Tulsa hosts a video game festival conceived by VisitTulsa later this month.
XPO Game Festival is inspired by the highly successful Penny Arcade Expo, or PAX, which launched in Washington 12 years ago and has grown to five events worldwide.
XPO Event Manager Matt Stockman said it will be fun, but it’s also a chance to show off Tulsa to a multibillion dollar industry.
"This was just one more way to show Tulsa is progressive, cutting-edge, and bring something in the tech industry to the central U.S. for people locally to enjoy," Stockman said.
According to the Entertainment Software Association, U.S. video game companies had $23.5 billion in revenue last year.
"There are 10 universities within driving distance of Tulsa that are now offering degree programs to go into game design, graphic design for gaming, music for gaming, really, so many different facets that people don't realize," Stockman said.
XPO is Sept. 23–25 at Cox Business Center and will offer the latest and favorites in video games, from retro to state-of-the-art virtual reality. There will also be several panels and events for video game developers.
