MDC animation students created new mobile game to explore Miami history and nature on The Underline
Miami, May 4, 2021 – Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Miami Animation and Gaming International Complex (MAGIC) teamed up with The Underline, Miami’s ten-mile linear park and urban trail, to develop Dig & Learn, a mobile game that bridges technology with history and the great outdoors. The game is available for Apple and Android.
Dig & Learn is part of several tools developed by MAGIC students in support one of The Underline’s core values: innovation. Others include an augmented reality (AR) simulation of the park, available on the Apple and Google Play stores, allowing smartphone users to take a virtual tour of the completed park.
“Dig & Learn is the newest partnership with MAGIC. This virtual scavenger hunt uses augmented reality so visitors, both in the park and online, can uncover key educational artifacts that celebrate the history of The Underline and its surrounding neighborhoods,” said Breanna Faye, chief technology officer for Friends of The Underline.
The game allows visitors to learn about cultural and historical figures, native flora and fauna, cultural artifacts, and buildings and neighborhoods representative of Miami’s vibrant and diverse history and residents. Users can ‘dig’ for objects and learn about Miami co-founder Mary Brickell, the Native American tribes of Florida and discover fossils hidden in the Florida oolite coral limestone, among other interesting facts and pieces of history.”
Segundo Correas, an international student from Argentina and 2020 MAGIC graduate, was part of the team that developed the game.
“This project was a big step forward for me and a great addition to my portfolio as I worked on the user interface, helping create many of the screens, pages and visual elements,” Correas said.
The game will continue evolving in scope and features as the park grows in two more phases from Brickell, just south of Downtown Miami, to the Dadeland area in southeast Miami-Dade County.
About The Underline
The Underline is a planned 10-mile urban trail, linear neighborhood park and public art destination that will span from the Miami River, north of Brickell Metrorail station, to Dadeland South. The Underline project will feature dedicated bike and pedestrian paths, amenities, art, programming, lighting, native vegetation as well as safety features and improvements at road crossings. The Underline will be built in phases, the first of which will begin in the Brickell area. For more information, visit www.theunderline.org and/or follow them on social on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @theunderlinemia.
About Friends of The Underline Mission
Friends of The Underline is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization delivering and activating a 120-acre, world-class linear park spanning 10-miles below Miami’s Metrorail that will transform regional mobility and celebrate diversity, culture and lifelong learning. Through innovative urban trails and creative programming, we are connecting people to their environment and each other to create a safe, healthy, equitable, and sustainable community.
About Miami Dade College
Miami Dade College is the most diverse institution in the nation. There are 167 nations and 63 languages represented in its student body. The college’s eight campuses and outreach centers offer more than 300 distinct degree pathways including associate and baccalaureate degrees, career certificates and apprenticeships. Baccalaureate degree offerings include biological sciences, engineering, data analytics, information systems technology, education, public safety, supervision and management, nursing, physician assistant studies, film and others. MDC is the recipient of many top national awards including the Aspen Prize. As Democracy’s College, MDC changes lives through accessible, high quality-teaching and learning experiences. It is the home of the Miami Culinary Institute, the Miami Animation Gaming International Complex, the Miami Fashion Institute, the Eigg-Watson School of Aviation, The Idea Center, the Cybersecurity Center of the Americas, the Cloud Computing Center, the Center for Learning, Innovation and Simulation, the School for Advanced Studies, and the New World School of the Arts, to name a few of its most innovative programs. MDC has been named among the nation’s “Great Colleges to Work For” since the program’s inception. The College embraces its responsibility to serve as an economic, cultural, and civic leader for the advancement of our diverse global community. Its alumni and employees contribute more than $3 billion annually to the local economy, and MDC graduates occupy top leadership positions in every major industry. MDC is renowned for its rich cultural programming. It is the home of the Miami Book Fair, Miami Film Festival, the National Historic Landmark Miami Freedom Tower, the Tower Theater, Dyer Building, Koubek Center Mansion and Gardens, Live Arts Miami at MDC, the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives, the Museum of Art and Design, a sculpture park and a large campus art gallery and theater system. MDC has admitted more than 2,000,000 students and counting, since it opened its doors in 1960. More than 100,000 students are currently enrolled. For more information, visit www.mdc.edu.
The Underline Contact: Meg Daly, Friends of the Underline, 305-439-1199, meg.daly@theunderline.org.