The Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy [1] (FIEA) is a downtown campus of the University of Central Florida that was created in 2004 by the University's School of Film and Digital Media [2] and Electronic Arts. FIEA is a graduate video game design school offering an accredited master's degree in interactive entertainment. Areas of study include game design, development, art, programming and production. The Academy is located at the Orlando Centroplex, which houses the Amway Arena and the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre. The site of FIEA was formerly the downtown Expo Centre until late 2004 when the city of Orlando leased the building to the University. [3] The University of Central Florida is located in Orlando, Florida, and is a member institution of the State University System of Florida. ... EA redirects here. ... Amway Arena (formerly known as the Orlando Arena, TD Waterhouse Centre, and The Arena in Orlando [1], and colloquially known by the nickname of O-Rena) is an indoor arena in Orlando, Florida. ... The Mayor Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre is a major performing arts auditorium in Orlando. ...

One of the core features of FIEA's educational philosophy is the simulation of the video game development environment right there at school. The interior of the building is designed, configured, and equipped the same way a modern-day video game development studio would be. Students operating in cubicle space provided and use state-of-the-art technology as they spend two of their four semesters actually developing a "vertical slice" of a video game pitched and voted on by students of each class.

FIEA's first class of twelve students graduated in December of 2006.

Games developed at FIEA:

• Class of December '06 "Cohort 1"
  • The Blob
• Class of May '07 "Cohort 2"
  • Opera Slinger - Top Ten Finalist in the Student Showcase of the Game Developers Conference
  • Danger Zone
• Class of December '07 "Cohort 3"
  • Hilbaliens (in-progress)
  • Master Plan (in-progress)