FIEA Archives | �鶹ԭ�� News

��’s Video Game Design Programs Rank Among World’s Best for 2026

Jenna Marina Lee — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 15:08:28 +0000

Tomorrow’s leading video game developers are being built today at �鶹ԭ��.

The university’s graduate video gaming program, , and undergraduate program continue to develop a pipeline of talent to fuel Florida’s economy at a standard of excellence few can match, affirmed by The Princeton Review and PC Gamer’s Top Video Game Design Schools 2026 rankings.

The Princeton Review and PC Gamer has recognized FIEA as one of the top two programs of its kind in the world six of the past seven years.

GaIM improved two spots from last year to its highest ranking, rising to No. 3 in the world. Both programs continue to hold the title of No. 1 in the South.

Neri St. Charles ’19 ’20MS (standing) and Elon Grant ’24 (seated) collaborate at FIEA’s studio at �鶹ԭ�� Downtown. (Photo by Kadeem Stewart ’17)

Strategy for Success

Since their inception, FIEA and GaIM have modeled their classrooms as close to a real-world, studio-like environment as possible, led by faculty with industry experience. That real-world perspective shapes every course, every project and every student who graduates.

“Our program intentionally emulates a collaborative ecosystem with a range of diverse talent in artists, designers and programmers, which is crucial to developing products and intellectual property,” says Nicholas Zuccarello, a 3D art instructor at FIEA who has previously worked for Sony Online Entertainment and Electronic Arts Tiburon. “We even structure projects to emulate real-world development pipelines as closely as possible within an educational setting.”

The Creative Village, home to �鶹ԭ�� Downtown and FIEA. (Photo courtesy of City of Orlando)

Orlando: A Leading Tech Hub

With Electronic Arts (EA) and Iron Galaxy Studios located less than a mile from the programs’ home base in downtown’s , Orlando is the perfect setting to transition from college to career and now mentioned in the same breath alongside traditional tech-giant territories San Francisco, Seattle and Los Angeles.

Many alums go directly into the game industry including Epic, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony and more.

FIEA has graduated 1,160 students since its first class in 2006 — about 100 of whom worked on several of the most popular games sold in the U.S. in 2025, including EA SPORTS College Football 26, EA SPORTS Madden NFL 26 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.

FIEA’s headquarters showcases video games alumni have worked on as professionals. (Photo by Stephanie de Sousa)

But it’s not just the gaming companies that eagerly hire FIEA and GaIM graduates. The skills taught in the two programs align perfectly with some of Orlando’s top industries.

Graduates land roles in the modeling, simulation and training sector. Others find their footing in medical technology, where interactive systems and game-based design are transforming how clinicians train and how patients heal. Knights can be found at many of the region’s big-name employers, including Disney, EA, Lockheed Martin, and Universal Destinations & Experiences, among others.

“Our students don’t just make games, they develop the creative and technical fluency to work wherever those skills are needed.” — Associate Professor Peter Smith ’05MS ’12PhD

“Our students don’t just make games, they develop the creative and technical fluency to work wherever those skills are needed,” says Associate Professor Peter Smith ’05MS ’12PhD, who serves as the associate director of GaIM. “That’s what makes GaIM graduates competitive across industries. It is a true honor to see The Princeton Review recognizing this accomplishment of our students and faculty.”

Nitin Bakshi ’21, who joined FIEA’s faculty as a technical art instructor after graduating with his master’s in interactive entertainment, says the program takes great pride that many of our alumni continue to live and work in Florida, contributing directly to the local economy.

“These companies rely on artists, designers and programmers who understand real-time production,” he says. “That is exactly the kind of training our program is built around.”

Jenna Stellmack ’25MS is accepted a full-time role as a designer for Cuhaci Peterson, a Central Florida-based commercial design firm, after graduating from FIEA. (Photo by Mark Godin)

Serious Business

Interest in the program has risen in the past year. FIEA recently drew its largest applicant pool with more than 200 applicants resulting in 90 new enrollees, the largest cohort to date.

For good reason.

The average starting salary for a FIEA graduate is $83,000, and 80% of graduates are in their desired fields at over 400 companies around the world.

The global market size for gaming, hardware and software sales is more than $189 billion (NewZoo’s 2025 Global Games Market Report), overshadowing music and movie industries combined.

“Adapting to the needs of the industry has always been one of our strengths,” Bakshi says. “Whether it is new real-time technologies, new platforms, or new ways of collaboration, we work hard to make sure the program grows along with the field. Seeing the program attract more talented students each year, while continuing to evolve with the industry, is what makes me most excited about the future and about the impact these programs will continue to have.”

Climbing the Leaderboard

��’s GaIM improved two spots from last year to its highest ranking, rising to No. 3 in the world and continues to hold the title of the No. 1 program in the South.

The bachelor’s in digital media with a track in game degree design blends theory and practice with a sharp focus on industry readiness. The program stands out as one of the few programs that combine a strong emphasis on both art and technology.

Students develop skills in programming, game design, game programming, as well as 2D and 3D art and visual effects.

The GaIM Maker Space lab, located on the �鶹ԭ�� Downtown campus, reflects that commitment in concrete terms: nearly $500,000 in mixed-reality technology including augmented and virtual reality, motion capture, physical computing, 3D printing, and web and mobile development equipment, alongside dedicated research space for applied work.

The impact on the quality of the students’ education and training is undeniable.

“The tools the maker space provides are integrated deeply into virtually every class in GaIM,” Smith says. “Students in early classes are printing board games and 3D printing game pieces, seniors are recording audio and motion capture sequences that are integrated directly into their capstone projects.”

The Rankings’ Methodology

The Princeton Review and PC Gamer’s game design school rankings are based on more than 40 data points derived from the company’s survey of administrators at 150 schools offering game design courses and/or degrees. Most of the institutions are in the U.S., with two in Canada and four abroad. The 50-question survey covered four areas: academics, faculty, technology and career topics.

��’s Training Ground for Serious Fun and Games

Robert Stephens — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:35:49 +0000

In the 20 years since �鶹ԭ�� launched the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA), the acclaimed graduate video game design program has produced more than 1,000 alums prepared to make their mark on the $450 billion industry.

FIEA has helped alums land careers are more than 400 companies, including big names like EA Sports, Nintendo, 2K and Roblox. And now with the rising demand for immersive learning and gamified training in other “more serious” fields, FIEA graduates are answering the call there, too.

Three alums, each with a unique story of why they chose this side of “serious gaming,” where winning truly is the only option.

Brenda Raza ’97 ’19MS

From Magazine Fashion to Military Function

�鶹ԭ�� alum Brenda Raza is a leading 3D artist at Carley Corporation.

Before Brenda Raza ’97 ’19MS became a leading 3D artist at Carley Corporation creating interactive training simulations for soldiers, her classmates in FIEA only knew the LinkedIn version of her: A �鶹ԭ�� BFA graduate from 20 years earlier who once lived in New York designing fashion catalogs and magazines.

When that career didn’t fulfill her the way she thought it would, she dared to consider starting over on another path.

During her undergraduate days, she wouldn’t have considered herself a gamer, though she did dabble in Mortal Kombat on occasion. Few people knew that during her first time through �鶹ԭ��, Raza had joined the U.S. Army Reserve.

Two decades later, the feeling of contributing to something meaningful was still in her DNA and would ultimately guide her to her job today.

“When my professors found out I’d been an Army Reservist, they encouraged me to dig further into that side of 3-D modeling and simulation.” — Brenda Raza ’97 ’19MS

In FIEA, the mother of two found a connection between her calling (military support) and her talent (creative design).

“When my professors found out I’d been an Army Reservist, they encouraged me to dig further into that side of 3-D modeling and simulation,” she says. “They taught me principles that I’m using in my work — for example, to simulate maintenance on helicopters and ships.”

The simulations Raza helps create replaces traditional manuals held together by three-ring binders that the Army uses for training.

“It’s rewarding to know that what I’m doing can help a soldier,” she says. “It took a while to get here, but I’ve definitely found my niche.”

Katie (Wollam) Ferguson ’08 ’09MS

From PlayStation to National Defense

�鶹ԭ�� alum Katie (Wollam) Ferguson serves as a project engineering associate manager at Lockheed Martin.

The U.S. Department of Defense has come around to see the formidable value of college graduates who know their way around PlayStation, XBox and Steam consoles. The attraction is mutual for FIEA graduates like Katie (Wollam) Ferguson ’08 ‘09MS.

As a project engineering associate manager at Lockheed Martin, her team creates interactive applications intuitive enough for indulging — and that’s exactly why they’re so effective in familiarizing military personnel with aircraft and missile systems, or when they need to understand the environment of a ship before actually boarding it.

“If there’s a failure code, they need to be able to locate the component quickly and replace it, anywhere in the world,” Ferguson says. “That’s why the software has to be as realistic as possible.”

Ferguson’s father worked in the simulation industry while she grew up in Central Florida, the nation’s top modeling, simulation and training region. When �鶹ԭ�� launched FIEA during her freshman year, she saw an opportunity to apply her growing interest to a growing need.

“The professors come from the gaming industry, so they’re able to show students how to work in teams and deliver usable products within tight deadlines,” she says.

During her FIEA training, Ferguson’s initial idea of working at an animation studio shifted to the idea of working on serious gaming applications. “

It’s motivating to know our training tools can positively affect our military personnel and help achieve the ultimate goal: to keep them safe and ensure they come home.”

Mike Harris ’23 ’24MS

From Active Duty to a Sense of Duty

�鶹ԭ�� alum Mike Harris is a designer at BreakAway Games and served in the U.S. Marines before enrolling at �鶹ԭ��.

When Raza and Ferguson mention military personnel as the focus of their work, fellow �鶹ԭ�� alum Mike Harris ’23 ’24MS is the kind of person they’re talking about.

Harris, who is a designer at BreakAway Games, served in the U.S. Marines before enrolling at �鶹ԭ��. The company is one of the largest developers of serious games, having developed several high-profile serious games for the U.S. military and the U.S. Department of Justice.

“What I’m doing as a designer falls in line with the ethos of the Marine Corps. ‘Never quit. Our mission is bigger than ourselves,’ ” he says. ““[My BreakAway colleagues] are pioneers, coming from places like AOL and EA to be part of serious game development. The fact they want to create training software for medical, military and first responders … it says a lot about their character.”

During his first year at FIEA, instructor Erik Sand asked him to judge the Serious Games Showcase and Challenge because who better to determine simulation accuracy than someone who has actually served in the military field?

During the event, Harris met a BreakAway Games executive. She saw in Harris an optimum package of integrity and FIEA training.

“I’m working on a team to develop software to improve the real-world operation tempo for the military.” — Mike Harris ’23 ’24MS

“I’ve found something special again,” Harris says. “I’m working on a team to develop software to improve the real-world operation tempo for the military.”

He can’t say more about the specifics, but he does make this perfectly clear: “It’s important to be my best for the betterment of the world. I was blessed to serve my country, and now I’m blessed to use my work as an asset for the well-being of others who are serving.”

High-Tech Talent: ��’s Video Game Design Programs Rank Among World’s Best for 2025

Mark Schlueb ’93 ’21MA — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 13:14:40 +0000

When the makers of the world’s top video games look for talented students, they turn to �鶹ԭ��.

��’s , the university’s graduate video gaming program, has produced more than 200 graduates who worked on several of the most popular games sold in 2024 — including No. 1 seller Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, No. 2 EA SPORTS College Football 25, No. 6 EA SPORTS Madden NFL 25 and No. 10 EA Sports MVP Bundles.

“[It’s so important to] have a school like FIEA where you are actually in an industry-simulated environment versus just reading textbooks and watching lectures,” says EA SPORTS Development Director Zachary Karlins ’19, who was one of 42 FIEA alums who worked on College Football 25.

A Legacy of Leading Graduate Gaming Education

With such highly talented students and world-class faculty who bring academic and industry experience into a class setting that mimics real-world gaming studios, it’s no wonder The Princeton Review and PC Gamer have recognized FIEA as one of the top two programs of its kind in the world five of the past six years.

��’s undergraduate gaming program, , ranks No. 5 in the world and continues to hold the title of the No. 1 program in the South.

Both ��’s graduate and undergraduate programs are sought after by hopeful students — and for good reason.

The average starting salary for a FIEA graduate is over $80,000, and 85% of graduates are in their desired fields at over 400 companies around the world. FIEA has graduated 1,078 students since its first class in 2006.

“FIEA continues to be a premiere pipeline for university talent coming into EA SPORTS and our EA-Tiburon studio,” says Senior Vice President and Group General Manager for Electronic Arts (EA) Tiburon Studios & American Football Daryl Holt. “Our ability to collaborate directly with FIEA as neighbors in the Creative Village in downtown Orlando creates a unique opportunity for us to share the latest developments in our industry with FIEA students who are impressively prepared to contribute from day one.”

The global market size for gaming, hardware and software sales is more than $400 billion — overshadowing music and movie industries combined.

“Due to the program’s success, FIEA is receiving a record number of applicants for the Fall 2025 class, up 40% from the average year,” says Benjamin Noel, executive director of FIEA since its inception. “It’s the best year for our grads ever, and we are pleased at the recognition of the program mission to create talented high-wage developers for the growing video game business.”

Excellence in Undergraduate Gaming Education

��’s GaIM undergraduate game design program ranks No. 5 nationally and No. 1 in the South.

“Our faculty pursue innovative and impactful research and creative work in areas including immersive media; games, web, and mobile design and development; and artificial intelligence, while teaching state-of-the-art games and interactive media industry design and production techniques,” says GaIM Professor and Associate Director Natalie Underberg-Goode. “Students leave our program having created industry-caliber work. The hard work and dedication of our faculty and staff helps ensure students receive a high-quality education in a program that is noteworthy for its affordability and accessibility.”

The Bachelor of Arts in Digital Media program mixes theory and practice with an emphasis on industry awareness. Students learn top-tier programming, game design, 2D and 3D art, animation, and visual effects for games. The GaIM Maker Space lab, located on the �鶹ԭ�� Downtown campus, is outfitted with about $500,000 worth of mixed-reality technology — such as augmented reality and virtual reality, motion capture, physical computing, 3D printing, games, and web/mobile-development equipment, as well as research space.

The Princeton Review’s game design school rankings are based on more than 40 data points derived from the company’s survey of administrators at 150 schools offering game design courses and/or degrees. Most of the institutions are in the U.S., with two in Canada and four abroad. The 50-question survey covered four areas: academics, faculty, technology and career topics.

�鶹ԭ�� to Host Crossroads Speaker Series Featuring Daryl Holt of Electronic Arts

�鶹ԭ�� — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 17:16:00 +0000

The �鶹ԭ�� and Dr. Phillips Charities are partnering to host the fourth annual Crossroads Speaker Series at �鶹ԭ�� Downtown. This series showcases the intersection of business and philanthropy, featuring conversations among corporate leaders who make a significant impact in their communities by addressing societal concerns through philanthropy and partnerships with nonprofit organizations.

This year, we are honored to welcome guest speaker Daryl Holt, senior vice president and group general manager for EA Tiburon Studios and American Football. By leveraging industry partners such as Electronic Arts (EA), �鶹ԭ�� Downtown strengthens Central Florida’s talent pipeline and contributes to the region’s economic vitality. Daryl will be joined by moderator Thad Seymour Jr., former interim president of �鶹ԭ�� and current president of the Lake Nona Institute.

The , ��’s graduate program in game design, has been ranked No. 1 in the world for four of the past five years. Additionally, the emergency management graduate program has earned a No. 1 national ranking from U.S. News & World Report.

Crossroads will take place Thursday, Nov. 21, in room 106 of Dr. Phillips Academic Commons at the �鶹ԭ�� Downtown campus. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Parking is available in the Parramore parking garage at 316 N. Parramore Ave.

Five years ago, with the support of Dr. Phillips Charities, the largest private gift was made to create the newly developed �鶹ԭ�� Downtown campus for �鶹ԭ�� and Valencia College students. It is these deep roots in industry partnership that inspired �鶹ԭ�� to commemorate the campus’s fifth anniversary with the fourth annual Crossroads Speaker Series.

For more information and to register, .

Guests are encouraged to submit questions in advance for Daryl Holt via email to donorrelations@ucf.edu.

FIEA, Florida Polytechnic Students Win FIEA’s First Game Jam

Stephanie de Sousa — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 21:11:18 +0000

Four graduate students from Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy’s cohort 20, and four undergraduate students from Florida Polytechnic University, took home trophies after winning first place in each division at the first ever FIEA Collegiate Game Jam at Creative Village this past weekend.

A total of 16 undergraduate and 12 graduate/professional teams gathered in the largest classroom at �鶹ԭ�� Downtown for the inaugural FIEA Collegiate Game Jam on Jan. 12. Teams made up of artists, programmers and other game developers raced for 43.5 hours with the difficult task of designing and developing a video game based on a theme that was announced at the beginning of the jam: sunshine.

Each team was comprised of up to four undergraduate students or graduate students from universities across Florida, alumni, or working professionals from several tech industries. While many �鶹ԭ�� students and alumni participated, others from Full Sail University, Stetson University, University of Florida, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Florida Polytechnic University also participated. At the graduate/professional level, many FIEA alumni and grad students formed teams, as well as grad students from Full Sail. Professionals working at Third Time Entertainment, Iron Galaxy, Electronic Arts (EA), Game Sim, Netflix, Ubisoft Red Storm and other tech companies brought their experience to compete as well.

By 3 p.m. on Jan. 14, all teams concluded development and made their games ready for testing. Judges, participants, and supporters walked around and playtested a variety of games developed during the jam. While most games were developed for PC, a few virtual reality games made an appearance, and one-person team Day of the Dev — represented by Day Cho, a graduate student from �鶹ԭ�� — created a game playable and loaded on a Gameboy.

Judges for the undergraduate division consisted of Paul Weiler and Stephen Cano from Iron Galaxy, and Raghib Tyler from EA Orlando. At the graduate/professional level, two judges from Florida Polytechnic, Christian Navarro and Brad Towle, and University of Florida’s Nick Heitzman, stepped in to decide the winners.

“Through all the grind and sleepless nights, we knew that we could trust and support one another, and that was absolutely my favorite part of the game jam.” — Jeffrey Zhang, CAT 4 Team Captain

The first place prize for the graduate/professional division team went to FIEA’s own Cohort 20 team, CAT 4. Team captain Jeffrey Zhang described the object: “In CATastrophe: Sunshine Shenanigans, you play as a pair of greedy cats who are fighting the other cats for the perfect sunbathing spot. Your goal is to hog all the sunlight to yourself by creating a giant Rube Goldberg machine to lure, scare, or otherwise remove all the other cats from the center of the cafe.”

For CAT 4, developing a winning game under such a quick turnaround was no easy feat.

“We had set a goal to include all of the cats of our fellow classmates in the game,” Zhang says. “That sounds like a cute goal, but it’s much less cute when you’re up at two (o’clock) in the morning retopologizing four different 3D models of cats. Programming the game was filled with just as many challenges, like when I presented eight hours worth of work to the other programmer, and he responsed with a simple, ‘Wait, none of that is going to work with what I have.’”

Playthrough From CAT 4’s Winning Video Game Submission

All four members of CAT 4 received a $200 Universal Orlando gift card and a trophy for winning first place in the graduate/professional division. Team Chasm from Florida Polytechnic University took first place in the undergraduate division with a cat-themed game, and each member received a Nintendo Switch Lite. Second place winners in both divisions received $50 Best Buy gift cards, and third place winners received $25 Best Buy gift cards.

“Despite all the hardships, I loved working on this game, and I loved working together with my teammates,” Zhang says. “From the beginning, it was clear that we all had the same passion — not only for cats, but also for creating a game we could all be proud of. Through all the grind and sleepless nights, we knew that we could trust and support one another, and that was absolutely my favorite part of the game jam.”

18 Video Games to Play During Coronavirus

Jamie Giller — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 13:46:25 +0000

With the global pandemic forcing us to spend more time at home, video games are proving to be a good way to keep in touch with friends, distract yourself from the news and reduce stress.

Even the general director of the World Health Organization has as one way to help beat the virus by playing apart together.

�鶹ԭ�� Today reached out to the for a list of recommendations, which are all games that were made in part by �鶹ԭ�� alumni within the past few years.

“We hope these video games will help people stay connected while staying safe at home during the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Ben Noel, executive director of FIEA.

Since its founding in 2005, the No. 1 ranked graduate video game design school has had alumni work on hundreds of games that have gone to market.

“EA Tiburon has over 125 FIEA graduates, but our graduates work for various companies all over the world,” Noel says. “We’re very proud of the impact that our graduates have had on the simulation, education and entertainment industries.”

The following games are listed in order of Metacritic scores, where 90-100 percent is considered a “must-play” certification:

Red Dead Redemption 2: 97

The Last of Us Remastered: 95

BioShock Infinite: 94

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End: 93

Gears of War 3: 91

Borderlands 2: 91

Overwatch: 90

The Walking Dead: : 89

Diablo III: 88

Batman: Arkham Knight: 87

Fallout 4: 87

Gears of War 4: 86

Rise of the Tomb Raider: 86

Destiny 2: 85

Battlefield 4: 85

Halo: The Master Chief Collection: 85

Mortal Kombat X: 83

Madden NFL 18: 82

Electronic Arts’ Relocation to Boost Job Pipeline for �鶹ԭ�� Game-Design Students

Thu, 03 Oct 2019 18:33:09 +0000

Electronic Arts video game company plans to relocate its Central Florida headquarters in Maitland to the developing Creative Village in downtown Orlando, becoming a neighbor to the �鶹ԭ�� Downtown campus and its graduate video game design school and expanding opportunities for university graduates to enter the industry.

“EA’s presence here creates an immediate pipeline with our educational partners in and around the Creative Village,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer at the announcement Wednesday during his annual State of Downtown address. “Their presence here also serves as a magnet to attract companies and investment into the Creative Village, accelerating our industry cluster in digital media.”

The company has been the biggest video game creator in Central Florida since purchasing a small studio, Tiburon, about 20 years ago. The plan now is to move to a five-story complex in the new Creative Village, which has been home to ��’s Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy since 2004 and where �鶹ԭ�� Downtown opened for classes this fall.

One of the drivers for �鶹ԭ�� to open the downtown campus was for students to be close to internships and job opportunities.

“This is a major win for Orlando becoming a digital media hub,” says Ben Noel, executive director of FIEA and former EA employee. “Fifteen years ago, EA Tiburon had roughly 150 employees with only a few �鶹ԭ�� graduates employed and was 45 minutes away from the main campus in east Orlando. Now, one in seven EA Tiburon employees are graduates of ��’s graduate video game program and EA will only be a two-minute walk to �鶹ԭ�� Downtown and our integrated Nicholson School of Communication and Media.”

The California-based EA — which currently develops and publishes Madden NFL, NBA Live, The Sims, Medal of Honor and other game franchises — expects to move its Maitland office to the village as soon as 2021.

Dyer said EA is the “perfect partner” to join �鶹ԭ�� Downtown as the $1.5 billion Creative Village boosts the city’s drive to become a digital media hub.

Creating an Educational Pipeline for Careers

The move will not be the first time a partnership between EA and �鶹ԭ�� has benefited students, but it will bolster the cradle-to-career pipeline the downtown campus was built to create.

FIEA — whose video game graduate program ranks No. 5 in the world — was founded in 2004 through a partnership between �鶹ԭ��, the State of Florida, the City of Orlando and Electronic Arts when the Florida Legislature provided $4.2 million in funding. EA helped develop the initial program and curriculum to help FIEA prepare artists, programmers and producers develop the tools and skills necessary to succeed in the gaming industry. EA executives also mentor and provide feedback to students, and the company has used FIEA’s motion capture studio and sound stage — one of the largest on the east coast — to produce video games. As a result of this collaboration, more than 100 �鶹ԭ�� graduates and 13 �鶹ԭ�� interns currently work in EA Tiburon’s office and dozens more FIEA graduates at other EA studios around the world.

FIEA also boasts 675 graduates working at more than 200 entities in 38 states and countries, including Disney, Marvel, Cartoon Network, Microsoft, Sony, Lockheed Martin, Iron Galaxy Orlando, and others.

This career funnel will only expand with the relocation of EA and the recent addition of �鶹ԭ�� programs to the downtown core. As part of the move earlier this summer, �鶹ԭ�� established the Games and Interactive Media department, offering classes for both its undergraduate and graduate digital media programs in the same building as FIEA. The undergraduate game design program, which currently has 773 students enrolled, is ranked No. 13 in the world, according to The Princeton Review and PC Gamer magazine.

“The fact that our games and interactive media students and faculty will be able to work and grow beside EA is, quite literally, game-changing” said Jeff Moore, dean of the �鶹ԭ�� College of Arts and Humanities.

“It will ensure that our students are being trained to meet and exceed the growing needs of the industry, via access to internships, jobs and networking, and it poises �鶹ԭ�� to be the leader in graduate and undergraduate interactive media education.”

�鶹ԭ�� Video Game Wins 2 Awards at Intel Showcase

Todd Deery — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 19:02:30 +0000

FIEA student game Long Arm Of the Law won second place Thursday in the Best Visual Quality and Best Gameplay categories at the 2019 Intel University Games Showcase in San Francisco. It is the third straight year that a game from ��’s Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy has placed in two different categories.

As a result, Intel will donate $10,000 worth of equipment to ��’s graduate game-design program.

The showcase featured student games from 14 of the best game-design schools from around the world, which competed in three award categories, Most Innovative and the two awards won by �鶹ԭ��.

Recent graduates Jake Khosrowzadeh ’16 ’18MS and Erian Vazquez ’18MS led a five-minute game demo of their game, in which the player competes as Motor Rockwell, a robot sheriff with an extendable arm who grapples, pole-vaults and slings his way through a treacherous mining town.

After the presentation, game industry judges asked questions of the team in front 300 attendees. A team of 17 students completed the game in seven months as part of their master’s thesis at FIEA.

This is the sixth year Intel has put on the showcase, which coincides with the Game Developers Conference, the largest conference in the world for video-game developers.

Long Arm of the Law is for free on Steam.

��’s Video Game Programs Ranked Among Top 15 in the World

Todd Deery — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 14:40:15 +0000

��’s video game graduate program ranks No. 5 in the world while its undergraduate game design program ranks No. 13, according to The Princeton Review and PC Gamer magazine.

“The Princeton Review rankings reflect the high quality of our interactive game development programs at �鶹ԭ��.”

This is the tenth straight year that (FIEA), ��’s graduate game development program, has been named one of the top five programs in the world by the Princeton Review. And ��’s undergraduate department moved up 23 places from 2018’s ranking of 36.

“The Princeton Review rankings reflect the high quality of our interactive game development programs at �鶹ԭ��,” says Robert S. Littlefield, director of the . “We are very pleased that the extraordinary efforts of our faculty to provide high-quality instruction to growing numbers of students has been recognized as being among the best in the world. I look forward to even higher rankings for the programs in the future.”

Both programs will be located at �鶹ԭ�� Downtown starting in Fall 2019. In partnership with Valencia College, the brand-new campus will bring 7,700 students to live, learn and work in downtown Orlando.

“I’m pleased that the Princeton Review has recognized ��’s continued focus on gaming education at the undergraduate and graduate level,” says Ben Noel, executive director of FIEA. “As we continue to grow, I expect �鶹ԭ�� Downtown to become an even greater hub for game design education and industry collaboration.”

“Our department of Games and Interactive Media offers a space for student to develop their creative voices through expressive work across platforms, ranging from video games, mobile applications and websites to virtual and augmented reality experiments,” says assistant director Anastasia Salter. “The faculty appreciate this recognition of the department’s continual efforts to provide this excellence at ��’s impressive scale and community impact.”

Since opening its doors in 2005, FIEA has graduated 671 students. Graduates are working at more than 230 companies around the world, including Apple, DreamWorks, Electronic Arts, Blizzard, Bungie, Zynga, RockStar, Ubisoft, Disney, Microsoft and Nintendo.

The Games and Interactive Media department is part of the interdisciplinary Nicholson School of Communication and Media. The department serves more than 1,000 students and offers undergraduate specializations in Game Design and Web and Social Platforms, as well as a Master of Arts in Digital Media.

The Princeton Review chose the programs based on its 2018 survey of 150 institutions in the U.S., Canada and abroad that offer game design degree programs or courses. The 40-question survey gathered data on everything from ��’s game design academic offerings and lab facilities to the program’s 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.

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 26.

�鶹ԭ�� Student Expands Gaming Accessibility with Custom Controllers

Todd Deery — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 16:35:32 +0000

Watching Aaron Cendan play a video game is like watching someone type. Instead of using a controller with joysticks, Cendan’s fingers furiously click an array of buttons on one of his own custom creations. It looks like a rectangular box with buttons that allows him to perform every move needed in a game.

“In ‘twitch’ games or really fast-moving games, a millisecond can be a long time,” Cendan says. “So having a controller that doesn’t rely on joysticks can speed up your responses.”

Cendan’s custom controllers were inspired by a friend who could no longer play games because of a hand issue. “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 the company Stickless and started building the boxes for competitive and disabled gamers. Now he’s got more orders than he can fill, making 85 custom controllers last year alone. This is on top of his graduate work in interactive entertainment at �鶹ԭ��’s , where he is in the production track with a focus on audio.

Cendan says about half of his clients are disabled gamers who need a way to play their favorite games.

“For so long accessibility was an afterthought in the game industry, and in every industry really. And that’s no longer the case.” — Aaron Cendan, FIEA student

“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.”

The design process starts when Cendan gets clients to send a diagram of where their fingers touch the faceplate.

Then he drills the button holes using that design and builds the rest of the controller using wood, circuit boards and a polycarbonate faceplate. A contract artist working in Brazil creates custom artwork based on the client’s wishes. Each controller takes 8-12 hours to make.

“I really like doing it,” Cendan says. “I like helping people play who couldn’t previously. And people seem to love them.”