By the age of five, Landyn Watson (AKA Stars) of the New Jersey Gorillaz was already showing both an interest and a talent for gaming.
“My first-ever game was GTA. Whenever my dad used to play the game with his friends, I would always come in and ask to play,” explained Watson. Although reluctant to let him play GTA at such a young age, his father soon discovered that he was really good at the game.
Once Watson got his own Xbox, his interest shifted to Call of Duty and later to Fortnite. In fact, he played Fortnite so much that his mother suggested he go pro with it.
It was also his mother who saw the Facebook announcing the coming of Ultimate Endgamers League (UEL) to Stafford, Virginia. “My father and I just popped in one day. We met 300 who asked me to try out.
Although Watson didn’t get selected immediately in season five, by the end of draft, the Gorillaz had picked him for their team. Since then, Watson has been showcasing his skills with UEL.
As a high school freshman, Watson finds a way to balance schoolwork, social life and gaming. “I try my best to do my work before gaming,” says Watson, “I game every day basically from 2:30-10:30.”
As for his social life? He relies on school and Facetime to keep up.
Like many others on UEL, Watson’s goal is to go pro, but that’s not his only motivation for being with the league.
“Pressing people who are better than me in the same competition and having a good time” also keeps him going.
“It’s common for rival teams to help out, go into other Discords to play, have a good time or just chat. At least until we’re against each other in the playoffs,” he adds.
Over the years, Watson has been developing news skills and improving old ones by carefully watching the game play of others. “I watch what people are doing all the time and use every opportunity to soak up the mechanics of the game and translate that into my own game play,” he explains.
He’s not just a passive observer though. Come game day the smallest kid in the league, is also the loudest.
– To my parents, Titus and Ultimate Endgamers League for all the support
– To Luis, our team owner and social media guy
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