Arizona universities form esports conference [Video]

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Arizona’s top four universities have teamed up to form a special conference to compete in esports and improve for national tournaments.

Grand Canyon University has 32 esports scholarship athletes on five teams and 2,000 members of the school’s esports community.

GCU esports varsity athlete Andrew Gocza has always been into sports, playing hockey when he was younger and switched to esports.

“I’m just a natural competitor so I’ve been doing it for a long time,” Gocza said. “It’s more natural than one would think.”

Arizona State, University of Arizona, Northern Arizona and GCU have come together to create the Western Cactus League. It gives them a chance to compete against each other at a high level.

“Unification is a really big deal in esports because fragmentation is our enemy,” said GCU esports director Jay Deshong.

The universities are preparing for the May Madness tournament in Texas next month.

“The …