What a year... #COVID and beyond

Posted by Kathie Flood on 03/12/21 10:18 AM. Category: Blog Where to start… when we cancelled our plans to attend Beneath the Sea and EarthX a year ago, who knew that we’d still be hunkered down in March 2021? That we’d be doubling up on masks, trying to schedule vaccines, and still wondering when we will be able to safely visit our families out-of-state, play live music, go to a movie, or host a neighborhood BBQ? That we would have lost over 527,000 of our fellow citizens to #COVID19?

527,000. It’s difficult to grasp the magnitude of a number that big. I grew up in Carlisle, Iowa (population 3200), just outside of Des Moines (population 200,000). Using that scale, that’s like everyone in my hometown dying 165 times. Or two and a half cities of Des Moines dying. Or two-thirds of Seattle, my current home. What’s not difficult to understand is a fierce bass player gone. A dedicated diving mentor gone. A wise and witty college professor gone. A brilliant but troubled colleague gone.

One of the unexpected silver linings of this sad and aggravating year has been the “Fauci Effect“, a record increase in medical school applications due to the inspiring example set by medical workers and public health officials like Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who is now a chief medical advisor for President Biden. Knowing that so many young people are determined to follow in these footsteps dedicated to public health gives reason for hope.

Rebuilding trust in science is a critical part of our nation’s recovery, both from the virus and from the willingness to believe so-called ‘alternative’ facts. As the number of people vaccinated rises, the virus recedes, the country re-opens safely, and we embark on our new normal, hopefully, the ascendance of science and high-integrity news sources will continue and prevail. The Black Death led to the Italian Renaissance. The Spanish Flu led to the Roaring 20s. Where will COVID19 lead us? Will we leverage the rebuilding process to right some of the historic wrongs in the US regarding racial injustice and economic inequality? We must. This is embarrassingly long overdue. The challenge of climate change is staring us down and we need to focus on our common humanity to get all hands on deck, pronto.

Another unexpected silver lining of our COVID19 year has been meeting more people who miss scuba diving in the real world and use our game to tide them over until they can dive and travel again. (Scuba Diving magazine featured us in a story about this.) We also provided our game free to scuba diving businesses doing virtual outreach with their customers and to parents and teachers looking for high-integrity science content for home schooling. One of the awesome groups we met is Black Girls Dive, whose mission is “keeping young girls and women afloat”. They use scuba diving to get girls excited about science! How cool is that? We are thrilled to announce a partnership with them today – we are collaborating to include Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) content in Infinite Scuba.

Super excited to see what comes next! Stay safe and healthy out there! We’re here when you need a few moments of underwater Zen.

kathie and the Infinite Scuba team at Cascade Game Foundry

 

The adventure continues...

Posted by Kathie Flood on 09/04/17 5:52 AM. Category: Blog On Friday, we left Seattle on a beautiful late summer afternoon. Tonight, we find ourselves in La Serena, Chile, on a beautiful (but in a totally different way) late winter evening prepping for the opening of IMPAC4, the International Marine Protected Areas Conference.

As David Byrne once sang, How did I get here?

A year ago, we were very excited that two papers we helped to write had just been published in Aquatic Conservation (Wiley). The release event for the journal was held at the World Conservation Congress (WCC) in Honolulu, where we were showing our scuba diving simulation game, Infinite Scuba®, and its new VR companion, a 5-minute dive in Belize with Dr. Sylvia Earle.

We work hard to create a realistic scuba diving experience with real dive locations, real wildlife and behaviors, real dive science, and real gear, as well as opportunities for players to learn about the ocean and its environmental issues. Our conventional (Win/Mac) scuba diving simulation game has always been warmly received at ocean-related events. Our #VR dive, however, was generating a much stronger reaction, something far more emotional and enthusiastic than anything we had seen with the conventional game. “Wow!” Applause. “Congratulations!” Stunned silence followed by a huge smile and thumbs up. Tears of joy. Requests to dive again and again. And again. “This feels like I am really diving!” “This makes me want to learn to dive in the real world.” “I forgot I was here… I thought I was in the ocean.” A standing ovation. “Who built this? You must tell me.” (Some people seem genuinely surprised that the people showing the VR dive are the same ones who built it. Not sure what to make of that. :)

When we re-read the papers we had just published, we realized that VR wasn’t even in our plans when we had written them. I mentioned this to Dr. John Baxter, the journal’s editor, and he immediately said “It sounds like you need to do a follow-up. Want to write it?” We talked about trying to clear up the confusion in VR terminology and wondered what other directions the paper might go. I reminded him that we had been co-authors, not lead authors, on the other papers. I reminded him that none of us have our PhD. He said the deadlines would be tight. He was optimistic anyway, and said he thought we were up to the challenge.

He was right. (Of course!) It was a wild ride from last year to now, from the seed of a paper to the real, reviewed, published article. But, here we are! Our VR work keeps opening the coolest doors for us! Here are some of the other events where we have shown our VR dive and conventional game this year:

•     VRFest, Las Vegas, Jan ’17 (Nominated for Best Travel/Tourism VR)
•     Game Developer’s Conference, San Francisco, Feb ’17
•     Earth Day TX, Dallas TX, April ’17
•     Power of Play/Intel Buzz, Bellevue WA, April ’17
•     iFest, Seattle WA, May ’17
•     Earth Games on Tap, May ’17
•     World Oceans Festival, NYC, Jun ’17
•     UN Ocean Conference, NYC, Jun ’17

We also visited local western Washington schools, hosted students at our office, and participated in online discussions with students out of state. We continue to make the game available free to any teacher or school who contacts us, and we donate $1 of each copy sold to ocean conservation non-profits, like Mission Blue (founded and led by Dr. Sylvia Earle).

Oh yeah, we also released the conventional game on Steam Early Access earlier this year! (Steam is the premier website for downloadable games.) Our VR dive is nearly ready for public release. We continue to add new dive sites, new gear, and new activities, to our game/VR, as well as do custom development work for other companies.

We are thrilled to be doing all of this work. Being able to combine our expertise from the games industry with our love of scuba diving, our drive to help save the planet, and our commitment to education is an honor and privilege.

Years ago, we decided the company totem would be the green sea turtle, or honu, the Hawaiian symbol of longevity, endurance, and good luck. Since we are land-based, we are actually more of a tortoise who admires and emulates the honu from afar.

Slow and steady…
     The Infinite Scuba team at Cascade Game Foundry SPC

 

Scuba and H20 Adventure Show is back!

Posted by Kathie Flood on 04/03/17 7:46 AM. Category: Blog Greetings Scuba Fans! We sometimes forget we have a blog - one of the many dangers of a small shop. :/ Our apologies! You can always check out our Facebook and Twitter streams for up-to-the-minute news. Or, send us email if you're in need of some kind of human interaction.

Here's a quick shot of our latest adventures...

• We just spent the weekend at the Scuba & H2O Adventure Show at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center - total blast. We are happy to see this small but mighty Pacific Northwest dive show back up & running!
• GDC rocked. Looking forward to Earth Day TX, Power of Play, and iFest.
• We are out on Steam Early Access.
• We had a wildly satisfying 2016... call it Happy Year 8 of the Dissertation.
  

kathie & the infinite scuba crew at cascade game foundry (yeah, I'll add the links later today. small steps. :)

 

Happy Spring! Welcome to VR...

Posted by Kathie Flood on 05/16/16 3:42 PM. Category: Blog Why, yes, we do virtual reality! :) We were honored to be invited to Earth Day TX 22-24 April 2016 in Dallas with our esteemed partner, Mission Blue. We showed our first Oculus Rift VR build at the show, as well as our conventional Windows/Mac version of the game. Wow! There was a line at the booth all weekend long! It's a blast to see people react as if they are really diving above the reef with their guide, Dr. Sylvia Earle.

We are used to a friendly reception to the game, but the sheer joy emanating from people who try our VR version is overwhelming. We are thrilled that we took the time and attention to detail to craft a beautiful, accurate, living dive experience and that VR technology enables us to crank up the realism even more. It's an incredibly exhilarating time to be part of the gaming industry, as well as help people understand more about - and hopefully be inspired to protect - the ocean.

Our spring is loaded with presentations to students in Western Washington schools, as well as iFest Seattle (14 May), Power of Play (Bellevue WA, 20-21 May), and E3 (Los Angeles, 16-18 June). Drop by those shows or contact us if you'd like us to come to you, in-person or virtually. :D

The Infinite Scuba team at Cascade Game Foundry

 

2015 Wrap-up!

Posted by Kathie Flood on 02/01/16 10:27 AM. Category: Blog

Happy 2016! We had an incredible 2015 at Cascade Game Foundry, adding to our diving simulation game, Infinite Scuba, learning how to be better marketers, and doing contract gigs, so we wanted to get you up-to-date on our adventures.

In February, we were featured in a Seattle Times story by Nicole Brodeur, which sparked a year of exciting opportunities for us.

We were honored that our US Representative, Suzan DelBene, visited our office in April – we appreciate her support of small businesses in Washington state and caught up on our shared roots at Microsoft.

Our work travels took us to San Francisco (Game Developer’s Conference, March), Los Angeles (E3 and MIX shows, June), Cologne, Germany (gamescom, August), Orlando (DEMA dive industry show, November), and Monaco (BLUE Ocean Film Festival, November).

In late July, we rode our bicycles across Iowa on RAGBRAI. We wore Infinite Scuba jerseys, visited libraries in the towns on the route, and gave away gift cards with codes for free copies of the game to the people we met. Hottest. Marketing. Trip. Ever. But, it was very fun to meet so many wonderful people on the ride and talk to them about the ocean!

In October, we went on tour with Neil Young! His concerts include a “Village of Action” - a dozen or so environmental and political groups whose work he supports.  We were proud representatives of Dr. Sylvia Earle’s ocean awareness non-profit, Mission Blue. We talked to people about Dr. Earle and showed her diver avatar in our game at concerts in Montana, Washington, and British Columbia. We also created custom art for Neil’s Go Earth! website.

During the school year, we visited many schools in Washington and Iowa to talk to students ranging from elementary to high school about game development, STEM skills, and ocean/environment issues. (We are registered as a SPC, Social Purpose Corporation, aka B-Corp, in the state of Washington.)

We also did contract work for other companies, much of which we can’t discuss publicly due to non-disclosure agreements. Let’s just say creating and running a small business is one of the most strange, interesting, and gratifying challenges we’ve had the opportunity to tackle. Call us if you want the gory details. :)

As we start 2016, we are excited to be working on our first cold-water dive site, new dive gear, new activities, and several new releases of the game, in addition to more contract work. We are so happy to be here and grateful to be doing this rewarding work!

Many thanks for your interest in our game and all the kind emails! Best wishes for a healthy, peaceful, and productive 2016!!

kathie and the crew at Cascade Game Foundry

 

DEMA 2015 - Ready for Day 1!

Posted by Kathie Flood on 11/04/15 2:11 AM. Category: Blog Hi Scuba Fans! Our booth - part of the main DEMA booth and networking lounge - is ready to rock when the show opens later this morning. Attendees can check out the awesome new gear, divers, activities, and dive site in the game, buy our cool new Infinite Scuba t-shirts, and enter a drawing to win a limited edition scarf or bag from the Dr. Sylvia Earle Collection, courtesy of our friends at Mission Blue.

We will be tweeting (@infinitescuba) and facebooking (CascadeGameFoundry) all 4 days of the show. Plus, we have treats.

Booth #1271. Be there. Aloha!
    Robert, Birney, Russ, and Kathie

 

What we did this summer...

Posted by Kathie Flood on 09/02/15 2:02 PM. Category: Blog

Another summer nearly over, and our wild adventure continues! E3 was a blur of fun meetings with new partners in the gaming and environmental world. It's gratifying to see our long journey to craft a new, relaxing style of exploration and gameplay start to be recognized. We were also unexpectedly invited to show the game at the MIX event at E3 - a very cool opportunity to show off the latest build and gain some new fans and contacts. Awesome party!

In late July, we took some time off. Sorta. Russ and I headed to Iowa for RAGBRAI, the week-long bicycle ride across the state that we have ridden 8 of the past 9 years. On this year's ride, we visited the libraries in the towns we rode through and left gift codes for free access to the game. We discovered on previous RAGBRAIs that the town libraries were delightful oases of peace, quiet, air conditioning, and internet access. Since schools are not in session in July, we thought library outreach might be a fun way to get the game into the hands of kids who might not be able to explore the ocean easily on their own. We enlisted our friends in the Tall Dog Bike Club to help with marketing, too. We all looked fab in our new Infinite Scuba jerseys. :)

In early August, we were excited to attend gamescom in Cologne, Germany as part of the delegation from the Washington Interactive Network (WIN). This is an immense show - 345K attendees this year - and open to the public. So. Many. People. Some of the best people watching ever. Anyway, the game went over very well in this land known for its enthusiasm for simulations - WOW!!!

The game is localized into German, but we don't actually speak German. It was a fascinating experience to observe how people reacted to the game without being able to understand specifically what they were saying. The game truly had to stand on its own. For example, experienced PC gamers pick up the game controls right away. But, the game often appeals to people who don't yet consider themselves gamers, so we gathered loads of data on how we might make the experience more approachable for them. We even made changes during the show to make things more clear to novices. The comments were overwhelming positive, things like "Wow, it's beautiful!", "The details are amazing!", "Why aren't there more games like this?", "It's so unusual!", "It's so relaxing!", "I don't usually play games, but I want to play this game!", and "This is perfect for education." (Hooray!)

In late August, we showed the game at PAX Prime in Seattle (also with WIN) and at the juried Seattle Indies Expo (SIX), both fantastic shows. Great reactions to the game across the board!

So, that was our summer... unbelievably fun. A great workout. We are energized to finish our Steam build, our new Pacific Northwest dive site (drysuits - woohoo!), and to get to work on some awesome new projects we can't discuss yet. Stay tuned.

Many thanks to all who have reached out with feedback on the game - we appreciate your emails, tweets, and posts so much! Please keep them coming!
   kathie & the Infinite Scuba team at Cascade Game Foundry

 

Off to E3 2015!

Posted by Kathie Flood on 06/15/15 3:57 AM. Category: Blog

E3, here we come! Business, business, numbers, meetings! Yay, it's working!

Greetings Scuba Fans! We are off to E3 for game- and dive-industry meetings, and hopefully a stop at In-N-Out Burger. It's been a fantastic winter and spring for the game and our team, and we're excited to meet new contacts at the show, as well as catch up with old friends.

To celebrate #WorldOceansDay this month, we created videos for each of our partners and we are releasing one a day. Here are the partners whose videos are live so far:

• Cressi - https://youtu.be/Vtw2I19lQMQ
• Waterproof - https://youtu.be/5CAS2AN706Q
• SCUBAPRO - https://youtu.be/ItXYopHmCZM
• Henderson - https://youtu.be/BJQHr78kWvY
• Ikelite - https://youtu.be/w1bxKTrt03c
• Sea-Life - https://youtu.be/ggzM2oFXBRQ
• ScubaNation - https://youtu.be/_gnOGJh7GaI
• Bubbles Below - http://youtu.be/aVlrCmVoqaU

Keep an eye on our Twitter feed (@infinitescuba) or Facebook page (CascadeGameFoundry) for more daily videos and updates from E3 this week! Let's extend the spirit of #WorldOceansDay as long as possible.

Remember that we donate $1 per copy of the game sold to Mission Blue (Sylvia Earle's ocean protection non-profit) and that we provide the game to teachers and schools for FREE. Please help us get the word out about the importance of a healthy ocean to our own survival. As Sylvia says, "No ocean, no us."

Providing a moment of Zen in a crazed world,

    kathie & the rest of the Infinite Scuba team at Cascade Game Foundry

 

Support Update - May 2015

Posted by Kathie Flood on 05/26/15 11:00 PM. Category: Blog Howdy Scuba Fans! Here's the latest scoop on recent support issues...

• Our Windows Metro version is now back online and available in the Windows 8 Store: http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/app/infinite-scuba/e9765feb-4027-41f3-9f25-cbb078667598

• Our Windows Desktop and Mac versions are available here on our website: https://www.infinitescuba.com/news

• We are testing a fix for a rare, but annoying bug that causes redundant content downloads. More news very soon!

Are you having any issues with the game? PLEASE email us at customerservice@infinitescuba.com

Many thanks for all your help and patience!
    The Infinite Scuba team at Cascade Game Foundry

 

Wow, what a year!

Posted by Kathie Flood on 12/26/14 9:42 PM. Category: Blog

The December 16 release of our new Dr. Sylvia A. Earle avatar and Belize dive site is the culmination of months of hard work by a dedicated team of talented coders and artists. Along the way, we’ve had the opportunity to share our vision for Infinite Scuba with thousands of people all over the world.

In October, we headed to Austin, TX for SXSW Eco, where our partner and Mission Blue Founder Dr. Sylvia A. Earle, delivered the keynote address, “Sustainable Seas: The Vision and the Reality.” Dr. Earle also joined us in our demo booth to check out the latest build of Infinite Scuba.

From Austin, we flew to NYC for the unveiling of Sprout by HP- where we announced that CGF is an official development partner for HP’s new immersive computing platform. We even made the official Sprout by HP website :).

In early November, it was on to St. Petersburg, Florida for the BLUE Ocean Film Festival & Conservation Summit, for a Special Feature Screening of the Netflix original documentary film, Mission Blue, which vividly captures Dr. Earle’s life story as she travels the globe on an urgent mission to shed light on the dire condition of Earth’s oceans.

In mid-November, our fearless leader Kathie Flood headed down under to Sydney, Australia for the sixth IUCN World Parks Congress, a landmark global forum on protected areas that is held only once every 10 years.

Then, we were on to to Las Vegas for the 2014 DEMA show, where we had the chance to share a sneak preview of our new Sylvia Earle avatar and giant Belize dive site with dive pros and dive enthusiasts from all over the world.

2015 looks even more exciting!! Please stay tuned for more new dive sites, gear, dive avatars, and collaborations with wonderful partners! Many thanks to all of you for helping to spread the word about our trend-bucking game. :)

 

Prepping for Game Connection Selected Projects 2014 and GDC...

Posted by Kathie Flood on 03/02/14 7:33 PM. Category: Blog

Yow! Exciting times for our happy little startup! GDC is coming up 17-21 March in San Francisco...

First, we were named a Finalist in the Game Connection America Selected Projects Competition! Woohooo! This gives us primo placement in the Game Connection show, 17-19 March at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, as well as the opportunity to schedule meetings with the show's impressive list of publishers, distributors, and investors, and the opportunity do a 5-minute pitch in the Selected Projects competition.

We will also catch up with our friends at Mission Blue and talk to kids at a SF high school about making games, as well as meet with some exciting potential new partners for the game - more news as soon as I can share it!

We are also getting close to releasing our second dive site - one in Belize selected by Her Deepness, Dr. Sylvia Earle, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, Time Magazine Hero for the Planet, and founder of Mission Blue.

Last, we are wrapping up work on a new promo video for us and raw footage for inclusion in our partners' highlight reels.

Off to the game to get my underwater Zen on... join us!

   kathie & the rest of the Infinite Scuba team at Cascade Game Foundry

 

Girlstart DeSTEMber Interview

Posted by Kathie Flood on 12/10/13 7:32 AM. Category: Blog Kathie Flood, Cascade Game Foundry's Managing Director and Co-Founder, participated in a Google Hangout with Girlstart, an innovative K-16 school in Austin TX. Girlstart's mission is "Empowering Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math" and their DeSTEMber program celebrates 31 Days of STEM Fun for the Whole Family.

Here's a link to the Hangout: http://www.girlstart.org/news-and-events/item/infinite-scuba

DeSTEMber host Julie Shannan, Girlstart's Deputy Director, made this interview and demo a really fun experience! Thank you, Julie!

 

Get the game update!!

Posted by Kathie Flood on 11/21/13 6:26 AM. Category: Blog

The super-cool new version of the game that we debuted at DEMA is now available to the public! 

If you are a new user, you will get the new version as soon as you purchase the game.

If you already own the game, the next time you try to play, you will be directed to www.infinitescuba.com. Please log into the website and go to My Account to download the new version. (Yes, the update is free.)

This version of the game kicks off a new era for us - you will be able to post the photos you take on your dives (and the postcards you create) on Facebook and you will be able to purchase new dive gear to customize your diver avatar. Our first featured partner is SCUBAPRO® – check out the new wetsuit, fins, mask, etc. from them in the Gear Chooser.

If you purchased the game, you automatically have 500 clams to spend on the new gear. We will introduce new gear from other manufacturers every few weeks, and our first new dive site in February 2014! If you run out of clams, you can always buy more on our website.

Also, we added "fast-kick" to the user controls. To use fast-kick, just hold the shift key down when you hold the W key down and you'll kick much faster. You will also use your air much faster, so keep an eye on your gauges. (This was the most-requested feature from our players - many thanks to our fans for the feedback!)

If you have any questions, problems, or dive sites you would like to recommend to us, please send mail to customerservice@infinitescuba.com

Happy Diving!

 

Prepping for the DEMA Show 2013...

Posted by Kathie Flood on 11/03/13 10:43 PM. Category: Blog We are madly prepping the game for DEMA 2013 - so excited to show off all the new gear, new features like turbo mode, and an early cut of a new divesite featuring trash pickup and invasive species removal. We will also debut our beautiful Limited Edition Infinite Scuba gift cards.

The DEMA (Dive Equipment Marketing Association) show runs 6-9 November in Orlando. We are featured in the DEMA booth itself, #1267, in the center of the show. Please drop by to see and play the game if you are attending the show!

We will post photos from the show here and on our Facebook page - hope to see you soon!