Ben Noel Archives | �鶹ԭ�� News

High School Students Level Up Knowledge of Gaming Careers at �鶹ԭ��’s Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy

Emily Dougherty — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 14:55:30 +0000

This past month, the (FIEA) welcomed the KB Foundation and 28 young people in its Philadelphia-based mentorship programs for a tour of FIEA facilities, offering a glimpse into the degrees available and potential future careers in the gaming industry. Students also had an opportunity to visit �鶹ԭ��’s main campus, �鶹ԭ�� Downtown, Creative Village and Electronic Arts.

Since 2017, the KB Foundation has supported Philadelphia’s youth through educational experiences and mentorship. This immersive Orlando trip combined two of the organization’s programs to advance learning for its KB Foundation mentees, including youth from 20 high schools who have participated in college prep or lunch and learn programs since middle school. Founder and CEO Kirk Berry says that he wants the students who participate in the program to learn about careers through immersive experiences and make the right choices for their future.

“At the KB Foundation Inc., our approach to career exploration activities is about exposing our youth to what it is like for a day in the life of any given career,” Berry says. “Hearing about a career is one way to learn, but spending time doing a small part of the career is a more impactful way to learn about it.”

College Possible, an organization working to broaden educational opportunities for youths, also attended this exploratory Orlando field trip for KB Foundation mentees.

Tyler Cholminski, a high school junior and mentee, says the KB Foundation and College Possible programs are helping him prepare for his future.

“I just started with the program a month ago,” Cholminski says. “They have already taught me so much. More than just preparing for college, I’ve learned about life.”

The KB Foundation recognizes �鶹ԭ��’s strong ties to the gaming industry through its successful FIEA alumni, which inspired them to visit the university.

“This partnership came about because our vice president of operations and programming, Justin Fishman,” Berry says. “He saw it as an opportunity to give our youth an opportunity to experience an extremely specialized career field. Since the �鶹ԭ�� has a direct career path to the gaming industry, it will show our youth what is required to pursue such a skilled profession.”

Berry says the trip will give students a fresh perspective on gaming, which already plays a significant part in many of their lives.

“This trip will have a tremendous impact on our youth because many of them play games and only participate as consumers,” Berry says. “The opportunity to learn about the pathway into this specific industry will be life-changing for the students.”

During the students’ trip to FIEA, they had the opportunity to listen to executive director Ben Noel speak about what their future could look like with a career in gaming.

“FIEA has one of the top graduate programs in gaming for the past six years,” Noel says. “Electronic Arts, Microsoft, and Iron Galaxy are all up the street from us. Twenty years ago, game development was not prevalent in Downtown Orlando. Today, there are 2,500 developers working in Orlando. Things like this happen in cities when they really focus on doing things.”

Philadelphia high school students participating in College Possible engage with virtual reality technology as part of an exploratory career visit at the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, located at the �鶹ԭ�� Downtown campus.

After Noel finished his talk with the students, they had the opportunity to tour FIEA to immerse themselves in the technology utilized for game development and education.

Students learned about the technology and work that goes into creating virtual reality games and, through a demo, stepped onto the sets of popular shows, movies, and games such as Mario Kart, Harry Potter, and Stranger Things.

Students went behind the scenes to learn more about the magic behind motion capture and try it for themselves. They geared up in motion capture suits and showcased their basketball skills on the court and the big screen.

Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy instructors at the �鶹ԭ�� College of Sciences work with Philadelphia high school students in its motion capture studio to experience the technology that creates animation in games and movies.

Rahim Gardner, a sophomore attending high school in South Philadelphia, shares why this trip means so much to him.

“This experience means the world to me because I was granted the opportunity to come here,” he says. “I’m learning a lot, and I get to see what is outside of Philadelphia in the world.”

Growing Accessibility in the Gaming Industry

Zenaida Kotala and Todd Deery — Wed, 09 Jan 2019 18:27:57 +0000

Providing more opportunities for people with disabilities in the video game and simulation industries is the theme of the second annual Press Play Conference in downtown Orlando on Jan. 12.

The and local partners are sponsoring the half-day conference aimed at educating and inspiring people with disabilities.

“The gaming and simulation industries are places where people from all backgrounds can thrive,” says FIEA executive director Ben Noel. “We want to show the disability community in Central Florida all the resources and opportunities for people who want to choose one of these exciting careers.”

“The gaming and simulation industries are places where people from all backgrounds can thrive.” — Ben Noel, FIEA executive director

Graduate student Aaron Cendan, who is pursuing a degree in interactive entertainment, is already immersed in finding ways to make games more accessible to everyone. Inspired by a friend who could no longer play games because of a hand issue, Cendan decided to take action.

“I was surprised to find no custom controllers out there on the market, so I decided to try and build them myself,” says Cendan. In 2018, he formed Stickless, a company that makes custom controllers for competitive and disabled gamers. Now he’s got more orders than he can fill and is pleased to see Press Play address the needs of disabled people.

“For so long accessibility was an afterthought in the game industry, and in every industry really,” Cendan says. “And that’s no longer the case. So, to have an event that is so welcoming and informing for people with disabilities is really incredible.”

He will have a table at the event with some of his custom controllers on display.

The event will begin at 10 a.m. with keynote speaker Karen Stevens from Electronic Arts. Stevens is a software engineer and the accessibility lead at EA, one of the co-sponsors of the event.

Afterward, participants can select two of four workshops offered:

The Art and Science of Motion Capture. Participants can see a demonstration of FIEA’s motion capture studio and hear about what it takes to give life to 3D characters from the studio to the screen.

The Many Roles of Game Programmers. The session covers the many types of engineering that make up game development.

How to Become a Video Game Artist. Participants will see and hear how art is created for games and the different ways to access those careers. They will also find out what they can do now to prepare.

Alternative Game Controllers for Accessible Design. College of Arts and Humanities faculty will discuss the importance of good user-experience design for mobility accessibility. They will also discuss how controller design is changing.

Parents can attend a panel discussion about how to prepare children for careers in video game and technology fields. Experts from higher education and technology companies will offer practical advice about how to pay for education and how to land that first job. Experts from �鶹ԭ�� will discuss resources available for students with disabilities.

The cost is $5, which covers lunch and a T-shirt in addition to the day’s activities. Limited scholarships are available. To sign up, visit: .

Sponsors are: Marriott, UCP of Central Florida, Orlando Science Center, Limbitless Solutions, Orlando Economic Partnership, Global Down Syndrome Foundation, City of Orlando and �鶹ԭ��’s Nicholson School of Communication and Media.

�鶹ԭ��’s Video Game School Ranked 3rd in World by The Princeton Review

Todd Deery — Thu, 15 Mar 2018 13:12:05 +0000

The �鶹ԭ��’s video game graduate school ranks No. 3 in the world, according to The Princeton Review and PC Gamer magazine.

, an anchor of �鶹ԭ��’s planned downtown campus, has been in the top five schools for each of the nine years the Princeton Review has done the rankings.

“I’m always happy to see the Princeton Review reward our innovation and effort to try and be a leader in interactive entertainment education,” said executive director Ben Noel. “The future success of our program will depend on the continued hard work of our students, faculty and staff.”

Since opening its doors in 2005, FIEA has graduated 606 students. Graduates are working at more than 139 companies around the world, including Apple, DreamWorks, Electronic Arts, Blizzard, Bungie, Zynga, Ubisoft, Disney, Microsoft and Nintendo.

The average starting salary for recent FIEA graduates is $62,600. Graduates are working on some of today’s most popular franchises. Those include God of War 2018, Fallout 4, Fortnite, Star Wars Battlefront II, Madden NFL 18, NBA 2K18, Call of Duty World War II, Extinction and Rise of the Tomb Raider.

The school is located in �鶹ԭ��’s Center for Emerging Media, across from the site of the former Amway Arena. Plans for �鶹ԭ�� Downtown call for a renovated Center for Emerging Media to join a new academic building that �鶹ԭ�� and Valencia College will share. FIEA is designed to graduate talented and well-qualified professionals to work in video games, new media, film and simulation industries.

“Orlando is an interactive-entertainment powerhouse with FIEA as a global leader in graduate education,” said Dale Whittaker, provost and executive vice president. “Our faculty and staff anchor an emerging media industry in downtown Orlando, where we’re excited to open a campus next year that will bring more students in related fields to benefit from the foundation FIEA has built.”

The Princeton Review chose the schools based on its 2017 survey of 150 institutions offering game-design degree programs or courses. The 40-question survey gathered data on everything from the schools’ game-design academic offerings and lab facilities to their graduates’ starting salaries and career achievements. More than 40 data points in four areas (academics, faculty, technology, and career) were analyzed to tally the lists.

�鶹ԭ��’s undergraduate game design program was also listed in The Princeton Review rankings for the first time this year. It came in at No. 36.

In addition to being published today on The Princeton Review website, the listing will also be featured in the May issue of PC Gamer magazine, on newsstands March 27.

�鶹ԭ�� Graduate Game-Design Program Celebrates 10 Years of Success

Todd Deery — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 03:00:48 +0000

This week the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, �鶹ԭ��’s graduate game-design program, celebrates its 10-year anniversary with a series of events for FIEA alumni and students.

FIEA’s first class of 12 students started Aug. 22, 2005. Since then, the program has enrolled more than 500 students and is the largest graduate program in �鶹ԭ��’s College of Arts & Humanities. It was named the No. 2 graduate game design program in the world this year by the Princeton Review.

The commemorative events include tailgating before the �鶹ԭ�� football game on Thursday, a private party for FIEA alumni and guests Friday, and a FIEA student gaming tournament Saturday. Faculty, students and staff will be available to talk to media during all these events.

The program’s economic impact is apparent here and across the globe. More than 125 companies have hired FIEA’s 421 alumni, including brands such as Rovio, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Sony, Blizzard, Bungie, Cartoon Network, Disney and Marvel. About 45 percent of graduates stay in Florida to work, mostly at local companies such as Iron Galaxy Orlando, n-Space, Electronic Arts and Lockheed Martin. Students who graduated in 2013 had a mean base salary of $60,359.

“Ten years ago we created a unique graduate program to serve an industry and area in need of talented employees,” said FIEA executive director Ben Noel. “Today, through hard work and great collaborations we’re hoping to train the next generation of game developers, filmmakers, artists and digital entrepreneurs. I couldn’t be more proud of our graduates and what they’ve accomplished so far.”

The program started from a unique partnership between �鶹ԭ��, the State of Florida and Electronic Arts. It was created in May 2004, when the Florida Legislature provided $4.2 million in start-up funding. Electronic Arts helped with the formation of the program and in the early development of the curriculum. On Aug. 24, 55 more grad students started the program as part of FIEA’s 12th class.

“With one out of every seven of our current, core product-development-team members coming from the FIEA program, we can certainly state that �鶹ԭ��’s decision to create FIEA to respond to the needs of our growing industry has paid dividends greater than we imagined,” said EA Studios vice president and group chief operating officer Daryl Holt. “We turned to �鶹ԭ�� because of the university’s commitment to partnership and its track record of excellence. The entire digital media community benefits from this commitment, as do graduates who are becoming leaders in the field and helping cement Central Florida’s position as an industry leader.”

In 2005, the City of Orlando leased �鶹ԭ�� space at the former Orlando Expo Center at 500 W. Livingston St. (now Bentley Street) to house FIEA and other digital media programs. The building was renamed �鶹ԭ��’s Center for Emerging Media in 2010.

“We are proud to celebrate FIEA’s 10-year anniversary,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “For our city to continue to thrive, we must attract and retain top talent, and FIEA’s success over the last 10 years has played an essential role in developing the jobs of the future. FIEA provides a pipeline of incredible talent to Orlando’s gaming, entertainment and simulation companies, which has resulted in tremendous growth for this industry.”

Rogier van Etten, a technical artist at local video game developer Iron Galaxy Orlando, said: “FIEA not only sharpened my programming and art skills but it also taught me how to work on large teams of creative people. It certainly helped get me where I am today in my career.”

In 2014, the school opened FIEA Ventures, a state-of-the-art digital media workspace designed for encouraging start-up companies in a creative environment. The program is available exclusively to FIEA alumni and provides start-ups with office and meeting space, a 20-seat theater, mentorships, equipment, and access to technology and expertise. Tenants also have access to the building’s audio, motion capture and films studios, collectively called Studio 500.

For a full agenda of the week’s events as well as historical photos, go to .

FIEA Ventures and FIEA are located in �鶹ԭ��’s Center For Emerging Media, 500 Bentley St., Orlando. For more information, visit www.fiea.ucf.edu.

�鶹ԭ�� Video Game School Ranked 2nd in North America

Wed, 25 Mar 2015 13:05:55 +0000

For the second consecutive year, the �鶹ԭ��’s video game graduate school ranks No. 2 in North America, according to The Princeton Review and PC Gamer magazine.

This is the fifth time that The Princeton Review has ranked graduate-level video game development schools, placing �鶹ԭ��’s Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy – or FIEA – behind only the University of Utah for 2015. The school has been ranked in the top five every year since the rankings began.

“With our 10-year anniversary approaching, it’s great to see the Princeton Review continue to recognize the outstanding work of our faculty, staff and students,” said executive director Ben Noel. “We’re proud to be part of Central Florida’s growing digital economy.”

Since opening its doors in 2005, FIEA has graduated 412 alumni working at more than 125 companies around the world, including Google, Electronic Arts, Blizzard, Bungie, Zynga, Ubisoft, Disney, Microsoft, Bethesda, n-Space and Industrial Light & Magic.

“FIEA’s exceptional faculty members, first-class facilities and close connections with the gaming industry’s top companies have propelled the school to one of the very best of its kind in the country in less than 10 years,” said �鶹ԭ�� Provost and Vice President A. Dale Whittaker. “This is a testament to �鶹ԭ��’s success with location-based education and valuable partnerships – our students thrive in the classroom and in the job market when they learn in an environment so closely immersed in their industry.”

The average starting salary for recent FIEA graduates is $60,359 and they are working on some of today’s most popular projects. Those games include NBA Live 15, Diablo III, Sunset Overdrive, Skyrim, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, Star Wars 1313, Borderlands 2, Battlefield 4, The Walking Dead, Gears of War 3, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, Bioshock Infinite, Transformers 3 and Dead Space 3.

The school is located at �鶹ԭ��’s Center For Emerging Media building, located in downtown Orlando near �鶹ԭ��’s future downtown campus. FIEA is designed to graduate talented and well-qualified professionals to work in video games, new media, film and simulation industries.

The chose the schools based on a survey it conducted in 2014-15 of 150 institutions offering game design coursework and/or degrees in the United States, Canada, and some countries abroad.

In addition to being published today on The Princeton Review website, the listing will also be featured in the May issue of PC Gamer magazine, on newsstands March 3.

Visit to see the full rankings.

�鶹ԭ�� to Open Start-up Space for Tech Entrepreneurs

Todd Deery — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 15:08:59 +0000

A state-of-the-art digital-media workspace designed to encourage start-up companies was announced today by the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, the �鶹ԭ��’s graduate video game development program.

The new FIEA Ventures program will initially be available to academy alumni and will be housed at �鶹ԭ��’s Center For Emerging Media in downtown Orlando. It is expected that some of the first clients to come into FIEA Ventures will be working on video games, animated film, simulation and mobile and web products.

Scheduled to open this fall, the 5,000-square-foot space will provide office and meeting space, a 20-seat theater, mentorships, equipment, and access to technology and expertise. Tenants will also have access to the center’s audio, motion capture and film studios, collectively called Studio 500, all at 500 W. Livingston St.

“FIEA’s success in developing graduates for high-wage, local industries has increased entrepreneurship, and this new program will place our recent graduates in a perfect atmosphere to start a successful small business,” said FIEA executive director Ben Noel.

Companies and individuals will be picked using an application process in which clients will be asked to detail their concept, technology needs, potential staffing, market prospects and business plan. If accepted, the applicant can stay in FIEA Ventures for up to one year.

Clients will also have access to the center’s faculty and staff, who will help with development and access to industry partners.

“As the No.2 ranked graduate school for game development, FIEA is an anchor for the Creative Village,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “Now, with the launch of FIEA Ventures, the �鶹ԭ�� is taking an innovative approach to ensure its talented alumni become Orlando’s next generation of successful tech entrepreneurs.”

FIEA Ventures is a part of �鶹ԭ��’s Office of Research and Commercialization, which supports economic growth by being a liaison between �鶹ԭ�� and local and national economic-development partners.

Other partnerships include �鶹ԭ��’s Business Incubation Program, which has grown into one of the biggest and best in the world; the �鶹ԭ�� Venture lab, where technology entrepreneurs transform ideas and intellectual property into business plans; The GrowFL program that serves second-stage companies, and the Blackstone LaunchPad, which focuses on student entrepreneurs.

“This innovative facility will boost both �鶹ԭ��’s presence downtown and Orlando’s vision of a Creative Village in the city’s core,” said Tom O’Neal, �鶹ԭ��’s associate vice president for Research and Commercialization and director of the �鶹ԭ�� Business Incubation Program. “This partnership will be an incubator of ideas and commerce to benefit both the university and the community.”

U.S. News, Princeton Review Rank 24 �鶹ԭ�� Graduate Programs Among Nation’s Best

cbinette — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 21:16:20 +0000

The �鶹ԭ��’s video game graduate school ranks No. 2 in North America, and 23 other �鶹ԭ�� graduate programs rank among the top 100 in their fields in the United States.

The Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy’s No. 2 ranking was released today by The Princeton Review and PC Gamer Magazine. FIEA has been ranked among the top five in all four Princeton Review sets of rankings since the school opened in downtown Orlando nine years ago.

Since opening its doors in 2005, FIEA has graduated 359 alumni working at 124 companies around the world, including Google, Electronic Arts, Blizzard, Ubisoft, Disney and Microsoft. The average starting salary for FIEA graduates is $54,581.

“I’m glad to see the Princeton Review recognize the hard work put in by our faculty and staff at FIEA,” said FIEA executive director Ben Noel. “We spend every day ensuring our students are as ready as possible to have valuable careers in the video game, film and simulation ��Ի�ܲ��ٰ��.”

In other rankings released today, U.S. News & World Report ranked 23 �鶹ԭ�� graduate programs among the top 100 in their fields. Last year, 21 �鶹ԭ�� programs were ranked in the top 100 in their fields. The Best Grad Schools 2015 rankings are available online at https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools, and the Best Grad Schools 2015 guidebook will be available on newsstands beginning April 8.

The Counselor Education program earned �鶹ԭ��’s highest ranking at No. 7, up two spots from its 2014 ranking. Counselor Education educates and prepares students interested in working as counselors and practitioners in schools, community mental health settings, institutions, hospitals, and private practice.

�鶹ԭ��’s Special Education program also earned a Top 20 ranking, jumping up four places to No. 12. The program provides course work needed to meet state certification requirements in special education of children and youth with disabilities

“We’re very pleased with the recognition our programs have received,” said Sandra Robinson, dean of the College of Education and Human Performance. “Faculty, staff and students have earned these accolades through their hard work and professionalism.”

�鶹ԭ��’s College of Optics and Photonics ranked No. 14 among the nation’s atomic, molecular and optical sciences programs. The Nonprofit Management program in the College of Health and Public Affairs ranked No. 25.

Two other programs in the College of Health and Public Affairs also made the top 50 – Criminal Justice (26) and Healthcare Management (46) – along with the College of Engineering and Computer Science’s Industrial Engineering program, which ranked No. 42.

“These rankings clearly demonstrate the national recognition our programs have achieved in both health and public affairs,” said Michael Frumkin, dean of the College of Health and Public Affairs. “They are truly a testimony to the commitment and hard work of our faculty and the excellence of our students.”

Others from �鶹ԭ�� in the top 100 of their specific fields are: Computer Engineering (58), Public Administration (59), Materials Engineering (61), Electrical Engineering (64), Environmental Engineering (68), Communication Sciences and Disorders (73), Civil Engineering (76), College of Nursing (79), College of Engineering & Computer Science (81), Physics (85), Social Work (89), Computer Science (90), Business Part-Time MBA Program (94), Mechanical Engineering (97), College of Education (98) and Physical Therapy (99).

More than 1,300 programs are reviewed nationwide for the magazine’s annual graduate-school guide. Scores are based on expert opinions about programs and statistical indicators that reflect the quality of faculty, researchers and students at each institution.

In a separate set of rankings released in January, �鶹ԭ�� ranked No. 24 among the Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs, up from No. 45 in 2013.