For most people, playing video games is hard enough. Now imagine doing it with no hands.
But one avid gamer can do just that – and chances are he’ll beat you at whatever game you throw his way.
Hunter Cayll was born two and half months early with a condition called amelia. This meant his hands had not developed and his legs were of uneven length.
Doctors initially gave him just weeks to live, but Hunter – nicknamed ‘Nubs’ by his friends – is still standing strong 22 years later.
“I was told I wouldn’t make it two weeks but now I’m here!” he said from his home in Tennessee, US.
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“I’ve played video games on and off since I was six – Nintendo 64, GameCube, PlayStation, Xbox – I even taped the Wii nunchucks to my nubs”.
Before long Hunter was playing Guitar Hero – a challenging game in which players ‘strum’ a plastic guitar whilst pressing buttons in time with music on the screen.
“I beat 97% of every song on expert,” he said.
Then came the next challenge – first-person shooter Call of Duty.
Rather than stick to the single-player campaign and battle against the predictable CPU, Hunter wanted to test himself against human opponents online.
“I put more than 250 days of game time in to Modern Warfare 2, achieving top 2K on leaderboards. I’ve been it playing ever since.”
Getting to the top, though, was far from easy – and required months of practice.
Hunter spent hours figuring out the basic commands for each game – painstakingly learning to manipulate his limbs to achieve the desired in-game effect.
Little by little he started making progress.
“I played like an absolute cripple for the first two months or so,” he said. “But I knew I could play, I just had to take the time to learn.”
“I’ve grown up playing baseball, basketball, football, MMA, hockey, you name it, I’ve done it and excelled at it.
“I’ve always been extremely competitive so if I’ve ever hit something difficult I put all my time into it to become the best.”
Hunter soon started figuring out the controls and the best way to manipulate them.
“After that it was just fine tuning,” he said.
The practice eventually began to pay off, and – against all odds, Hunter started beating his friends and other competitors.
Now, they’re terrified of playing him.
“About two months after Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was released I had a seven-match win streak without NoobTubes (unlimited grenade launcher) so I’d say it wasn’t too long before I become a master.”
Hunter’s gone on to master Rocket League and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. What next? FIFA 18?
“I haven’t played many sports games but I’m always down to try,” said Hunter. “But I’m sure I would be good at them!”
Not that gaming is the only thing Hunter excels at.
The 22-year-old has started making a name for himself in the shooting scene – and takes part in competitions around the world.
In 2015, he even placed in the top 50 at the IPSC Shotgun World Shoot in Agna, Italy.
However, despite his success, it’s gaming where Hunter’s heart really lies. He’s even started his own Twitch channel called PvtNoHands.
“I’ve made a huge name for my self competing against some of the best shooters in the world, but I’m wanting to make my true passion of gaming my career!
“I’m mostly looking forward to show people out there no matter what their dealing with they can do anything they want too.
“No matter their personal appearance, disabilities, etc. it’s all in your head. If they truly believe in something anything is possible.
“I want to prove to people they can do anything they set their mind to so why not become one of the best out there.”
NOW WATCH HUNTER IN ACTION BELOW.
Watch live video from PvtNoHands on www.twitch.tv