LTUX – An Opportunity to Learn and Explore
On Saturday, May 3rd, Lawrence Technological University’s annual convention for gamers, artists, and designers once again came to campus. “LTUX started as an anime convention 10 years ago,” said José González-Belmonte, assistant professor of practice.
The program provides a section for vendors such as artists and crafters who sell their wares and another for the student showcase, where LTU game designers and game software development students demonstrate and receive feedback about their games. Game software development students from the College of Arts and Sciences and game design students from the College of Architecture and Design work in transdisciplinary teams during cross-college joint courses. In game creation, you cannot have one without the other.
CoAD professors Ahu Yolaҫ, PhD, and Stephen Mallory, PhD, serve with González-Belmonte as advisors to the organizing committee.
Mallory explained, “LTUX has always been a joint effort between CoAS and CoAD. It’s one of the expressions of our collaborative mindset where students can make their games and show off their work. LTUX is part of a larger gaming culture.”
It’s not unusual to see the cosplay culture present at LTUX, when individuals build and don costumes of game, movie, or anime characters. “This is a community that appreciates the time it takes to make a game, the video game creators, and the artists that sell their wares at conventions like LTUX,” Mallory said.
González-Belmonte agrees that there is great value to students who showcase their work at LTUX. “While we invite professionals in the gaming industry to attend and see our students’ work, valuable and candid input also comes from the public. The critique helps them improve their games, and it is a valuable experience for the students to be able to articulate their concepts, thought process, and rationale for creating their game.”
Tucker Koepp, BFAGD ’26 and current president of the Student Game Design Alliance at LTU, displayed his game titled “Spells” at LTUX 2025. This game, created by Koepp and teammates Matthew Vroman, Matthew Baranek, and Caleb Wilson, is a “fantasy roguelike with Scrabble elements. We always get input on our work through the eyes of people who are pretty active in game development, like our teachers and other professional game designers. Getting reactions to our game from the player’s perspective was valuable. They commented on the amount of polish we put into the game, which was really rewarding to hear,” Koepp said.
A highlight of LTUX 2025 was the participation of LTU’s Esports. Ben Sobczyk, director of Esports, said, “LTUX has a lot of overlap with video games. The game we ran at LTUX is Super Smash Bros., a Nintendo title on the Switch. Those games and that console come from Japan, and there is a major cultural overlap between players of that game and those that love anime, cosplay, and other ‘nerdier’ culture items that can be found at LTUX. Players that come to compete often head into LTUX to explore everything, and people that came for the convention find their way to our esports space and join in the fun there too.”
González-Belmonte reported that this year’s LTUX drew attendance of 683, the largest since its post-COVID opening in 2023. The free public event is sponsored in part by LTU’s Dean of Students as a campus activity that, in addition to the artists and crafters, supports small local food vendors. If you’re interested in learning more, vending, or sponsoring LTUX ‘26, visit ltuexpo.com.
By: Renée Ahee
