Great gamer examples

Starting this thread because an editor at a big paper told me a few days ago he values an excellent gamer more than an in-depth feature. His reasoning was pretty good, too: If you can nail an 800-word deadline story and give it a true "voice," then you can write a great profile or narrative. I always used to think the opposite, but now I'm not so sure.

Anyone have some samples of good gamer work I can look at? I've read plenty of features in the past, but this definitely seems like something I have to emphasize from hereon out. Thanks.

 

Not sure how much you can get out of this one since it's playoff NBA and whatever you cover might not have the historical angles, but this one from Tim Brown in 2003 has been a favorite of mine for 9 years.

http://articles.latimes.com/2003/apr/30/sports/sp-lakers30

 

This is my favorite in the last five years. It's from Chico Harlan, who left the Nats beat to become WaPo's man in East Asia.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/04/AR2009100402308.html

 

Harlan was incredible. It's a shame he hates it.

Here's another:

 

I thought this thread would be about someone like this guy: