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Blog Update #9---- Woah where did summer go??
I somehow managed to get to September without posting updates to this blog page but for posterity sake I wanted to be sure to update here as well. This summer was a busy one with 6 events for QUEER Games between June and July. I chose to take August off for vacation and to prepare myself for the new chapter of life, parenting a Kindergartener! We are slowly adjusting to the new school year and with that I have two exciting updates to share.
1) Pride Flag Memory Match is a new product I created this month that will be available next week. It is fun for all ages and a great way to learn about the LGBTQ identies.
2) The next event you can purchase games/ see me at is the Twin Cities Pride Queer Writes Book Fair! hosted at Utepils brewing on October 13th from 12-5 this will be like the scholastic book fair you remember from childhood, only queer! This is also my first official TC pride event as a vendor so I am SO excited to be getting connected to the wider community. As a very small queer owned buisness it has been hard networking and connecting but also is incredibly rewarding.
I am proud to have been officially in buisness for a year now. Thank you to all who have supported this small buisness, it means the world to me!
Blog update #8 - Queering the world
I will be graduating from United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities with my Masters of Arts in Leadership in Social Transformation this weekend!
With my graduation ceremony this weekend, I thought it was a great time to offer a quick snapshot of what's been going on since September as well as some upcoming short term goals in my vocational plan to queer the world! The snapshot to the side was used for my Social Transformation student showcase earlier this month and offers a glimpse into the goings on of this small buisness.
QUEER Games started as a dream last January 2023 in my Leadership and Strategies for Social Change and Social Enterprise classes followed by my practicum where I developed 3 games, this website, hosted several events, and began operation as the sole proprietor in the state of Minnesota.
So what's next for QUEER Games?
Looking ahead I plan to update this website and finally get the online shop up and running and funding opportunities to have a wider distribution capacity.
I plan to spend this summer networking at local Twin Cities events (watch for a full calendar in the next post). If you would like a queer trivia night to come to your group this summer, fill out the contact form and lets co-collaborate to queer the world together!
I will be creating and producing several more items to be released this summer/ fall 2024. Watch the product page and social media for updates and release dates ,
Queer Quotes Coloring Book (available mid-may)
Queering Trivia digital edition-- give folks the opportunity to play on the go around the world.
Queer Bingo- featuring icons past and present to bring some sparkle to any queer friendly event.
Queering Culture- a fresh look at spirituality through the paradigm of pop culture and queer theory-
Queer Bible Commentary graphic novel
.... watch for more magic :)
Thank you to all who have supported QUEER Games by purchasing games and listening to me ramble on about queering education! I will hopefully also be finding a more steady job by the fall to go alongside QUEER Games, but I plan to spend this summer devoted to ideating, creating and networking as much as I can in my aspiraiton to queer the world, one day at a time!
Blog update #7 - Trivia event at Makwa Coffee February 3rd!
The blog may have been quiet but life has been busy in the world of QUEER Games. I was temporarily sold out of the Queering Theology expansion pack back in December but all 3 games are still available now. Games can either be purchased via the contact us form (online shop link coming soooon) or at in person events. The next in person Queer Trivia event is Saturday, February 3rd 6:00-7:30pm back at Makwa coffee! Come play some free trivia featuring all things queer including questions from the games and new ones just for the event featuring special pop culture questions queering Valentines Day!
There will be lots more updates coming over the next few months, stay tuned and be sure to follow the social media pages as I tend to update those more frequently then this blog!
1-9-2024
Queer Games Blog update #6- Tabling event in Roseville this weekend, game updates!
So many updates so little time. Not only is the Queer Theology expansion pack available for purchase, but Guess Who is Coming To Pride is also available! This Saturday, November 18th QUEER Games will be tabling at Hidden Mn in Roseville MN from 12:00-5:00pm sharing the good news of the gospel of queering games :) Stop by and say hi, spin the trivia wheel, purchase a game or even a lil queer quote art (the queer quote art is $5 a piece, the game prices are sliding scales and can be found onthe product page. After some feedback from students, I will also be making a junior expansion pack with more vocabulary cards/ easier categories and more opportunites for queer history and cultural educational development through all the stages of deveolpment! There will be many more updates to share come December, stay tuned for more.
Sending so much love and light towards collective liberation! - 11/13/23
Queer Games blog update #5--- Queer Theology expansion pack is in production!
Things are trucking along in this busy fall. The Queer Theology expansion pack is now in production, the first event this expansion pack will be available for purchase is at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities as part of their Symposium week October 21st! I will be presenting a small demo of the game and talking about how this game is a seed for change and can act as a beacon of hope for social transformation.I will be sharing the original game, Queering Trivia at the church I work at with my youth on National Coming Out Day this Wednesday, October 11th. I was thrilled with how the first Trivia night went last month, we raised $300, 50% of which went to MN Transplant Project, and the rest went directly to the production of this new game.
Stay tuned for opportunities to purchase either game, the release of the next one and the next event in November! If you are interested in hosting a queer trivia event at your venue, please utilize the contact us page and get in touch with me!
Queer Games blog #4---- FIRST TRIVIA NIGHT IS TONIGHT
The first launch event is tonight at Makwa coffee in Roseville, MN. I've got a small batch of 29 games to start with, I would say 30 but I want to be sure to always have one to demonstrate at events with. Hindsight is 20/20, I should have paid more to make one preview deck with 52 cards. I ended up needing to make corrected cards as some printed smaller then I liked but was hard to determine on line until I had them in my hands. Besides needing to replace cards I am pretty happy with how this first batch turned out. portions of the proceeds from tonights event will go to MN Transplant Project, the rest will go to producing more games, such as more copies of this initial game as well as getting the next two games into production. I have set up a venmo account as well as got a square reader to take credit cards as well as cash. For right now the games will be only sold at person to person events until I have more in production to sell online. Stay tuned and wish us luck!- September 16th,2023
Queer games blog #3--- THE FIRST BATCH OF GAME 1 IS IN PRODUCTION!
I am so excited to share that the first game is done with the designing/ editing and has been submitted to production. I only did a small batch order for the first set just in case there was anything I felt should be changed about future decks. games will be in between august 23-29th so please watch for pop-up shop opportunites and partner events where you can pick up or order a game in person and save on shipping costs!
The games were a bit more expensive to produce both at a smaller quantity level and also due to the fact I went with a different website to design them so there is now a sliding "pay what you can scale" for the games. I want to ensure the games are affordable for students but I also wish to be able to put more into producing the games as well as give more back to the community. Stay tuned! August 13th
Queer Games blog #2-- game design update
Hi! If you've perused the website and are wondering where more information is about the games and if production has started, I have an update! All of the cards have been designed for the first game Queering Trivia and are now in the stage that will probably prove to be the bane of my existence-- finetuning to fit within the bleed lines! Each card has to be manulaly uploaded and approved into the game design website and then fine tuned so that you dont miss out on the question or answer of each card. I've gone back and forth on multiple different servers and softwards and I think it is finely zooming along. As soon as each card is uploaded and approved and I have submitted my first order of games I will post a new product arrival estimate for Queering Trivia. Thanks for your patience and support! Tuesday, August 8th
Queer Games blog #1
We did it! We're live. Sort of. If you have stumbled upon this website, welcome! This brain child was a 40 page paper I turned in at the end of my spring semester at United where I was taking Leadership and Strategies for Social Change and Social Enterprise. Since then I have begun my practicum which is essentially-- this. building a website/ brand, designing and producing games, facilitating creative conversations and utilizing the power of play to change minds and save lives. Activism movements tend to be very serious, education tends to sideline the need for the arts and creativity, and all around us psychology continues to tell us the importance of play for the developing brain. Games help facilitate conversations that don't normally happen at the dinner table, help people think creatively and problem solve, teach things that dont happen in the four walls of a classroom, and I am SO excited to finally bring folks along side this adventure. I also hope to find groups to partner with in this adventure, getting conneted to like minded folks, working on policy change and reform and ensuring that across the board LGBTQ students feel seen, supported and safe in their schools, faith intitutions, and homes. Stay tuned for more ramblings and musings, and follow this blog page fore more posts/ updates on game development. June 30,2023