Just keep swimming, just keep swimming… #UNClimateWeek2019 #ClimateActionSummit2019

Yikes, how did it get to be September?? It’s been ages since we have posted an update out here – our apologies! We tend to go heads down into the software and content while working on game updates or doing contract work, and only come up for air during events, where we typically communicate via Facebook or Twitter. I always forget Instagram… the “new” one that is our neglected youngest child. Sigh. Can we blame that on #indielife :/ One of the things they tell you about running a small business is that you have to wear a lot of hats. What they neglect to tell you is that some hats look really, desperately bad on you. We have yet to find someone who wears the marketing hat well and actually wants to wear it, so we keep working on the software ‘cause that hat looks awesome on us and we all love it. We only put on the flashy, uncomfortable marketing hat occasionally before going back to the comfy, understated, flattering software development hat.

Personally, I suspect this is because of us growing up in the pre-social media era. When we were growing up, people who talked about themselves all the time were not highly regarded. We grew up being told not to blow our own horns, but to work hard and let the work speak for itself. If someone else said something nice, you could thank them, but it was poor form to say those things yourself. Bragging wasn’t a virtue, it was a character flaw. Marketing, especially in the social media era, is all about bragging, so… we are conflicted and have a love-hate relationship to it at best.

Anyway, here’s a snapshot of what we’ve been up to…

  • Installed Infinite Scuba and Dive with Sylvia VR at the Pacific Science Center in June, in time for World Oceans Day. We’re so proud and excited to be in our local museum!
  • Released Dive with Sylvia VR on Steam – our VR experience now runs on HTC Vive, as well as Oculus Rift.
  • Shared the latest Dive with Sylvia VR, Infinite Scuba, and Submersible Sim VR at the Tacoma Ocean Festival, iFest Seattle, and several local elementary- and middle-school events.
  • Completed a major overhaul of the in-game store and backend game architecture, as well as made numerous gameplay improvements requested by our users. The latter is sort of a never-ending task for an indie studio working on an ocean simulation game, but every incremental improvement feels like victory. We refer to our development style as the crockpot – slow, but very tasty.
  • Invited to be a Science Communication Fellow at the Pacific Science Center this fall, so I get to participate in workshops and work directly with professional science educators to hone our treatment of scientific facts in our game and in presentations.

As I write this, I am in NYC for UN Climate Week, meeting with old friends, current partners, and new collaborators in the environmental space. The energy, passion, and determination to help the planet heal is palpable and delicious. If you ever feel discouraged about science denial or any of the other sad and bizarre things happening in our world right now, please attend an environmental event. Sign up for a local beach cleanup or a trail maintenance project or roadside trash pickup crew. We humans created this mess and it’s up to us to make it right while we still can. If you need help finding an opportunity to help, this website has a fantastic list of organizations you can volunteer with, donate to, or just learn more:

https://morethanscientists.org/get-involved/

Peace out and listen to Greta Thunberg,
kathie and the tenacious planet warriors at Cascade Game Foundry SPC

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.