Dolphins, swim with the dolphins. I mean have you ever wondered How is the water where dolphins swim?
The thing is we’re running a VR arcade/experience center. People who make great, potentially great, and not-so-great experiences come to us. Some we provide feedback for, and maybe later we bring them to you. Others, fall in love with and break our bank to get them to you… and lastly, some we love so much that despite not being able to provide them to you because there is a global pandemic we decided to write about them so you get to hear about them because that’s how awesome they are and maybe even have a kick-ass cause behind them that as a diver I can’t help but support. Pheww.
That brings us to the current title: How is the water.
We were talking with these lovely people at the beginning of the year. Furthermore, I had a chance to take a look at an early, early, build and my mind was blown. And they just launched on Kickstarter on May 18th.
So what is it all about, in their words?
It’s the ultimate ocean experience with the goal to bring the ocean to everyone and digitally preserve marine life for future generations.
Have a look:
As mentioned earlier, I had a chance to speak with the people behind this awesome project. Michael Lovecky, the director and producer, was also kind enough to stay up until 3am, Germany time, to explain the ins and outs of the experience to the local Toronto VR community. Many thanks to Stephan from VRC for hosting Michael. Here are some takeaways.
The Why
“How is the Water is all about making the ocean and its magic accessible for everybody”, was Michal’s opening remark. He then added “I was fortunate enough to live through several transcendental experiences while diving, but most people never get that chance. I want to change that.” And I totally get that. Speaking with fellow divers, things ain’t pretty. In a 5 year period, the coral of Thailand and Australia are no longer what they used to be. Bringing awareness to the hidden beauties of our world is one of the key reasons I’m even writing this.
We’ve seen these magical places and I wish I could have you see them as well. but we’ll have to wait until covid passes. Or it may be time for you to save for some at-home VR but I digress. Fortunately for you, How is the Water is an XR game for virtual reality, mobile devices, and PC, combining entertainment with real-world impact. basically, if you get it it’s for an awesome cause and you can enjoy aspects of it on your phone or on a PC.
The impact
“For every copy sold, we bring How is the Water to one youth without access to the sea, to help spark a passion for marine life in the next generation.” – Mueller
This coming from a marine biologist and the co-director of How is the Water… as a diver and VR evangelist… It speaks to my soul. This promise by Ninja Mueller shows that educating, evoking empathy, and supporting ocean protection are the priorities of this project. In-game actions like coral-gardening come to life thanks to a partnership with Reef Life Foundation, deploying reef structures for coral restoration all around the world.
Lastly, the animals you encounter in the virtual ocean are not just computer-generated, but digital twins of real marine animals. To achieve this, Cyan Planet has collaborated with renowned animal 3d scanning powers house Digital Life 3D. “[…]to preserve marine life for educational and scientific purposes, and ultimately to preserve life on Earth” per Lovecky.
Kickstarter
“Our concept of How is the Water was invited to la Biennale di Venezia and our prototype showcased at the Festival de Cannes. After these successes, we can’t wait to push this project to the production phase, to draw even more attention to ocean protection with our finished project!” – Mueller.
The Kickstarter Campaign is another way to engage their community and to increase the impact and reach of their partner organizations (and they are many) like Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC).
Learn more about the project on Kickstarter!
