Gaming within the Final Frontier: GCI Powers UAF’s Esports Leaders

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Wintertime highs within the destructive double digits and vivid shows of inexperienced, purple, and pink rippling throughout the evening sky aren’t unusual in Fairbanks. Inside the University of Alaska Fairbanks Esports Center, nevertheless, the warmth is on as esports athletes clad in blue and gold Nanooks jerseys face off towards opponents at schools and universities 1000’s of miles away, linked by high-speed, low-latency fiber web offered by GCI, Alaska’s largest telecommunications supplier.  

Among these rivals is Owen Swan Adams, captain of UAF’s Overwatch 2 crew and a recipient of GCI’s UAF Esports Scholarship. For Adams, the scholarship means he can concentrate on technique, teamwork and, after all, his lessons – not the price of school – whereas proving that world-class gaming can occur within the coronary heart of Alaska.

“When you’re in overtime on Overwatch and the payload is inches from the checkpoint, every call and key click matters,” Adams mentioned. “That’s the kind of pressure I live for, but it’s a lot easier to handle when you’re not stressing about tuition. GCI’s scholarship gives me the freedom to focus on my classes, team, and those clutch moments.”

Adams is one in every of two student-athletes awarded this yr’s scholarship, alongside Tucker Johnson, captain of UAF’s League of Legends crew. Both gamers lead their squads in video games that demand precision, communication, and hours of observe.

“In League, one split-second decision can flip a team fight, a push on a key objective, or even the whole match,” Johnson mentioned. “This scholarship helps clear the fog so I can see the whole map and make the right calls at the right times. GCI’s support helps us prove that Alaska esports can compete on the national stage.”

GCI’s UAF Esports Scholarship supplies two $5,000 awards yearly to Alaska-resident members of the UAF Esports crew who meet educational eligibility necessities.

UAF has change into a hub for aggressive gaming in Alaska, due to the Alaska Esports Center. The Center, which opened in 2021, provides Nanook athletes the instruments to compete on a worldwide stage. Its esports groups and their high-performance gaming rigs are linked with 5 gig fiber web speeds offered by a 10-year, $500,000 partnership with GCI.

“Esports at UAF is about performance and belonging,” mentioned Samuel Henderson, UAF Esports Coordinator. “The Alaska Esports Center gives our athletes a home base with pro-grade connectivity, team space, and a welcoming community. Support from partners like GCI elevates the competitive experience and gives our students tangible pathways, through scholarships, to stay in school, keep improving, and represent Nanook Nation on a bigger stage.”

“Esports teaches strategy, teamwork, and resilience, and Alaska’s students are excelling,” mentioned Tiffany Vassar, Senior Program Manager for Contributions & Events at GCI. “We’re proud to support UAF’s athletes with scholarships and to invest in the infrastructure and programs that make high-level play possible statewide. From campus upgrades to ASAA competitions, our goal is to help Alaska gamers compete with confidence.”

For GCI, the scholarship and assist of the UAF Esport Center are a part of a broader dedication to esports throughout Alaska. The firm is the Official Technology Sponsor of ASAA, supporting statewide highschool esports tournaments and applications with greater than $350,000 in money and in-kind contributions. For extra details about GCI’s dedication to esports, go to: https://www.gci.com/about/esports.

About GCI

Headquartered in Alaska, GCI supplies knowledge, cell, voice and managed companies to shopper, enterprise, authorities, and service clients all through Alaska, serving greater than 200 communities. The firm has invested $4.7 billion in its Alaska community and amenities over the previous 45 years. Through a mixture of formidable community initiatives, GCI continues to broaden and strengthen its statewide community infrastructure to ship the very best connectivity to its clients and shut the digital divide in Alaska. Learn extra about GCI at www.gci.com. GCI is an unbiased publicly traded firm (Nasdaq: GLIBA, GLIBK, GLIBB) Learn extra at https://www.gciliberty.com/.