammates. It was at this point that Karma took what was almost certainly the biggest gamble of his Halo career—a gamble that did not pay off.
Together with Naded, the all new and now infamous VG New Order was formed. Karma and Naded held open tryouts to all amateur players in what they called the "Golden Ticket." Manned with two non-professional players, the team was seeded outside of the Championship Bracket after missing the roster submission deadline. No one would have predicted that they would not emerge from the Open Bracket. The team fell just a single game short of a Championship Bracket birth, losing Game 3 of the final round of Losers Bracket play. After missing Dallas, Karma was able to achieve an 8th place finish with Heaven and Earth in Anaheim, only to suffer a 15th place finish at the National Championships in Orlando. This season has seen Karma fall from the spotlight, ending his long streak of consistently playing on top teams. But rest assured; in no way does that mean the Karma of today is not the same player that fans and players have long revered. Many will say that Karma simply is a top player looking for the right team. Don't be surprised to see him back on top in 2010.
