The goal inches ever closer for Coby Yamauchi.

With each “Halo Reach” tournament, the 15-year-old Davis resident climbs a few more rungs up the ladder, closer and closer to the top-16 finish at which he’ll be deemed a professional in the world of major league video gaming.

For the big-time professionals, that means six-figure endorsement deals with Dr. Pepper, Doritos and numerous other sponsors. But for Coby, it’s more about a dream come true.

“It’s not about the money,” says his dad, Ken Yamauchi. “It’s about being able to say, ‘I’m a pro.’ ”

It’s something Coby has dreamed about for years.

The journey started back when Coby was 7 years old, not long after being diagnosed with a neuromuscular disorder that would leave him wheelchair-dependent by the age of 8.

The ability to run around on a field with friends, kicking a ball or shooting a basket was lost, but thanks to his older cousin, the late Richard O’Brien, something else was gained: O’Brien introduced Coby to the world of Xbox, and that was that.

Since then, Coby has gotten better and better at his game of choice: the first-person-shooter game, “Halo Reach.”

He plays on a four-person team in tournaments all over the country with thousands of fans watching the action stream live online. In the last few tournaments, Coby’s team has finished 31st, then 27th, then 21st at nationals in November — just five spots away from the coveted goal of 16th.

Along the way, Coby has become so well-known that gamers he meets all over the country ask for his autograph.

“The whole gaming community knows who Coby is,” said Ken Yamauchi.

The very best Halo players in the world certainly do.

Earlier this week, a dozen of them — including some of the biggest names in professional gaming — even spent five days at the Yamauchi home in Davis, preparing for the Major League Gaming Winter Championships in Columbus, Ohio, March 23-25.

Playing with teammates in person — rather than online — is great practice for tournaments, said Ken Yamauchi, and playing against other top players is even better.

“We all give each other feedback,” explained Tom “Tsquared” Taylor, perhaps the best-known Halo player in the world and one of the odds-on favorites to win in Columbus with his team, “STR8 rippin.”

But it’s especially invaluable for Coby’s team, “Defiance,” since they’ve only been together a short time and don’t live near each other. Two of the players hail from Seattle; the third from Minnesota. Like virtually all of the gamers at the Yamauchi household last week, all are in their early to mid-20s.

And though Taylor and the other pros descended on the Yamauchi home with the primary goal of helping Coby succeed in going pro, the rest of them will benefit as well, Taylor said.

“Coby is an amazing player,” he explained. “He gives us feedback. And we’ll all reach that goal of Coby going pro and all of us doing well (in Columbus).”

Coby has proven an inspiration to many of them.

Professional Craig Chamberlain can especially relate, as his own history with gaming is somewhat similar to Coby’s.

Diagnosed with lymphoma when he was 13, Chamberlain turned to Xbox to help while away the hours spent in isolation during treatment.

“I couldn’t go outside,” he explained. “And if that hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t be here now.”

“It’s exciting to watch Coby,” Chamberlain added, “because he’s going through something (similar) to what I went through.”

Ken and Ana Yamauchi long ago turned the front room in their South Davis home into a large gaming center full of multiple Xbox consoles, flat screens and more. Coby’s friends love to come over to play and every month, Ken Yamauchi hosts a daylong tournament for gamers throughout Northern California.

But this was the first time the family hosted 15 young men for five days. For Ken Yamauchi, that was five days of feeding them all, keeping score for them and pretty much taking care of all of their needs while they played up to 15 hours a day and well into the wee hours of the morning. (Mom Ana and Coby’s younger brother, Sam, chose to spend those nights at the home of nearby relatives).

It was exhausting, Ken Yamauchi said, but well worth it.

“Most kids would love to just meet a pro,” he noted. “Coby being able to play with them … it’s just great. This experience is invaluable to Coby. And he’s definitely living his dream.”

Watch Coby and team Defiance play in Columbus by logging on to http://www.mlgpro.com when the championships get under way Friday, March 23.

— Reach Anne Ternus-Bellamy at [email protected] or (530) 747-8051. Follow her on Twitter at @ATernusBellamy

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Coby Yamauchi of Davis, above left, and Nate “Fury” Johnson of Washington play the video game “Halo Reach” earlier this week. They are practicing — with the rest of their team — for an upcoming championship tournament. They hope to come in at least 16th so they can move up to professional status. Fred Gladdis/Enterprise photo

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Members of semi-pro team Defiance play “Halo Reach,” a first-person shooter video game, earlier this week. From left are Davis teen Coby Yamauchi, who has a neuromuscular disorder that makes him wheelchair-dependent, Nate “Fury” Johnson and Egan “Wolfmayne” Woolf, both of Washington, and Eric “Chaikuh” Chaika of Minnesota. The team is inching closer to its goal of reaching professional status. Next, the team will compete in the Major League Gaming Winter Championships in Ohio, March 23-25. Fred Gladdis/Enterprise photo

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Coby Yamauchi’s mom, Ana, gives him a kiss. Coby has a neuromuscular disorder that makes him wheelchair-dependent. Fred Gladdis/Enterprise photo

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Coby Yamauchi of Davis, above left, and Nate “Fury” Johnson of Washington play the video game “Halo Reach” earlier this week. They are practicing — with the rest of their team — for an upcoming championship tournament. They hope to come in at least 16th so they can move up to professional status. Fred Gladdis/Enterprise photo

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