All is dark. A steady, creeping music, like that of an organ grinder, is punctuated by the dull thuds of punches. The clicking of fingers tapping buttons can be heard. Faster and then faster, as a drum roll, the clicking quickens as he slowly fights his opponent back.

"Come on Brice, you can do it," a friend tells him.

The television spews grunts and screams. And the black leather chair beneath Brice Mellen inhales, then exhales, as he rocks back and forth.

Then, with the machine rattle of clicking buttons, comes victory.

"Yes, yes, yes," Brice says, placing the Xbox controller on the chair beside him.

He wears a black T-shirt, shoes and shorts. He has a buzz cut and blue eyes, which are open but fixated on nothing in particular.

He has just won yet another game of "Mortal Kombat."

He reaches for the Mountain Dew bottle at his feet, grabbing at air until he feels it, and clenches it.

Brice is blind.

And something of a legend at the Lincoln video game center he frequents — DogTags.

Here, he is unbeatable.

A neon green sign in the business' window advertises to passers-by: "Brice Mellen plays here."

"Nobody wants to play him,"  said DogTags owner Marshal Rogers. "He owns that (Xbox)."

On his Web site, Rogers has devoted a section to Brice headlined: "Brice Mellen Blind Gaming Wizard."

Brice started playing video games when he was 7. Games like "Mario Bros.," "Mortal Kombat," "Soul Caliber 2" and "Tekken" kept him occupied and became a way to interact with others his age, he said.

So, how does he do it?

Listening, memorization and guessing, he said.

Everything makes a sound: kicks, punches, jumping and walking. You have to listen for it, he said.

With games like "Mortal Kombat," in which two players face off, memorizing characters' "special" attacks can help end an opponent, he said.

When in doubt, Brice does what any teenager would do: hit buttons.

"I don't know how I do it," he said of his video-game-playing success.

His only challenge, he said, is playing games that require sight, such as racing games.

Brice has been featured on NBC's "Today Show," as well as an Associated Press story published in newspapers throughout the country.

So, perhaps it comes as no surprise that some in Brice's life are hoping his newfound notoriety may lead to big things.

 "Out of all this publicity, I would like for Brice to be able to get a good education and make it out in the real world because we aren't going to be around forever," said Brice's stepmother, Jenni Stewart.

Stewart, who lives with Brice's father, Larry Mellen, said they treat Brice like any normal teenager.

"He is a normal 17-year-old in every aspect," Stewart said. "We try very hard to treat Brice like he does not have a disability."

To see Brice riding his bicycle to DogTags from his home, one might be hard-pressed to realize he is blind.

"That's what shocked me," said his friend, Brent Grammer, 14, of Brice's ability to ride his bike.

Brice, who is going to be a senior at East High School, said he wants to go to college and study to be a video game designer. But first, he wants to take a break.

"I need my year of having nothing to do with school," he said.

For now, he'll keep playing video games and shocking people, he said.

"I prove a lot of people wrong."

Reach Jordan Dresser at 473-7306 or citydesk@journalstar.com.