Some 325 undergraduates majoring in Computer Science or Computer Engineering were among the more than 1,200 registered attendees at the first-ever Triton Gaming Expo (TGEX).
The 2016 event took place May 22 from 11am to 10pm in the Price Center Ballrooms. After CSE, the next largest cohorts were other Engineering majors (210) and those from Biological Sciences (202).
Triton Gaming launched two years ago to stage gamer events for students in the San Diego area, but this was its first attempt at organizing what was billed as “San Diego’s first on-campus entertainment convention.” The CSE Department became a sponsor of the gaming convention, and ahead of the event, organizers gave away two Grove Starter Kits provided by Microsoft to CSE students tagged on the Expo’s Facebook page.
TGEX showcased electronics, entertainment and sports, with a mission to provide students and non-students alike with “the opportunity to discover new games, interact with new technology, and explore new careers in the gaming and technology industries.” The program included game-playing tournaments, content for artists interested in game graphics, a ‘cosplay’ contest, the opportunity to meet with professional game developers (including CSE alumni), and panels featuring companies in the industry including Blizzard Entertainment, Sony and Pocketwatch Games.
Of the 1,200 attendees, more than 900 were male, nearly 300 female. Roughly one-third of all attendees signed up to compete in one of the gameplay tournaments.