At Central Arizona College, students are logging in for more than just classes and homework. Inside room B-112 sits the campus esports room — darkened, but alive with the glow of computer screens, the click of keyboards and neon lights shining from rows of PCs. 

While it serves as the home base for the college’s growing esports club, the room has also become a popular after-class hangout. Here, gamers can swap Blackboard for Super Smash Bros. and other favorites. For many students, the space offers a mix of stress relief and social connection. 

Editor’s note: Interviews have been lightly edited for brevity and readability. 

Michael Einkstaff,18, Senita 

What is your major? 

Structural welding 

How often do you come to the e-sports center? 

I come here on Mondays and Wednesdays after classes. It’s a nice place to hang out and it helps me get out of the house more. I’m stuck at home most of the time. 

What do you enjoy about gaming? 

I like having fun with others. 

What is your favorite game? 

Super Smash Bros. or Brawl Stars. 

Which video game character would make the worst roommate? 

I’d choose Wario from Super Smash Bros. He’s nasty and eats all your food. He’s just gross. 

Which would you rather lose for a week: Wi-Fi or sleep? 

I’ll choose losing the Wi-Fi to sleep because we’re college students. So, we kind of need the sleep. We already have sleep deprivation, so even less is going to do us terribly. 

Naeshaun Evans, 18, Sorrento 

What is your major? 

Computer science 

How often do you come to the e-sports center? 

I’m the one who opens up the room every day so people can come in, play games and hang out. 

What do you enjoy about gaming?  

I’ve been trying to become a streamer and play games for a living, and I’ve been a gamer ever since, like, I knew how to breathe. My lungs are like the shape of a game controller. 

I’ve been playing games almost all my life, so there’s definitely passion in there. 

What is your favorite game? 

I play fighting games religiously. I play Super Smash Bros., Skullgirls 2nd Encore and I’m a big Mortal Kombat 11 fan. I also do delve into a little bit of Brawl Stars. 

Which video game character would make the worst roommate? 

I literally just made a tier list about this. One of the worst roommates realistically would be Snake from Super Smash Bros. The dude has straight PTSD. I can imagine coming home from classes — and he has the house booby-trapped — so you open the door, and you get bombed because he’s thinking an intruder is going to come in. 

My other answer would be Zelda only because Ganon would raid your home trying to capture her, so living with any of the Hyrulean characters is asking for a fade from Ganon. 

Which would you rather lose for a week: Wi-Fi or sleep? 

I would much rather lose Wi-Fi for the week only because sleep is very important, and you can quite literally die without it. And when I play Smash Bros, I cannot play at my best if I’m sleep deprived. 

Even without Wi-Fi, you can still play some games offline. 

Tanner Cox, 18, Rancho Mirage 

What is your major? 

Welding. Most of my classes are at the Coolidge campus. 

How often do you come to the e-sports center? 

I love coming here on Wednesdays. I have a communications class here at the Maricopa campus, so I can come here and enjoy gaming after that. 

What do you enjoy about gaming?  

I prefer playing games with others. Usually, I’m just interacting with people that I live with or with the people over at Mr. E Comics (20800 N. John Wayne Parkway, Suite 108), but I mostly enjoy the community here at CAC. I love how they’re very nice to me, they’re very welcoming and they’re willing to teach me stuff that I might not know about. 

Which video game character would make the worst roommate? 

That’s tough. Honestly, Cal Kestis from Jedi Fallen Order or Jedi Survivor. 

Which would you rather lose for a week: Wi-Fi or sleep? 

I’m not saying Wi-Fi is the most important thing in my life, but I do a lot of things online almost 24/7, and sometimes I barely get any sleep. Like today, I only got five hours. So, there’s your answer.