Arizona is well on the way to become a hotbed for eSports in the US, courtesy of our thriving college teams.
Grand Canyon University, University of Arizona and Arizona State University all have thriving eSports teams which have seen notable success of late, but that isn’t the only reason we might soon see a boom of eSports in the area.
The field of eSports, in general, has seen an increase in popularity, not least due to the recent world crisis. In the absence of physical sports, fans and players alike have taken to their computers not only to participate but also to watch and interact with their favorite sports teams. Major League Baseball’s Player League was a roaring success, capturing the imagination of baseball fans across the country, although the Diamondback’s pitcher Jon Duplantier did not qualify for the playoffs, finishing 17th of 30.
Indeed, even prior to the need for more home-based activities, ‘electronic sports’ was rising in popularity across the globe. In Asia, the 30th South East Asia Games saw eSports make a debut as an event. Expatbets reports that eSports is the rising star of the entertainment sector and that was cemented in the region by the inclusion of titles such as Dota 2, Tekken 7 and Starcraft 2. They took their place at the games alongside more traditional physical sports such as badminton, soccer and swimming. That exposure across a wide range of platforms has also been evident in other parts of the world, including the US. The Player’s League took place on MLB: The Show 20, whilst other titles such as Rocket League, Fortnite and Overwatch also have thriving communities built up around them.
Back in Arizona, GCU was the only school to reach the 2019 Overwatch National Championship beating the top-ranked school at the time, California-Irvine. Albert Lee, GCU’s esports coordinator, has grown their division since introduction in 2018, but he is also full of praise for the other two schools, who do not have university funding for their projects.
“From a community standpoint, I really admire the programs at ASU and U of A,” Lee told the Cronkite News. “We are lucky here at GCU to have university support. I’m impressed by what ASU and U of A have accomplished without it.”
It is not just the success of our universities that is helping develop Arizona as a hotbed of eSports. A WalletHub study looked at the percentage of homes that owned computers and smartphones to try to predict where an eSports hub might pop up and, surprisingly, Gilbert was amongst the top-ranked towns. That, along with the dreams of a company called Do Not Peek Entertainment, could help drive more eSports competitors to Arizona.
“We want to figure out how we can bring more esports to Arizona,” said Scott Smith, co-founder of Do Not Peek Entertainment. Smith is a former freelance journalist with 20 years’ experience in the industry and he’s hoping to bring more focus on the area as an eSports hub, although he’s mindful of the other companies who have been doing the same, for longer. “Being the flag holders might seem egotistical of us,” he added. “There have been organizations here longer than us grinding away and I don’t want to disparage those that have been here growing the scene.”
That desire ties in with the sublime efforts of U of A, ASU and GCU, all of whom have contributed to the exciting possibility of seeing Arizona become a hub for eSports in the future.
For further reading on how Arizona residents have been dealing with recent events, be sure to check out our article latest Quarantine Cookbook Club featuring Half Baked Harvest.
Credit – Tommy Beland / Writer.