Bryce Dudenhoeffer already is a local digital pioneer, and he wants to use his e-sports-funded college career to become a pathfinder for younger people as they enter the e-sports arena after him.
Dudenhoeffer, 18, of Jefferson City, is a 2018 Helias Catholic High School graduate, and will play e-sports on a $20,000 scholarship for McPherson College in Kansas, where he plans to study digital media starting this fall. The scholarship provides $5,000 a year for four years.
He is the first Helias student to sign a letter of intent to play on a college e-sports team.
He said he's been doing e-sports since he was 15, through all four years at Helias, but the administration there never approved him to form a team.
That didn't stop him from getting involved with tournaments at SoPro Gaming in Overland Park, Kansas, and he said he liked to donate his monetary winnings to charities - especially the Samaritan Center, where he volunteers.
"I like to help people with it" and give back to the community, he said of his gaming.
The game he's on scholarship for at McPherson is "League of Legends" - not actually the game he's primarily played for the past four years.
"League of Legends" is a multi-player online battle arena game. The object is to form a balanced team of five characters in order to successfully conquer another team's nexus - their home base. There are hundreds of characters to choose from, and each one has its own strengths and weaknesses.
Dudenhoeffer said his favorite is Anivia the Cryophoenix - like the legendary bird of rebirth from ashes, but think less fire and more ice with Anivia: "a being of the coldest winter, a mystical embodiment of ice magic and an ancient protector of the Freljord. She commands all the power and fury of the land itself, calling the snow and bitter wind to defend her home from those who would harm it," according to an online character description.
Dudenhoeffer said he doesn't know his practice schedule yet, but described what he expects of his general gaming routine - get up at 8 a.m., work out, study then play "League of Legends" by himself for a few hours.
"If you lose three games in a row, you take a two-hour break," he said, adding he wears a wrist support when he's not playing but he doesn't use a "wrist rest."
He ultimately wants to be a college coach so he can mentor other e-sports players.
"I didn't have anyone to hold my hand through the e-sports scene," he said.
He's also interested in having a film or photographer job in e-sports if he's not a player, adding he probably wants to end up in Los Angeles, California. He said he takes pictures at all of his events and shares them.
"You're probably not going to get very far" if a prospective e-sports player comes at gaming with money or fame as their primary motivation, he advised. Instead, he said, players should be passionate and have a drive to be part of something new being built.