Kai Hickey works his fingers along the buttons of a gold-colored PlayStation controller, willing the car on his computer screen to careen into a large soccer ball, which soars into the air. Then, with the press of a button, he sends the car blasting skyward.
The high schooler senior is sitting in a South End co-working space that is the hub of Charlotte’s professional video game scene. He’s transfixed as he practices “Rocket League,” a popular video game in which players maneuver rocket-propelled cars to play soccer in a virtual arena.
As Hickey’s car hurdles through the air, the ball loses momentum and starts to fall. He flicks the left thumbstick on his controller in an attempt to shoot the ball into the net, but the ball plummets to the ground.
Hickey mutters to himself, pops open a menu on his computer, and fixes an input error. Then he…
