Richard Glisson
Jenks High School
We caught up with senior Richard Glisson, a member of the e-Sports team at Jenks High School for another installment of 9 questions.
VYPE: Richard, you’ve been a member of the e-Sports team at Jenks since 2022. What do you enjoy most about being on the team?
Glisson: The best thing about being on a team is that you’re able to connect with your teammates on a different level than you would with regular people. Being able to compete with people with the same goals and passions is truly an amazing experience. Being able to share a hunger a need to get better is very inspirational and encouraging.
VYPE: What game do you compete in?
Glisson: I compete in Valorant.
VYPE: What are some other games you enjoy playing?
Glisson: I enjoy games that lots of people can play and have fun with, like Lethal Company, and Minecraft. I also like other FPS games like CS:GO 2 and Escape From Tarkov. I have a very broad genre of games I like and enjoy.
VYPE: Are you involved in any other activities or are you focused on gaming?
Glisson: Not at the moment, all of my time is being put into becoming No. 1.
VYPE: What is it about competing that makes it fun for you?
Glisson: What I enjoy most from competing is most definitely the competitiveness and the ability to show everyone what we have been working on as a team. Being able to see our improvement with every game is an extraordinary feeling. With every loss we take as a win, every game gives us important experience to be the best we can be.
VYPE: What are your plans after you graduate?
Glisson: My plans are most definitely to use e-Sports to get a scholarship and go to college. I may even use my abilities for my career. I am currently coaching for my monthly income.
VYPE: Who has been a big influence in your life?
Glisson: My best friend and just friends in general have impacted my life the most. My friends have always been my support system and they are always there if I need someone to talk too, without my friends especially my best friend, I have no clue where I would be.
VYPE: What does a person need to be successful in e-sports?
Glisson: I would say to be successful in e-sports you need to have the hunger to get better, the hunger to be the best, not the motivation but the drive to do what needs to be done. Someone once told me, “if you do not believe in yourself, believe in the me that believes in you.” This stuck with me throughout high school and it has carried me through tough times when I wanted to quit when I wanted to give up. The most important thing to do is when everything starts to get hard and everything’s going against you, that’s when you jump, that’s when you commit.
VYPE: Do you think every school should have an e-Sports program?
Glisson: It is incredibly important for every school to give everyone the opportunity to compete in e-Sports, same as in football there may be some hidden talent. There may even be people that have that drive to be the best, to do better, to be better, every school needs to give everyone the right to compete.
