{"id":24114,"date":"2023-11-06T18:48:24","date_gmt":"2023-11-06T18:48:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/?p=24114&post_type=story"},"modified":"2025-04-16T01:15:18","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T01:15:18","slug":"behind-the-screens","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/behind-the-screens\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the Screens"},"content":{"rendered":"

While most artists strive for their work to be featured center stage, Ingrid Aguero \u201907 \u201908MS<\/strong> takes pride in her work blending into the background. As an environment director for the Electronic Arts (EA) SPORTS Madden NFL<\/i> franchise, she oversees a team that creates immersive 3D assets that are authentic to the real world<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cElectronic Arts is renowned for making great sports games, so from the very first day I was hired, I immediately felt the prestige that comes with saying, \u2018I work at EA,\u2019 \u201d she says.<\/p>\n

While pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a track in animation<\/a> at 麻豆原创, Aguero toured the university\u2019s Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA), which prepares master\u2019s students for careers in the video game industry<\/a>. The field and FIEA \u2014 which The Princeton Review ranks in the world\u2019s top two graduate game design programs \u2014 were a perfect fit for Aguero to explore her interests in technology and the arts<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe unique challenges involved in creating a video game alongside software engineers and designers really appealed to me, and I loved that FIEA would create this environment,\u201d she says. \u201cI knew I needed to specialize my 3D skills in this field, as I already had a strong art background, and it seemed FIEA would allow me to accomplish all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

During her last semester at 麻豆原创, Aguero applied for a temporary full-time position with EA and landed the job after presenting her 3D portfolio work from FIEA. Fifteen years later, she\u2019s now a leader at the interactive entertainment giant, which has had a partnership with 麻豆原创 since 2005.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I started at EA, it really did feel like it was a smooth transition where I could add value and communicate well with my team,\u201d she says. \u201cI not only felt equipped with the skills and work ethic I developed at FIEA, but I was also confident I could tackle any challenges that came my way at work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aguero shares more on her journey at EA SPORTS.<\/p>\n

From Trash to Top Players<\/h2>\n

Aguero started as an associate environment artist at EA SPORTS in 2008 and still remembers her first assignment: creating a trash can for Tiger Woods PGA TOUR <\/i>for the Wii console. A few years later she joined the NBA Live<\/i> team, which provided her opportunities to travel to complete her work. Over the years, she\u2019s also worked on EA SPORTS\u2019 NCAA Football<\/i> and FIFA<\/i> (now FC<\/i>).<\/p>\n

\u201cI got to scan NBA arenas using a 3D laser scanner and take photos of NBA players using a portable camera rig developed here,\u201d she says. \u201c[I] met stars such as Blake Griffin and Russell Westbrook, to name a few. That was by far one of the coolest experiences I\u2019ve had.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fan Favorite<\/h2>\n

With the recent release of Madden NFL 24<\/i> in August, Aguero says the game is her favorite project yet.<\/p>\n

Through its development, which happened in less than a year, she oversaw a team responsible for creating elements that complete the gaming experience, including 32 stadiums, team branding, field art, props, exteriors and more.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlong the way I\u2019ve developed a genuine passion for the game of American football,\u201d she says. \u201cI understand the impact our visual updates have on players and how [they] resonate with them, and it makes me even more committed to seeing what we can do each year to deliver even better environments.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe unique challenges involved in creating a video game alongside software engineers and designers really appealed to me, and I loved that FIEA would create this environment.\u201d<\/blockquote>

\n

\u2014 Ingrid Aguero \u201907 \u201908MS<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tech Developments<\/h2>\n

In addition to the responsibilities on her team, Aguero played a role in influencing the work of other teams such as characters, lighting and visual effects. Together, they must keep up with technology to use new and cost-effective methods to make gamers feel like they\u2019re actually on the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have access to a lot of cool pieces of technology that help with our authenticity goals, such as lidar (light detection and ranging) technology to capture exact measurement and surfacing data for our stadiums and props \u2014 and a spectro-photometer to capture the RGB (red, green and blue) values for the different colors of the stadiums,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

The Cheat Code to Success<\/h2>\n

Gamers would likely tell you community is a big part of what makes video games so enjoyable to play. For Aguero, this is true from the development side, as teamwork is a critical aspect of creating video games.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe video game industry thrives on teamwork and collaboration with colleagues…, which leads to innovation,\u201d she says. \u201cBy learning to communicate effectively and have mutual respect among team members, we can build stronger relationships and create a better game product.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leveling Up<\/h2>\n

EA SPORTS has supported Aguero\u2019s commitment to continuous learning as an artist through technical classes, workshops and conferences. She\u2019s also grown as a leader thanks to EA\u2019s mentoring program, through which she\u2019s been both a mentee and mentor. As co-lead of EA Orlando SOMOS she leads initiatives that expose students to career opportunities in video games.<\/p>\n

\u201cI prioritize making time to engage with the community, aiming to serve as an example and source of inspiration…,\u201d she says. \u201cI want to encourage them to realize that they can have a fulfilling career with growth prospects in this industry.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":24312,"template":"","categories":[999],"tags":[341,287,121,285,1452],"class_list":["post-24114","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumknights","tag-college-of-arts-and-humanities","tag-college-of-sciences","tag-florida-interactive-entertainment-academy","tag-school-of-visual-arts-and-design","tag-ucf-alumni","issues-fall-2023"],"yoast_head":"\n麻豆原创, FIEA Alum's Journey to EA SPORTS Leader<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How traditional artist and 麻豆原创 alum Ingrid Aguero \u201907 \u201908MS became an accomplished creator and environment director for EA SPORTS.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/behind-the-screens\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"麻豆原创, FIEA Alum's Journey to EA SPORTS Leader\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How traditional artist and 麻豆原创 alum Ingrid Aguero \u201907 \u201908MS became an accomplished creator and environment director for EA SPORTS.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/behind-the-screens\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pegasus Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/麻豆原创\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-16T01:15:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/4\/files\/2023\/10\/Pegasus-Fa23-Social-FB-Aguero-1200x630-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"麻豆原创, FIEA Alum's Journey to EA SPORTS Leader\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"How traditional artist and 麻豆原创 alum Ingrid Aguero \u201907 \u201908MS became an accomplished creator and environment director for EA SPORTS.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/4\/files\/2023\/10\/Pegasus-Fa23-Social-TW-Aguero-1600x900-1.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@麻豆原创\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/pegasus\\\/behind-the-screens\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/pegasus\\\/behind-the-screens\\\/\",\"name\":\"麻豆原创, FIEA Alum's Journey to EA SPORTS Leader\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/pegasus\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/pegasus\\\/behind-the-screens\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/pegasus\\\/behind-the-screens\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/wp-content\\\/blogs.dir\\\/4\\\/files\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/Pegasus-Fa23-AlumKnights-Aguero-1200x800-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-11-06T18:48:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-16T01:15:18+00:00\",\"description\":\"How traditional artist and 麻豆原创 alum Ingrid Aguero \u201907 \u201908MS became an accomplished creator and environment director for EA SPORTS.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/pegasus\\\/behind-the-screens\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/pegasus\\\/behind-the-screens\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/pegasus\\\/behind-the-screens\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/wp-content\\\/blogs.dir\\\/4\\\/files\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/Pegasus-Fa23-AlumKnights-Aguero-1200x800-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/wp-content\\\/blogs.dir\\\/4\\\/files\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/Pegasus-Fa23-AlumKnights-Aguero-1200x800-1.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"A portrait of Ingrid Aguero '07 '08MS with her passions. 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