UCF Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy

Why did the Python go to school?

To learn how to manage its classes! 🐍 🤭

The only Python we’ve seen around here is the programming language in some of our classes. While this may sound just as scary to some, FIEA Technical Art Instructor Chris Roda just published a book this summer to help artists overcome this fear and learn how to build art with Python.

Chris describes Essential Programming for the Technical Artist as “a crash course in Python programming; the Python that tech artists need to survive in the industry.” After noticing that there were no other tech art books out there, he compiled data and knowledge that he accumulated over the years into a resource to help bridge a knowledge gap for both FIEA students and the industry.

With more than 20 years of digital art and effects experience working in film, television and games, Chris’ name can be found in the movie credits of Titanic, Moulin Rouge, The Fifth Element, Spider-Man (2002), The 6th Day, and more. He also spent six years as a CG supervisor for Electronic Arts (EA), working on NCAA Football, Madden, FIFA, and others.

Chris dedicated this book a year go to his wife, another acclaimed tech/visual effects artist for film, Ha Roda, who encouraged him to write it. She died shortly after the book was released.

We never stopped believing! Congratulations to the 42 talented FIEAns credited in the newly launched EA SPORTS College Football 25! Tag yourself in the comments! It was worth waiting 11 years for this win. Can’t wait to play as our own UCF Knights, complete with a rocket launch above the Bounce House 🚀

Go Knights, Charge On! 🏈⚔️🎮

University of Central Florida UCF College of Sciences Nicholson School of Communication and Media UCF Downtown Creative Village Orlando UCF Alumni

For those who never stopped believing…

Taken by storm! ⚡️

Six of the 20+ FIEA alumni currently working at Red Storm Entertainment (Ubisoft) visited our Cohort 20 students last week, offering insight into the industry and advice on applying for internships and jobs. These particular professionals, already familiar with FIEA curriculum and cohort culture, answered questions from current students about industry culture, workflow, software, working from home, and much more.

Outside of classes and building capstone games, alumni guest speaking events are one of the activities where students get to connect directly with professionals. Organized by Industry Relations Coordinator Courtney Lewis, these talks, on most Fridays during the summer, come at a critical moment for students as they wrap up their capstone games and apply for internships and jobs for their final semester.

Thank you, Red Storm!

Great Balls of FIEA 🎳🔥

Goodness gracious! It’s been a whole pandemic since we’ve had a local alumni party. We finally broke that streak last weekend and invited FIEA alumni, students, faculty and staff out for an afternoon in the A/C for bowling and billiards. More than 130 people from the past 20 cohorts met up at Boardwalk Bowl for the return of the annual event.

FIEA’s network of 1,000 alumni works to support other FIEAns through the industry, share job and internship opportunities, review portfolios, and many often return as guest speakers, sharing their knowledge and insight with current students.

If you’re alumni, join the FIEA Alumni group on Facebook, or DM us your email address, to learn more about upcoming events.

Are you looking to apply for FIEA for the Fall 2024 term? Your last chance is coming up on June 7!

We have four portfolio review dates (PRDs) each year, and the last one is approaching next week! A PRD is an online submission deadline when all application materials are due, and it’s the first of five steps in applying to FIEA. Following a PRD, we review student portfolios and make admission decisions for the Fall 2024 term.

Check out our website for all five steps on how to apply, what you need, and when you need to submit your materials: https://fiea.ucf.edu/admissions/5-steps-to-enroll/

Let’s build some cool games 😎 💻 🎮

Game Changer Files 🎮 📁 Marchand Venter ’17 ’18MS, Environment Artist at Obsidian Entertainment

We’re asking FIEA alumni five questions about their experiences before, during and after graduating from UCF’s top-ranking game development program. We caught up with Marchand Venter, currently working on The Outer Worlds 2, at the Game Developers Conference in March in San Francisco. Marchand shared his advice on staying relevant: “The industry is a marathon. Look after your health, but don’t think it will slow down for you if you refuse to keep up the pace.”

Read more on Marchand’s dedication to his continuing education and the artist community.

Game Changer Files: Marchand Venter '17 '18MS, Environment Artist at Obsidian Entertainment - Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy We're asking FIEA alumni five questions about their experiences before, during and after graduating from UCF’s top-ranking game development program. Environment Artist Marchand Venter '17 '18MS from Cohort 14 prioritizes industry community involvement and never stops learning. We caught up with Ma...

Questions? 👋 We’ve got answers! If you’re thinking about applying to FIEA, UCF’s top-ranked graduate game dev school, we’ll be here to answer your questions during our LIVE ONLINE CHAT on TUESDAY at 7pm EDT! This is our last chat before the final portfolio review deadline for Fall 2024 admission.

FIEA faculty and staff will demystify the admissions process, curriculum, GRE scores, portfolio reviews, jobs, cohort culture, student life, scheduling a tour, and more!

Register for the chat: https://applynow.graduate.ucf.edu/register/f24fac4

As the Spring semester wraps up, we’re celebrating the accomplishments of our outstanding faculty Rick Hall and graduate student Aamir Vora! 🏅🏅

If you’re a FIEAn, you know Rick Hall. He has seen all 1,000 alumni pass through FIEA, and this month, the UCF College of Sciences recognized him for outstanding instruction and his contributions to student success. A published author with more than 15 years of experience in the gaming industry, Rick helps producers to navigate the ups and downs of game development, and guide students through the development of their capstone games.

Cohort 20 student Aamir Vora won the Outstanding Graduate Creativity Award from the Nicholson School of Communication and Media. NSCM recognized Aamir for his incredible 3D character and portrait skills seen in his work of Naruto character Shikaku Nara (view on ArtStation: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/04mrl8).

👏👏👏 Congrats, Rick and Aamir!

Game Changer Files 🎮 📁 Israel Garcia-Diaz ’18MS, Experience Designer at EA SPORTS

We’re asking FIEA alumni five questions about their experiences before, during and after graduating from UCF’s top-ranking game development program. Israel Garcia-Diaz was in the process of moving from Puerto Rico to Orlando after getting accepted to FIEA. A month into his first semester, Hurricane Maria struck the island where his family still resided.

“Miraculously, I managed to return to Orlando a month and a half later, convinced that my academic journey at UCF had come to a halt, and contemplating withdrawing from the program,” Israel said. “I approached FIEA’s executive director Ben Noel for guidance. In that pivotal moment, Ben, a compassionate figure, reignited my aspirations.”

Read more about Israel’s resilient journey and his advice to up-and-coming game devs: https://fiea.ucf.edu/news/game-changer-files-israel-garcia-diaz-18ms-experience-designer-at-ea-sports/

Game Changer Files: Israel Garcia-Diaz '18MS, Experience Designer at EA SPORTS - Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy We're asking FIEA alumni five questions about their experiences before, during and after graduating from UCF’s top-ranking game development program. Eric McGinnis '21MS from Cohort 17 made a career change from strength and conditioning coach to 3D artist.

It's here! Follow the link below to give to FIEA for ! In the specific fund text area, enter "Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy Support" or "Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy Scholarship."

We appreciate your support! 🖤💛🎮

Donate | UCF Day of Giving 2024 Thank you for making a difference in our community!

Happy , Orlando! Today, we celebrate our hometown, our neighbors, and our place in CCreative Village Orlando here in the city beautiful.

Established in 2005 with a mission to create high-wage talent for the growing video game development industry, the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy opened its doors in Creative Village with just 12 students. UUCF Downtown in partnership with VValencia College brought more than 7,000 students to the campus to live, learn and work in the heart of the city, providing pathways into innovative career fields and foster collaboration with neighbors like EEA - Electronic Arts In 2021, EA opened its Orlando studio and located all Florida operations to Creative Village, just a block away, placing students within walking distance of job and internship opportunities.

The collective impact has made Orlando is one of the fastest-growing video game and simulation development regions in the world.

United States of Abduction! 👽🛸

Rapid Prototype Production, a course led by FIEA’s technical design director Ron Weaver, involves several rounds of game development, pushing students to design beyond boundaries. Students get to work on many different teams making prototypes every few weeks, learning everything that goes into making a solid prototype.

“The goal of the game was to teach players about the geography of the United States, mainly the locations and population size of cities by making players abduct every person in each city,” Ted Agriogianis said, one of four Cohort 20 students who developed United States of Abduction. In just two short weeks, Ted’s team achieved that goal, and then some: Players must also complete a randomized list of tasks, which encouraged them to explore more of the map and abduct a diverse set of cities. Fighter jets and helicopters worked in their respective city defenses, which varied based on city size.

Cohort 20 team members: Ted Agriogianis, Nick Cancio, Yang Chen, and Eric Wang

https://youtu.be/zhmBRKikyxo?si=6UN9uIlAHYlfaHTC

United States of Abduction - FIEA Cohort 20 RPP Game United State of Abduction, RPP game created at Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy by Cohort 20 students, involves teaching players about the geography...

1,000 Strong 💪

Alumni and students from the past 20 cohorts converged at the Pink Elephant for the annual FIEA Alumni/Student Party at the Game Developers Conference - GDC in San Francisco on Thursday. Once students graduate from FIEA with a master of science in interactive entertainment, they become part of a worldwide network of producers, artists, and programmers that is now 1,000 strong. GDC provides a unique opportunity for FIEAns from all over to get out from behind their desks and meet, reinforcing industry support for new grads.

Special thanks to our industry partners at Iron Galaxy Studios, Elijah Montoya, our friends from Limbitless Solutions, and art director Dan Savage, for stopping by!

Setting the world on FIEA ☝️🥇🌎

Once again, FIEA is ranked as the No. 1 graduate game design program in the world by the Princeton Review. Feeling grateful for this honor to our program made up of diverse and talented students and alumni, passionate faculty and staff, and the supportive industry professionals in Creative Village and across the world. Rankings were released earlier this week while many FIEAns are attending the Game Developers Conference - GDC in San Francisco.

Congrats to UCF’s undergraduate game design program for their No. 5 ranking! Go Knights! Charge On! 🖤💛

Read more: https://www.ucf.edu/news/ucfs-fiea-ranks-as-worlds-no-1-graduate-game-design-program-for-4th-time-in-5-years/

Coast to coast ✈️ 🌁

This spring break, many of our FIEA faculty, staff and students have headed to San Francisco for the annual Game Developers Conference - GDC, the industry’s professional event bringing the global community together. Here, attendees can sit in on lectures and panel discussions, take five at community spaces where they can play games and network, and walk through the expo which showcases the latest game dev tools and services. We hope to see many of our industry friends and alumni there, too!

🏆☝️🥇

🎮🏆 Attention gamers and industry leaders! 🌟 When it comes to game design education, there's no denying that UCF Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy stands out among the rest 🚀

🔝 Ranked No. 1 in the world for the fourth time in five years, our graduate game design program sets the bar for excellence. But that's not all! Our undergraduate program, Games and Interactive Media, has soared to No. 5 globally, marking its highest ranking yet.

🌎 Both the graduate and undergraduate Nicholson School of Communication and Media programs are based right here at UCF Downtown, the 💛 of Creative Village Orlando.

👩‍🎓 With exceptional faculty who bring strong academic and industry backgrounds, we're preparing students for success with challenging courses and real-world experiences. The Princeton Review and PC Gamer recognize our programs among the best in the world, highlighting our commitment to academic excellence and graduates' career outcomes.

Read more ➡️ https://ow.ly/B8mZ50QXb2s

Questions? 👋 If you’re thinking about applying to FIEA, UCF’s top-ranked graduate game dev school, we’ll be here to answer your questions during our LIVE ONLINE CHAT, TUESDAY at 7pm EDT!

FIEA faculty and staff will demystify the admissions process, curriculum, GRE scores, portfolio reviews, jobs, cohort culture, student life, scheduling a tour, and more!

Register for the chat: https://applynow.graduate.ucf.edu/register/f24fac3

Homeward Bones 🧟‍♂️ 🦴

Rapid Prototype Production, a course led by FIEA’s technical design director Ron Weaver, involves several rounds of game development, pushing students to design beyond boundaries. Students get to work on many different teams making prototypes every few weeks, learning everything that goes into making a solid prototype.

Spawned in RPP, Homeward Bones is a charming and touching game about a zombie who must journey home to feed his dog. Developed over two weeks, students were encouraged to focus on storytelling in game design, so the team developed this brief yet emotional game that makes use of environment-based puzzles and unique rope physics.

Cohort 20 team members: Marissa Manley (programmer), Willow Rachels (3D artist), Aniket Rajnish (tech artist), Max Wolf (tech designer), and Dhruv Yadav (level designer)

https://youtu.be/TBjA-NTnI4U

Homeward Bones - FIEA Cohort 20, RPP Round 4 Gameplay footage from the Cohort 20 RPP project, Homeward Bones, a charming and touching game about a zombie who must journey home to feed his dog. This prot...

WESH 2 News caught up with our talented 3D art faculty Nick Zuccarello on Friday at Orlando Science Center's Spark STEM Fest! Inspiring the next gen of gamers, Nick showcased his own 3D character creations and shared some VR experiences for the kids. Spark STEM Fest runs through Monday.

Spark STEM Fest to begin this weekend at Orlando Science Center It's the most popular event of the year at the Orlando Science Center.

Do you have what it takes to make the best chili at UCF Downtown? Bring it!

Our 13th annual Chili Cook-off is February 16! Submit a crockpot of at least 6 to 8 quarts of your very best chili for all to sample. Tasting will begin at 12 p.m. in the Soundstage at UCF Downtown. Teams and individuals from within FIEA, UCF Downtown, Nicholson School of Communication and Media, and around Creative Village Orlando, are welcome to enter their chili.

Can’t cook, but want to taste? If you are not entering a chili, but would like to attend and taste award-winning chili, you can still attend for $5. Details: https://fiea.ucf.edu/news/fiea-announces-13th-annual-chili-cook-off-on-february-16/

Vegetarian chilis and cornbread are welcome!

FIEA Announces 13th Annual Chili Cook-off on February 16 - Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy Do you have the best chili in UCF Downtown? Submit a crockpot of at least 6 to 8 quarts of your very best chili to enter FIEA's 13th Annual Chili Cook-off on February 16! The sampling will begin at 12 p.m. in the Soundstage at UCF Downtown.

Interested in learning more about our globally ranked graduate game dev program? Attend our Open House on Friday!

Tour FIEA and our studios, mingle with faculty, and learn more about UCF’s Master of Science in Interactive Entertainment. We’ll be here to answer your questions about the admissions process, curriculum, and the industry.

🗓️ Friday, February 2
⏰ 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
🗺️ The Bridge (CMB 127) in the Communication and Media Building at UCF Downtown

Register today: https://applynow.graduate.ucf.edu/register/2024FIEAOH