OC’s Gaming and Animation students use technology for good

Lizley Avila and Blake Darrow helped create a virtual tour of Oklahoma’s historic Black towns. 

March 30, 2021

Two of Oklahoma Christian University’s finest gaming and animation students, Lizley Avila and Blake Darrow, landed an internship this past fall at Trifecta Communication - an innovative company that uses technology and storytelling to solve client problems. 

Online Instructor of Gaming and Animation, Ellie Kirkner, helped the students land their internships and get started on the project. 

“We coordinated with Trifecta to bring these two go-getters on as interns last fall,” Kirkner said. “They are working together to feature the history of Oklahoma's historic Black towns through a mixed reality app.” 

The online experience entails a virtual train ride through Oklahoma’s 13 remaining historic Black towns. The app offers new visibility by creating a “time portal” that brings a 3D experience to the train ride.

Post-Civil War, there were more than 50 Oklahoma towns that were run by Black Americans hoping to escape oppression. The virtual train ride has been carefully designed with augmented reality, so that the participants can imagine that they are interacting with those living in the towns during the 1900s. 

The OC students believe that virtual train ride experience can make an impact on people’s perspectives. 

“Given the current social climate and movements of justice and equality that sing louder than ever, it’s rewarding to create a tangible piece of history that anyone can access in the palm of their hands,” Avila said. “We get to provide more representation to those communities here in Oklahoma.”

Although the entirety of Oklahoma’s history should not be celebrated, it should be remembered. This story truly emphasizes the beauty that technology can bring when used for good. 

When asking who their target audience was, Darrow said he hopes everyone.

“I want everyone to realize the importance of the topics presented in this experience,” he said. “When researching information for this project, I learned so many things that I was never taught in school. Hopefully, this can be used as a learning tool to better the Oklahoma community.”

OC is proud of the strides that these students are making to promote the awareness of Black history in Oklahoma. They exemplify how to become involved in needed conversations while participating in the promotion of diversity. The project was made possible through a Trifecta-sponsored $15,000 Wonder Grant to a local nonprofit, The Coltrane Group. TCG is dedicated to restoring, documenting and preserving the rich heritage of Oklahoma’s remaining historic Black Towns, their buildings and their people. The group seeks to increase cultural tourism while strengthening and vigorously promoting the economic development of those towns.