The University of Tulsa hosts the second annual Heartland Gaming Expo this weekend.
It’s a showcase for computer game development in the state, and there’s a 24-hour competition for teams to build a game based on a surprise theme. Expo chair and computer sciences assistant professor Roger Mailler said those skills have scientific uses, too.
"Because it's often too expensive to re-create the surface of Mars, right? So we have to create a simulator," Mailler said. "The technology and the skills that it takes to build a game are right at the very top of our discipline in computing sciences."
The event also showcases games as art and features a competition to set a high score on a game players won’t see until they get in front of the screen.
Mailler said his department knows game development is a big deal.
"The computer science has voted to move forward with a proposal to start a gaming major at the University of Tulsa, starting in 2015," Mailler said.
The expo opens at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow and Sunday. It's free and open to the public.
