The Kazakhstan edition of Forbes magazine has included Alimzhan “Watson” Islamgaliev, the carry player for the Dota 2 team Gaimin Gladiators, in their “30 Under 30” list for 2025. This recognition highlights his significant impact in the esports world at a young age. The feature was officially published on the magazine`s website.
After completing school, Alimzhan began studying `automation and control` at Karaganda Technical University on a state grant. However, competitive gaming started to dominate his life; he would play Dota 2 for days straight and eventually dropped out in his fourth year to pursue esports professionally. Since launching his career in 2019, he has amassed over $300,000 in prize money and participated in approximately 400 professional matches. Watson is widely recognized for his aggressive playstyle and his skill in leveraging strong heroes effectively in the laning phase. He is currently a vital member of the Gaimin Gladiators (GG), considered among the world`s elite esports teams. His achievements include securing second place finishes in major international tournaments and consistently reaching the final stages of numerous prestigious competitions.
The candidates for the “30 Under 30” ranking are selected by Forbes editors with the assistance of industry experts. The final honorees are determined through a comprehensive voting process that includes readers, a specialized jury composed of representatives from various sectors, and the editorial team. The Russian edition of Forbes also runs a similar initiative. For their 2025 list, one of the nominees was PARIVISION carry player Alan “Satanic” Gallyamov. Previous Russian Forbes lists have also featured prominent figures from the esports and streaming scenes, such as content creator Alexander “Paradeev1ch” Paradeev and CS2 player Danil “donk” Kryshkovets.