With a mother in the military, Steven Meadows (AKA Luccisama) of the New York Bandits spent his childhood years either playing outside with friends or inside on the Sega Genesis. “I started when I was little,” said Meadows, “Mario… Donkey Kong… after a while, it just stuck with me.”
Meadows’ love of gaming continued throughout the years, but it was his coworker at the Cheesecakse Factory, Herb McCoy, who brought Ultimate Endgamers League (UEL) to his attention. “[Herb] was always talking about this gaming team he was starting up. Half a year later, I happened to be on Instagram and saw an ad for it. I got information from Herb and joined up,” explains Meadows.
According to Meadows, with UEL it’s not just about talking the talk – it’s about walking the walk. “Getting into it is easy,” said Meadows, “But you also need to put the action behind it. If you put the time and dedication into it, it shouldn’t be hard to keep up.”
For his part, Meadows has found that his dedication to learning new games has changed him. “I’ve always been into shooters, but after 100 hours on Overwatch, it shifted me. I like all games, but now I’m finding that I’m pretty good at Overwatch and games like F1,” he described.
Like many in the league, Meadows is looking forward to a future in gaming. “I would love to make it so I don’t have to work a 9-5 job. Making money from gaming full-time and getting worldwide recognition would be lovely. It would also afford me a lot of flexibility in life,” Meadows explained.
From what he sees in the UEL, going pro is not a lofty dream. “I have seen nothing but growth with UEL. In just two seasons, there have been major jumps in publicity, sponsorship and more,” he said.
But what really motivates Meadows is game day. “Coming together… the energy of actual game days… I always like putting on a good show.”
Although joining UEL felt risky for Meadows at first, he now recognizes that the more he puts in, the more he receives.
“Playing something you don’t know how to play is never fun, but once you find the thing that makes it fun, it’s fun,” Meadows described.
“I came here as a nobody, and now people know my name,” he added.
– To Titus, for having this whole thing created for people to enjoy themselves. I always thought it would be cool to be a part of something like this.
– To my team, I wouldn’t be here without you.
– To Rex, you may push us, but it helps us a lot to make sure we’re strong players.
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