Electronic Arts Creates First Game Design Graduate School
By Alex Russelalex.russel@animationschoolreview.com
Animation School Review Columnist
In the fall semester of 2005, 12 graduate students will start their first class at the University of Central Florida's Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy. The program is the world's first graduate school devoted to computer game design.
According to the Orlando Times, the school was born after computer game giant Electronic Arts came to UCF and said they needed to hire more trained people than they could find in the area.
UCF, Electronic Arts, and local government agencies quickly put together a plan and a few years later, FIEA came to be.
Create Video Game Design Leaders
Ben Noel was until very recently on loan from Electronic Arts, getting the program on its feet, but now he is now the full-time executive director. Noel hopes the academy will produce game design industry leaders.The story began when Electronic Arts - or EA, the world's largest video game maker - was expanding an Orlando-area studio but having difficulty finding qualified employees. Bachelor's degrees weren't proving to be proper preparation, Noel said in an interview with the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
"They're not ready," he said. "They were disenchanted that they couldn't deliver."
Electronic Arts Game Design
Finding talent was important for the EA studio making some of the company's most bankable titles like Tiger Woods PGA Tour, NASCAR and the latest Madden NFL. Madden NFL 2005 sold more than six million copies and was the top-selling sports video game of 2005 in North America.Video Game Design Tuition
Tuition for the 16-month program is $29,000. Local commentators have high hopes that the school will not only feed EA the talent it needs, but help Central Florida develop into a game design industry hub rivaling Silicon Valley."If Orlando plays it smart," wrote Times business columnist Robert Trigaux, "the metro area could emerge as a significant player in what is clearly an industry poised for megagrowth."
Sources
St. Petersburg TimesDaytona Beach News-Journal
About the Author
Alex Russel is a freelance writer living in Brooklyn, NY. Since graduating from Syracuse University he has worked at many different media companies in fields as diverse as film, TV, advertising, and journalism. He holds a dual bachelor's degree in English and History.Posted on November 7, 2005 at 5:13 PM
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