With record growth in the video game industry for the last two years, from $6.6 billion in 2000 to a targeted projection of over $10 billion in 2002, the demand has quickly grown for schools that cater to budding game developers and programmers. Full Sail's Game Development Degree Program, introduced in 1998, has quickly become one of the most respected game development programs in the country, and was recognized for its accomplishments in Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM).

The January 2003 issue of EGM lists Full Sail as one of the top 5 game-degree colleges in the world, validating the efforts of a staff dedicated to providing the best game design education possible. According to Rob Catto, Program Director of Game Development, "It's always been our goal to develop a superior curriculum that would address the growing needs of the video game industry. We chose to focus on the programming side of the industry because traditional computer science programs were not addressing the requirements and needs of video game companies." He continued, "We are very pleased that the industry has recognized our program as one of the best in the world."

Electronic Gaming Monthly has been in publication since the late 80s and is one of the most highly regarded gaming-specific magazines in the industry.