MAGIC Launches Video Game App That Teaches You Some Of Miami’s History

Ever wondered what was in South Florida before the big city landscapes were here? 

You can find out using Dig & Learn, a virtual scavenger hunt video game app developed by faculty and staff at Miami Dade College’s Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex.

The video game app uses augmented reality to uncover educational artifacts and teach users about Miami’s history and neighborhoods. It was launched on March 12 and is available for IOS and Android users.

“It’s an amazing opportunity for users of the app to be able to learn about native Florida history in such an involving and immersive way,” said MAGIC’s Academic Lab Manager Jose Soto. 

In the app, users can hunt for three Seminole tribe artifacts—a Pine Needle Basket, Native American Pottery and Shell Tools—three Oolite fossils and three historical objects that recognize the history of the city of Brickell and their owners, Mary and William Brickell. 

The game includes a map of the land owned by the Brickells, a property deed and a red carnation flower (Ohio’s state flower); the latter is a reference to Mary’s home state. Users also get to hunt for native Floridian butterflies such as the monarch, red-spotted purple, Atala and Palamedes swallowtail butterflies. 

“A lot of South Florida’s history is overlooked. Not just with the Brickells but also the Native Americans who lived here long before them,” said Javier Albornoz, one of the creators. “Implementing these features can be an opportunity to enrich users on what was there before the urban jungle Brickell is now.”

Dig & Learn was developed by MAGIC academic tutors Segundo Correas, who was the lead modeler and texture artist, and Ieon Skepple, who served as the lead programmer; MAGIC Chairperson Mauricio Ferrazza, was the executive producer on the project; and Wolfson Campus music professor Javier Albornoz, served as the sound designer. 

The idea was brought to them by the non-profit organization Friends of The Underline, who helped transform the underutilized land below Miami’s Metrorail into a 10-mile park, urban trail and public art destination. 

“They’re a great partnership,” Skepple said. “They give us feedback on what they do and don’t like and we just move forward with them.”

It took the team eight months to create Dig & Learn. They used a gaming engine called Unity—a platform for creating and operating interactive, real-time 3D content—to develop a prototype while all the team members worked from home.

“I hope users use this app as an opportunity to learn about where we live and it strikes their curiosity to keep on learning,” Ferraza said.