By the age of four, Tariq Byrd (AKA, Painfulboar316) of the New York Bandits would watch in awe as his father played Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3. Although his mother regulated his game play and was positive role model who got him into gaming, his father let him join in the fun from time to time. “I was so infatuated with the game,” Byrd says.
Thirteen years later, Byrd and his family moved to Spotsylvania, Virginia, where he knew no one in the area. “I had been here a couple of months, and my mom just wanted me to get out of the house, so she made me go to the Virginia Black Business Expo,” Byrd says. Little did he know that the visit would change his life.
As he walked through the exhibits, he was drawn to a booth where people were playing video games. UEL COO Anthony Fuentes (AKA 300) drew him in. “If you want to make big money… big bucks… scan this QR code so you can get in,” Fuentes told Byrd.
Not only did Byrd scan the code, but he was also drafted as a fourth-round pick for the Bandits.
Byrd considers himself more of a casual player who doesn’t intend on going pro. “I don’t care about going pro because I’m only 16. I’m planning on my future and trying to join the military,” he says.
That doesn’t mean, however, that he doesn’t have goals for gaming. “I still want to play games though, and my goal is to get good enough to be able to be the top 1,000 in every game I enjoy playing,” he explains.
Byrd’s game play is motivated in part by his competition’s reaction to him. “When you get good at it, people get mad at you, curse at you. I like inciting that kind of response because I know I got under their skin and I’m the better player,” he says.
You can be sure to expect some trash talking during game play and interviews – especially during interviews. “I always feel like I accomplished something when I get into an interview.
Think you can take Byrd in a 1v1? Think again.
“No matter how good you are at shooters, I will always beat you in a 1v1,” says Byrd, then adding that he rises to the occasion in any one-on-one game play.
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