Want a shot at beating arguably the best solo Halo player in the country? Ryan "Ryanoob" Geddes will give it to you.

The St. Petersburg resident, Zephyrhills native and newly-minted Halo 5: Guardians world champion will be honored May 20 at the Microsoft Store in Tampa's International Plaza, where he'll take on local fans in the Xbox first-person shooter.

Geddes is returning to the same store where he rose up the ranks in qualifying tournaments to earn a trip to the Halo World Championship in Seattle last month. There he outlasted other regional champs to win the $6,000 top prize in the free-for-all championship, where players go solo without a team.

Add that to the $2,000 he made as part of the team Oxygen Supremacy, which finished ninth in the $1 million four vs. four championship, and it was a nice payoff for the 24-year-old.

"I hadn't won a tournament in three years," Geddes said. "It makes you light on your feet."

Geddes has been playing Halo, a game in which Spartan supersoldiers do battle on alien worlds, since he was 8. He turned pro in 2010 as Ryanoob, and said his parents were on board with the idea of him traveling the country and playing late into the night after he won $2,000 in his first tournament. He was 16.

It helped that he remained active outside the digital world, playing soccer for Zephyrhills High School and keeping his grades up. He finished an associate's degree so he'll be halfway to a bachelor's if he ever decides to hang up his Xbox controller.

"I remember in the car when he looked over at me and said, 'Mom, I want to be a professional video game player.' That's kind of scary," said Geddes' mother Karol Sealander, a real estate agent. "I'm very proud of him. For someone to say this is what they want to do and then do it, that's impressive."

He doesn't put in 12 hour days on Halo practice anymore, more like two or three. Then, he spends time analyzing play with his teammates who are scattered around the U.S. He's been able to support himself fully through prize money, sponsorships and a team salary. That doesn't always mean it's easy.

"You just never know if you're ever going to make more money," Geddes said. "You might have a big win, and then make nothing for a couple months. It's nerve wracking."

Gunnar Chauncey, a cousin who grew up with Geddes in Zephyrhills, remembers spending hours playing Halo 2 with Geddes and going to some local tournaments. But Geddes took it to another level.

"He's kind of just naturally good," Chauncey said. "We were starting to both get really good at Halo 3, but now, anything we play he's always better. ... I really can't hang with him, especially not in that game."

If you want to get on Ryanoob's level in Halo, Geddes said its important to "play a ton," but also ask yourself how frustrated you're getting with the game.

"What I learned is, in order to get good, you have to have fun, and have fun improving," he said. "I see people get upset at mistakes and they let their emotions take over because they want it so bad. When I got good, I had zero thoughts of going pro. I just was excited to have a chance to beat the people who were good."

Want to see how good that is? You can watch footage from Geddes' championship win in the video below, starting at 40 minutes, 50 seconds in.

IF YOU GO

Meet and play Halo with Ryan "Ryanoob" Geddes from noon to 5 p.m. May 20 at the Microsoft Store at International Plaza, 2223 N Westshore Blvd., Tampa.