I had the perfect job for a gamer. From February to October, I'd get up at 7 in the morning with nothing to do but play games until I had to be at the park around 1 or 2 o'clock. When I got back after the game, I played until 3 or 4 in the morning.

I think I've earned a certain level of respect, based on my accomplishments and my consistency.

In this I-me society, my job is to get people to buy into something bigger than themselves.

There's not a long track record of people leaving professional sports to become a software developer.

The things I was allowed to experience, the people I was able to call friends, teammates, mentors, coaches and opponents, the travel, all of it, are far more than anything I ever thought possible in my lifetime.