Bentley Spate, a sophomore with a passion for gaming, has spent the last year building a competitive name for himself in the game, Rainbow Six Siege. While many students his age balance school and sports, Spate has chosen a different path. One that takes place behind a screen, headset on, and strategy at the ready.
Spate began playing Rainbow Six Siege about a year ago. “I usually play at my dad’s house, but I’m preparing for a new gaming setup at my mom’s house, which will give me more opportunities to practice.” The game, known for its tactical game play and steep learning curve, immediately stood out to him. Unlike fast paced shooter games like Fortnite or Call of Duty, Siege requires patience, teamwork, and constant self improvement. Rainbow Six Siege is a tactical first person shooter game, where there is an offense and a defense. The objective on defense is to defend the site that you’re put on, while on offense players are trying to rush in and take over the site. This requires more teamwork than any other game because individual strategies are hard to use against a team’s strategy.
He doesn’t play alone. Spate regularly teams up with old friends he met on Discord, an online app that allows people to communicate while playing a game. Early into his Rainbow Six Siege journey, Spate encountered a lot of “Smurfs” – A highly skilled player who intentionally plays at lower levels. While this was frustrating to him at first, these experiences with smurfs pushed Spate to adapt faster and learn from tougher competition.
When asked how he improved so quickly, Spate talked about his mindset. Instead of getting angry after losing, he used each loss as a learning opportunity. “When I started, I would lose and immediately criticize myself in a positive way,” he explained. By identifying mistakes and thinking about what he could have done differently, he slowly sharpened his skills. This habit of self reflection became one of his biggest strengths.
Spate’s dedication to improvement shows how he approaches other interests in his life. “Outside of gaming, I enjoy photography and spending nights going late-night car spotting with friends.” While he does not participate in school sports, these hobbies give him creative and social activities beyond gaming.
Looking ahead, Spate has a clear and ambitious goal, reaching the Champion rank In Rainbow Six Siege. Champion is the hardest rank in the game, achieved by only about 0.2% of players. With an estimated 30 million people playing worldwide this placed the rank among the most hardest accomplishments in competitive gaming.
Although the goal is difficult, Spate remains motivated. His journey so far shows that improvement doesn’t always come from winning, it comes from learning, persistence, and the will to grow after every loss. For Spate, Rainbow Six Siege is more than just a game, it’s a challenge he’s determined to conquer.
