What did we do on our summer vacation?

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!

Beautiful night in LA for an indie game show.

Beautiful night in LA for the MIX indie game show.

So that meeting happened. :D

So that meeting happened. 😀

As part of our school outreach in late June, we spoke to elementary school kids in Lyman WA and Pacific WA. Sharing our experiences building games and the importance of creative problem solving, personal excellence, teamwork, diversity, and STEM skills was a super fun way to kick off our summer vacations. The kids’ boundless enthusiasm for learning and their flexible perspective of games is always a treat to behold.

Mrs. Mayer's class, Lyman WA

Mrs. Mayer’s class, Lyman WA

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 on the Tall Dog Bike Club to help with marketing, too. We all looked fab in our new Infinite Scuba jerseys. 🙂

Tall Dog Bike Club does Infinite Scuba marketing on RAGBRAI

Tall Dog Bike Club does Infinite Scuba marketing on RAGBRAI

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!!!

A steaming mass of humanity in every direction. Not for the claustrophobic or agoraphobic.

A steaming mass of humanity in every direction. gamescom is not for the claustrophobic or agoraphobic.

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!)

A steady stream of gamers all 5 days - we rarely got a chance to take photos.

A steady stream of gamers all 5 days – we rarely got a chance to take photos!

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!

Washington Interactive Network booth was hopping all 4 days of PAX!

Washington Interactive Network booth was hopping all 4 days of PAX!

WIN's awesome crew of 8 WA indies at PAX.

WIN’s awesome crew of 8 WA indies at PAX.

A curated group of 25 indie games at Seattle Indies Expo (SIX) @sixatpax

A curated group of 25 indie games at Seattle Indies Expo (SIX) @sixatpax

SIX was a more intimate show filled with dedicated indie innovators.

SIX was a more intimate show filled with dedicated indie innovators.

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, posts so much! Please keep them coming!

kathie & the Infinite Scuba team at Cascade Game Foundry

ps: We also found an injured kitten…

This tiny sweetie was walking down the middle of the road on RAGBRAI and needed our help.

This tiny sweetie was walking down the middle of the road on RAGBRAI and needed our help.

Her happy story is here: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/local/kyle-munson/2015/07/30/ragbrai-luckiest-kitten/30892399/

She even has a Facebook page now! 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/StormyRAGBRAI

Providing moments of digital Zen…

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2015 Mid-year Update

Hi again! I can’t believe we’re halfway through 2015 – time really does fly when you’re having fun! Here’s a quick re-cap of the year so far…

After releasing our Belize dive site and Dr. Sylvia Earle diver at the end of 2014, we knew the hard work of getting the word out about the game was about to begin in the New Year. We started off with some great coverage of our company in the Des Moines Register and the Seattle Times, which helped build a little buzz for Infinite Scuba and led to some unexpected opportunities for us.

One of those highlights was a visit from our U.S. Representative, Suzan DelBene. What an honor to show her our game and talk about the challenges and rewards of creating a small business in Washington state!

Our schedule has been packed showing the game all over the place: GDC, iFest, Power of Play, E3, MIX, and numerous schools in Washington state and Iowa. We are now prepping for PAX and hard at work on our next dive site (Pacific Northwest) and our Steam build, as well as evaluating several strategic partnerships that combine video games and education. (Exciting!!)

Starting on World Ocean’s Day (8 June), we’ve also had fun posting short videos that feature our partners on our YouTube channel. For example, here are videos we created for Waterproof and Body Glove.

You can now like/share/follow us at these locations:
* Our website: www.infinitescuba.com
* Twitter: @infinitescuba and @cascadegf
* Facebook: https://www.facebook…cadeGameFoundry
* YouTube channel: CGFVIDEOSTREAM

Please help us get the word out by telling your friends about us – many thanks!

Whew. Add all that to the unseasonably warm weather in Seattle… we’re hot! 🙂

The Infinite Scuba team at Cascade Game Foundry

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Three new divers released!

Devi, Hana, and Lulu - our new divers!

Devi, Hana, and Lulu – our new divers!

To continue the celebration of Women’s History Month, we proudly release three new divers! To see them in action, please check out our new video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R11EPXkMtoQ

Homage

Our new divers in Body Glove Time Warp Surf Rider Bikinis

The new divers are included in the base game – if you buy the game, they are automatically included. If you already have the game, they will appear after you download the latest update.

Audience Participation Opportunity!!

Our new divers, Devi, Hana, and Lulu, do not yet have stories – would you like to help us write them? They all admire renowned oceanographer and environmentalist Dr. Sylvia Earle, our featured diver and real-life role model. Here is Dr. Earle’s bio:

Meet Her Deepness. Dr. Sylvia A. Earle is a legendary oceanographer, founder of Mission Blue, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, TIME Magazine Hero for the Planet, UNEP Champion of the Earth, Glamour Woman of the Year, and subject of the award-winning documentary, Mission Blue.

Impressive, huh? Her long bio is here: http://mission-blue.org/about/

To submit a bio for one of our new divers, you can tweet short versions:

  • Devi: @infinitescuba #DeviStory
  • Hana: @infinitescuba #HanaStory
  • Lulu: @infinitescuba #LuluStory

Or send longer versions in email to info@cascadegamefoundry.com

Happy Diving!

kathie & the Infinite Scuba team at Cascade Game Foundry

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Today’s release of our new Sylvia Earle avatar and Belize dive site caps a busy year!

This gallery contains 5 photos.

Today’s 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 … Continue reading

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Water, water everywhere… really!

First off, our apologies for the long gap in updates – it’s been a completely crazed few months since our Infinite Scuba update went live in November. It has been great to see excitement for the game build, slowly and steadily, since that time. We *knew* our tribe – those who would enjoy a relaxing, educational plunge into the ocean – was out there somewhere! The response from divers, environmentalists, educators, kids, parents, grandparents, and others searching for a unique, non-violent game experience has been wonderful.

It has especially been a privilege to meet so many of you in person at Power of Play, Game Connection, GDC, and the Scuba & H20 Adventure show, as well as the many schools, clubs, and other events where we’ve shown the game recently. Next up is iFest in Seattle on 3 May – we hope to meet more of you there!

So, what else is new?

  • Infinite Scuba was a finalist in the Game Connection Selected Projects 2014 competition last month in San Francisco. That show was amazing – a diverse international crowd who loved the game. So many follow-ups!
  • Our new dive site (a beauty in Belize selected by our esteemed partner Dr. Sylvia Earle) should be ready for beta in May. Please send mail (via Contact) if you would like to be a beta tester.
  • We are working with a European publisher (formal announcement coming soon) who is releasing the game (in a box!) in Europe this spring.
  • We are the first indie developer to be invited to join the PC Gaming Alliance – we are super excited about the opportunity to work with this visionary group!
  • We have a cool new trailer video on youtube and vimeo.
  • We got a video review that says we’re “gleefully rudderless” – YEAH!!
  • We tweet now, so please follow us: @InfiniteScuba and @CascadeGF
  • We are exploring a number of other exciting partnerships and projects that came up during Game Connection and GDC. As soon as we can share more news, we will!

When we started this project long ago, we decided that the sea turtle, or ‘honu’, would make a fitting totem for our team. The honu represents long life, good luck, humility, and peace. Perfect.

Many thanks to everyone who has believed in us as we pursue our dream to enable people to explore the ocean (and the rest of the world) from home! Slow and steady…

The CGF Team

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Our latest game update is LIVE!   21 Nov 2013

The super-cool new version of the game that we debuted at DEMA is now available to the public! If you already have 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, which 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 a new dive site in February 2014! If you run out of clams, you can always buy more on our website.

If you don’t have the game, what are you waiting for? It’s beautiful, fun, relaxing, and you might actually learn something to boot. 🙂

BTW, the DEMA show was amazing! Please see our “Big Splash at DEMA 2013” blog post on the Infinite Scuba website for the details: https://www.infinitescuba.com/news/blog

Providing a moment of Zen in an otherwise frantic digital world…

The CGF Team

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The holidays are just around the corner… 4 Nov 2013

We are off to the annual dive industry-only show (DEMA 2013) in Orlando 6-9 November with a sparkly new build of Infinite Scuba® that includes lots more gear, an early cut of a new dive site selected by Dr. Sylvia Earle, and assorted other improvements and user-requested features. More details when we do an official announcement later this month. Or, if you work in the diving industry, please drop by DEMA’s booth (#1267), where we will be showing off the game all week.

We are also debuting our Limited Edition Infinite Scuba Gift Cards, which have beautiful art and scratch-off codes that can be redeemed on our website. They make great stocking stuffers! Originally, we weren’t planning to do any physical distribution, but we have received so many requests from people who want to carry the game, we decided to give it a whirl, but in as eco-friendly a way as possible. Bubble Below dive shop in Woodinville WA is the first shop to carry the cards, in case any of you are in the Seattle area.

Other cool stuff…

  • A demo version of the game is part of the Sea Monsters Revealed: Aquatic Bodies exhibit at the Georgia Aquarium. This aquarium is in Atlanta and gets about 5M visitors/year, so this is fantastic exposure.
  • Two schools are using the game in the classroom this year: a high-school in Marin County CA is using the game in their Marine Biology class, and a K-12 girls’ school in Austin is using the game as part of their DeSTEMber program. We are excited to work with more teachers and schools as we begin our educational outreach.
  • Infinite Scuba®  also got its registered trademark this fall. All grown up! 🙂

More news soon! The game is available for the Windows and Mac platforms at www.infinitescuba.com

Providing a moment of Zen in an otherwise frantic digital world…

The CGF Team

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Come out to play! – 1 June 2013

Infinite Scuba™ is now available for purchase for the Windows and Mac platforms! Please go to www.infinitescuba.com for more info and to download the game.

Wow, time really does fly when you’re having fun!

This weekend, June 1-2, we will be showing the game at the Gear Up Expo in Everett WA WA. We’ll be in booth 202, right inside the arena entrance, with our awesome friends from Bubbles Below.

Providing a moment of Zen in an otherwise frantic digital world…

The CGF Team

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Dive In! – 18 April 2013

Infinite Scuba™ is now available for purchase for the Windows and Mac platforms! Please go to www.infinitescuba.com for more info and to download the game.

Last month’s launch of Infinite Scuba™ has lead to an exciting new chapter for us! If you have contacted us, THANK YOU!! We’re getting loads of great referrals and opportunities, and we’re struggling to reply to everyone quickly, so we appreciate your patience.

We are especially glad to hear that you’re having fun with the game! Please tell your friends. 🙂 If you have any issues with the game, we like to hear about those, too, as we’re creating new equipment, activities, and dive sites for release later this spring and throughout the year.

It’s incredibly encouraging to learn that there’s an audience for our off-beat game. Creating a reality-based, educational, non-violent, *fun* game is veering off into fairly uncharted territory, but what an adventure! Now we tackle the new challenge to get more people find out about the game… please help us if you can.

Tonight, April 18, we will be showing the game at the Beer For A Cause benefit for Full Life Care. A rare opportunity to safely drink and dive.

This weekend, April 20-21, we will be showing the game at the Dive & Travel Expo in Tacoma WA. We’ll be in booth 403, with our friends from Bubbles Below.

Providing a moment of Zen in an otherwise frantic digital world…

The CGF Team

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