Lumen PhotoVocab Game Officially Launches: A Journey from MFA Thesis to Classroom Tool

I’m thrilled to announce the official launch of Lumen PhotoVocab Game! 🎉

Born out of my MFA thesis project on game-based learning at Jacksonville State University, Lumen was designed to address challenges I faced in my own classroom. Students often struggled to engage during critiques and group discussions, which are such an important part of learning. As a lifelong gamer, I knew that games could be powerful tools for bringing people together and overcoming fear of failure so I decided to design a card game to help.

Lumen went through extensive research, prototyping, and playtesting—including IBR-approved testing in design and photography classes at Jacksonville State University. The response was overwhelmingly positive, which inspired me to bring it to market.

📖 Interested in the research behind Lumen? You can download my paper, “Game-Based Learning: Building Competence in Visual Literacy Through Simulation,” at JSU Digital Commons.

Exciting News from Blackwater Buccaneers!

We’re thrilled to share an update with you: you can now get the Lumen PhotoVocab Game Print to Play Sampler for FREE when you sign up for our newsletter, Blackwater’s Scroll of Secrets!

How to Get Your Free Sampler:

Visit our website at blackwaterbucs.com and sign up at the bottom of the homepage.

Or jump straight to the signup form here: https://mailchi.mp/blackwaterbucs/email

And don’t worry—we’re not fans of excessive emails either! You’ll only hear from us about once a month, and you can unsubscribe anytime.

Who Is This For?

The Lumen PhotoVocab Game is perfect for educators (photo, art, design, and more) or anyone looking to sharpen their photography skills while having fun. Please share this offer with anyone you think might benefit from it!

Already Purchased the Sampler?

No worries! We’re working on updating the store item to include a full printable version of Lumen. If you’ve already purchased the Sampler, you’ll receive an email once the update is ready, likely in early January.

Thank you for supporting our small business and our mission to make education fun, engaging, and accessible for all!

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.