Industry & Tech

Five FIEA Students Win at the Indienomicon MeGa Health Jam | September 13, 2024

Five FIEA students placed first and third at the Indienomicon MeGa Health Jam for their innovative prototypes for healthcare last weekend in Lake Nona. Cohort 20 artists Willow Rachels and Noa Baggs compete on separate teams at the Indienomicon MeGa Health Jam from September 6-8, 2024 at Lake Nona. Photo: Indienomicon. Similar to FIEA’s GameLab,…

42 FIEAns Credited in EA SPORTS College Football 25 | August 7, 2024

EA SPORTS College Football 25 was released worldwide on July 19 with a total of 42 FIEA alumni credited in the game. Developed primarily at EA Tiburon (Orlando) across from UCF Downtown at Creative Village, alumni credited include talented graduates from 16 different cohorts. FIEA’s alumni network includes 1,001 graduates as of December 2023, and…

Puppets, Roman Soldiers, and Ghosts Appear at the Spring 2024 GameLab Final Presentations | April 30, 2024

Seven teams made up of FIEA’s Cohort 20 graduate students demonstrated a variety of interactive prototypes last week at Central Florida Tech Grove in Research Park at their final GameLab presentations. Students explored a mix of technology to show how they might help a variety of partner organizations, including the U.S. Air Force, Veterans Health…

FIEA and Florida Polytechnic Students Win FIEA’s First Game Jam | January 17, 2024

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 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…

FIEA Alumni Awarded Patent | May 11, 2022

Victor Lugo cannot say much about a patent application he and four others recently submitted – and were awarded – on behalf of Universal Studios, however… “Making people happy is why I’m in entertainment in the first place.”— Victor Lugo A peek at the application, shows that the FIEA 2008 cohort 4 grad’s team is…

FIEA GameLab Makes a Difference | May 4, 2022

GameLab is a collaborative program that brings outside subject matter experts from several industries, including military, medical and others, together with students in FIEA’s advanced degree program. “It’s been a great experience all around,” — Ethan Irwin, the project manager on Dark Castle As he led a team building an Indiana Jones-style, narrative-driven, educational video…

UCF Threepeats as World’s Best Graduate Game Design Program | March 23, 2022

The Princeton Review and PC Gamer magazine have ranked UCF’s undergraduate and graduate programs among the best in the nation for the third straight year. “We focus on the development of top talent that will drive the next generation of developers in Florida and globally.”— Ben Noel The University of Central Florida’s graduate game design…

Ahead of the Game | November 3, 2021

The story behind how UCF’s Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy grew into an industry game changer. “The best lessons are learned through working with people and failing with people.”— Matt Laurence ’07MS Fall 2021 | By Jenna Marina Lee In 2006, Matt Laurence ’07MS was fresh out of college with a psychology degree pondering his next…

Electronic Arts funds Inclusion in Gaming Scholarships | July 1, 2021

Heads ups, Gamers! Two Inclusion in Gaming awards will be distributed annually to UCF students who demonstrate how they have overcome adversity or are striving for the inclusion of others. This new award increases access to premier gaming programs for underrepresented students and fosters. Learn more about the scholarship here. “Close industry partnerships like the…

UCF Graduate Video Game Design Named No. 1 — for Third Time | March 23, 2021

The university’s undergraduate video game design program also ranked No. 14 in the world, according to The Princeton Review and PC Gamer magazine. “Our goal is to not just prepare students to enter the industry when they graduate, but to position them to excel in it.”— President Alexander N. Cartwright. UCF’s graduate video game design…