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MAGIC In Miami: MDC Unveils New Animation And Gaming Building

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – It's game on at Miami Dade College as the school is bringing MAGIC to Miami.

On Friday, MDC unveiled its brand new animation and gaming building.

The Miami Animation and Game International Complex – MAGIC for short – is a state of the art interactive learning building for students who want to major in animation and game development.

Jamal Mapp, an MDC gaming major, said he has never been more excited for school in his life.

Surrounded by high tech equipment, students will learn what it takes to create anything animated –video games, cartoons and movies.

"We actually put together this facility as if it were a real animation studio," said MAGIC chairperson Mauricio Ferrazza.

MAGIC is giving students the chance to take part in something that the state has been lacking for quite some time.

"It's hard to find this program, especially in the state of Florida. I can't find it anywhere and I was just gonna wing it, take classes that are similar. But now they actually have classes and it's like thank God," said Mapp.

From voice over creation to motion capture animation, the hands-on, two-year program will give students real life experience, preparing them for an in-demand workforce.

"The industry is huge and there is such a need of talent. People who have that blend of artistic and tech savvy education as well as hands on experience. It's rare to get that out of a student and this program is set up to give people that background," said Leah Hoyer, studio director for ArenaNet.

MDC is the only public college in the state with this kind of facility and program.

The school hopes the students' skills in "make-believe" will prepare them for the real world.

"The animation industry has been spilling out to other industries: architecture, forensic, medical, product design. They're all using these technologies for their indicators so we really saw a demand in the work force," said Ferrazza.

The program is already booked up for the 2015 fall semester with 250 students signed up. And for the first time, there will be MAGIC on Monday.

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