Notes On The Three FIEA Tracks

The FIEA curriculum has three tracks that attract a variety of undergraduate majors: an art track, production track and programming track.

Art Track
The most common undergraduate majors in this track include art, visual art, studio art, digital media, illustration, graphic design and animation.

Programming Track
The most common undergraduate majors in this track include computer programming, computer science, computer engineering and electrical engineering.

Production Track
The most common undergraduate majors in this track include digital media, liberal studies, game design, psychology, English, technical writing, theater, speech, communications, digital art and programming.

Although the FIEA curriculum has these three main tracks many FIEA students have skills in more than one area. For example some of our best producers are also great artists or programmers.

As such, the FIEA curriculum is flexible enough to accommodate students with multiple skills. For that reason, we never schedule classes from two different tracks concurrently, so students can attend classes outside of their core discipline if they choose.

Semester One (9 hours)

Production For Media

You are introduced to the industry, business, structure, history and basic processes of game development. The primary topic is the development process itself, including how to schedule a project, perform risk analysis, create budgets, write development plans, develop rapid prototypes and forecast and justify projects. A natural familiarity with game industry roles, typical studio structure, development cycles, project management techniques and post-mortems will be cultivated as well. You will be required to make pitches and prepare presentations on topics ranging from console platforms to complete game concept proposals. When you leave this course you will be well-equipped to produce compelling entertainment in an interactive age.

Rapid Prototype Production I

Project work dominates this course as you are divided into small multidisciplinary teams to create several short game prototypes. Iteration is the key as you master the life cycle of a project, collaborative brainstorming, and rapid prototyping through first-hand experience. Every round of prototypes focuses on a different theme, such as the "fun factor," compelling narrative, indirect control, and emergent gameplay. To further the team-building, trust, brainstorming, and creative collaboration goals of this course, improvisational acting techniques will also be explored in a separate lab.

Principles of Interactive Entertainment I

This is a required course no matter which of the three tracks you're in - art, technical, or production. Each track has its own class meeting time and specific agenda and concentrates on the core fundamentals and production software related to that track. Assignments are typically small individual projects implementing the concepts researched in class.

Art
This class introduces you to the industry standard content creation tools, such as Maya, Photoshop, and ZBrush. You are immersed in conceptual design, 3-D character and environment modeling, texture map creation, application and lighting and a basic understanding of character rigging and animation. You learn the proper techniques and guidelines for creating quality work to integrate into the production pipeline.

Programming
In the programming class, the emphasis is on low-level programming and optimization, as well as developing an understanding of the importance of memory and efficiency when doing algorithm development. Assembly language, C and C++ are utilized for the various programming projects required, and many debugging techniques are explained. The history of console game programming and the creation of game design documentation is also covered. C and C++ programming for games is stressed, and used for cross-platform development of a game for the Xbox and PC platforms.

Production
Production introduces the basic tools of design. The goal is to equip producers and designers with an understanding of what makes games entertaining and immersive as well as learning how to produce effective game designs. The concept of scale and scoping will be explored in detail, as it pertains to overall realistic product development. The most important deliverable for this course is a complete game design document based on a concept of your choosing.

Semester Two (9 Hours)

Preproduction and Prototyping

This course is not about designing content, but about the design of a successful production itself. Working with a project design that was established at the end of the first semester within the production elective, you will work through a detailed preproduction phase. This includes project scheduling, production planning, resource management, pipeline preparation, building prototypes and a proof of concept. This totally project-based course will show how proper planning and exploration can improve the entire remainder of the development process. You will identify technology constraints, art style, and design requirements all in the planning phase so that a complete demo of this larger-scale project can be implemented in the third semester.

Rapid Prototype Production II

The prerequisite for this course focuses on heavy production and core design concepts. This advanced version encourages new gameplay constructs and the innovation of worn genres. Starting with an in-depth history of game innovations, students research what has come before to better create what comes next. Then an exploration of paper prototypes, board games, and table-top role-playing games helps apply good design rules from other forms of gaming. A discussion of advanced graphics techniques, such as LOD, mip maps, displacement maps, and shaders, forms the basis for innovating visually. Next students learn level design constructs and use UnrealEd to create immersive, well-paced, and realistic worlds. Finally, students use the multiplayer features of their own creations to take on different roles and improvise new design ideas in-game.

Principles of Interactive Entertainment II

This second core course delves deeper into the specific roles of each discipline (art, programming, production). You are expected to have mastered your tools and demonstrate proficiency in solving problems and applying course concepts to specific examples through your assignments.

Art
Animation principles and real-time 3D animation techniques are at the core of the art class. Skeletal systems, character rigging, facial animation, and scripting are also explored. At this point, you are encouraged to identify areas of specialty which you may pursue in greater depth, such as modeling/texturing, animation, or technical art. Small project assignments should begin to take on a greater illusion of life and demonstrate higher levels of artistry.

Programming
Building on a foundation already laid in C programming, this technical class shifts into C++ programming for games. Object-oriented problem solving and the abstraction of data and systems take on a greater importance. Additional topics of study include game loops, user input, memory allocation, compression, physics, AI, collision detection, online gaming, rendering, and audio. You are expected to create clean, well-commented code that operates with efficiency and modularity.

Production
Production teaches the principles of project management. Learning to communicate with team members, contractors, and external departments is a critical skill in the role of producer. Creating satisfying compromises for the inevitable trade-offs and balancing schedule, scope, and resources will be required. You will work with practical examples to learn how to maintain momentum and team morale while still achieving the desired results for the project.

Semester Three (6 Hours)

Advanced Interactive Entertainment

Human characters within interactive experiences are expected to look, move, behave, and emote with ever-increasing realism. This course greets this challenge by deeply exploring several aspects of the human form. You study the psychological factors involved within game design, including social factors that contribute to success or failure. In addition, we investigate how the concepts of escapism, immersion, and imagination factor into entertaining an audience. A portion of class sessions involve studying the human psyche and the incorporation of the human form within interactive entertainment. The remaining classes serve as individual problem solving and brainstorming meetings in the service of the practicum project.

Interactive Entertainment Project

This course is where you apply the concepts and theories you have learned to produce a large-scale project. This project may be the project you produced in the Principles of Interactive Entertainment II course or it could come from faculty research or collaborations with FIEA partners. The target deliverable is a playable demo that simulates the core experience and demonstrates the key features of the project's vision. The course ends with a special event premiering the final project to the entire FIEA community and invited guests.

Semester Four (6 Hours)

Game Design Practicum

The fourth and final semester allows you to seek an individual or group internship in the industry. FIEA group internships let you become part of a development team composed of fellow FIEA students that does meaningful research and production for an industry partner.

Course credit will be awarded based on work performance and a presentation about what you learned and your internship experience. As this opportunity takes place during the final semester, you are free to pursue more permanent job offers made available through the internship.

You may also choose to work on a final large-scale project under the supervision of the faculty involving new research developments or partnerships within the industry. This experience serves as a capstone which ties together the knowledge and expertise gained to make a lasting contribution to research within interactive entertainment.