ANAHEIM, Calif. -- A rainbow of strobe lights dances across the championship banners that line a walkway leading from an ordinary, brightly lit convention center lobby to a dark arena that feels like an alternate universe.
Dramatic theme music fills the air, as smoke from a machine dissipates to reveal a gamer’s haven.
Oversize monitors in the rafters broadcast the action, and speakers boom with an intense amount of bass.
Then, a team delivers a final kill shot, and a crowd of several thousand erupts in cheers.
In the middle of this scene at the Call of Duty World League tournament is Los Angeles Rams offensive guard Rodger Saffold.