Cortland 'Court' McQueen was always an outdoors sort.  Even when he was younger, he loved exploring the woods around his family farm.  It was this wanderlust that was part of the reason why he joined the Army out of high school.  Army training was tough but he found the challenge exciting, and loved the physicality of it.  That excitement was diminished when he was seriously injured in a roadside ambush.  The vehicle that he was driving hit an explosive, and Court lost his right leg just above the knee, and a host of other injuries.  His stint in the military had been cut short and he was honourably discharged.

Once he returned to civilian life, Court struggled to find his direction.  He had always been athletic, even playing football in high school and indulging in martial arts while in the military, but his prosthetic leg slowed him down.  He slowed down and grew depressed.  His injuries were making it more difficult to indulge in his more physical hobbies, unless they were on the computer.  Court started gaming, playing MMOs whenever he got the chance.  He found it enjoyable to dive into a fantasy game, to explore and figure out how to defeat monsters.

Court was into his first year of university when everything changed.  Aliens had come down and altered the planet for some weird gameshow.  It sounded dangerous, but it also sounded like these aliens could heal his injuries if he participated.  When the portal appeared in front on him, Court hesitated for only a moment.  Why the hell not, he thought and started down the stairs.