Share Your Story!

Written by Roe

Roe is the fearless and sassy mascot of Blackwater Buccaneers. With boundless energy, a sharp wit, and a passion for adventure, she’s on a mission to make learning more fun through play.

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Featured | Lumen

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December 7, 2024

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Special SPE Offer

As a special thank you to my SPE family enjoy an ongoing 20% discount on Lumen PhotoVocab Game Education Edition in our online shop. Visit SPE’s Educational Offers webpage to find the discount code for checkout!

🎁 Want to try Lumen for free?
Sign up for the Blackwater Buccaneers newsletter to receive a FREE Print-to-Play Sampler Edition (normally $9.99).

🛒 Don’t miss out!
Grab your copy of Lumen by January 31st to take advantage of our official launch sale and save 50% with code BLASTOFF. The Education Edition includes access to exclusive digital extras, such as templates for creating your own version of the game, with more resources being added in the future.

We’d love to hear from you!

Have you been using Lumen PhotoVocab Game? Your experience matters, and we’d love to know how it’s making an impact in your classroom, photo club, or learning space.

Share your story by emailing us at: ahoy@blackwaterbucs.com

By sharing your testimonial or photos, you’re not just supporting a small business—you’re helping us further our mission of creating engaging learning solutions for educators and students everywhere. Your feedback inspires us to keep innovating and growing!

Thank you for being part of the Lumen journey! Together, we can make learning fun, interactive, and unforgettable.

SPE Memories

SPE South Central

2022 Chapter Conference

Come Together
October 14-15, 2022
Bossier City & Shreveport, LA

Presentation/Workshop: Game-Based Learning: Building Competence in Visual Literacy Through Simulation

Thank you for the opportunity to present on game-based learning. I love talking about it and this was my first time presenting on it outside of my MFA thesis and my first time presenting at a SPE conference. So many firsts!

Thank you!

SPE Denver

2023 National Conference: Homecoming

March, 2023
Denver, Colorado

Presentation/Workshop: Game-Based Learning: Building Competence in Visual Literacy Through Simulation

I had just received some of my new Lumen Prototypes in to take with me for my presentation on game-based learning at national and I was blow away by a few people who were willing to pay $200 for my prototype. Thank you so much! It’s my hope to eventually Kickstart an affordable mass market edition of the game but I really wanted to get this game to educators ASAP and you helped motivate me to go ahead and publish a small run of Lumen until I have time to figure out a Kickstarter.

Congratulations to the Raffle and Contest winners!

SPE St. Louis

2024 National Conference

March, 2024
St. Louis, Missouri

Blackwater Buccaneer’s 1st Vendor Table at SPE

Thank you to everyone who came and talked to me and my First Mate Karl, and an extra big shoutout to those of you who purchased a copy of the game, participated in our contest, and who played the game. This was our first time having a vendor table anywhere and we had a small batch of Lumen air shipped to us just in time for the conference. Whew! I’m so glad they arrived! 🏴‍☠️

Thank you SPE!

I attended my first SPE conference as an undergraduate student in 2010, thanks to the encouragement of JSU Photography professors Doug Clark and Sarah Cusimano Miles. That experience was transformational in so many ways and marked the beginning of my love for SPE.

The SPE community has always been a source of inspiration and support for me. For years, I felt like an outsider since my primary focus was on graphic design, but I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to create a project that bridges my passions for design, photography, and education. Lumen brings people together for learning in a fun and engaging way, and I’m thrilled to share it with this incredible community.

Thank you all for your encouragement and for being such a meaningful part of my journey.

Best wishes,
Captain Carol