New LGBTQ+ game, the Rainbow Quest! Travel Edition, debuts this month at the two largest North American Toy and Hobby conventions.
A new product in the Rainbow Quest! line of LGBTQ+ games will debut this February at the North American International Toy Fair in New York City, and at the Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) Expo in Louisville, Kentucky. GAMA is the non-profit trade organization dedicated to serving the hobby games industry. Both events are held for industry professionals in the first quarter to showcase the selection of games and toys to be sold for the winter holiday season and are not open to the general public.
- Rainbow Quest!, the surprising tabletop board game that offers family-friendly gaming in a class by itself, is now available in a new Rainbow Quest! Travel Edition. People asked for a more portable version, and we listened! Our classic edition, weighing in at five pounds with all the accessories included, wasn’t conducive to playing at the beach, on road trips, or in airport waiting lounges. Now, we’ve taken all the fun of the original and packed it into a lightweight card game. Play our award-winning game that celebrates the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community and the people you’re with anytime and anywhere you want to enjoy a rollicking good time. Everyone will want to join in. – You don’t have to be gay to play (or win).
About the Game
Rainbow Quest! games, developed by a team of psychologists, educators, and game developers are uniquely designed to broach the hot-button topics of sexual orientation and gender identity, all while enjoying laughter and non-stop excitement. Our game development recognized the importance of using expressive arts to appeal to neurodivergent gamers, and our content aligns with the accepted core curricular subjects of Language, Literature, Communication, Mathematics, Arts, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences.
Gay-Themed, Family-Friendly Game
More than just a great party game, with Rainbow Quest!, families can finally have the conversations they need and want to have, but don’t know where or how to begin. Rainbow Quest! Makes it fun and easy. Imagine the relief it is to have a squeakily-clean and wholesome way so everyone in your family – grandparents, tweens, mom, dad – can appreciate and comprehend what it means to be part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Our tabletop version includes almost 500 thoughtfully designed prompt cards that inspire spirited and rollicking interactions, resulting in priceless, meaningful, and unforgettable moments. It creates that important safe space for families to bond, learn, and grow together. Players appreciate that the rules of the game are easy to learn, so they can begin advancing from a bleak, colorless world to the colorful “Better World for Everyone!” in no time. Whether you own the tabletop board game or the new Rainbow Quest! Travel Edition, you can transform your gaming from mere fun to unforgettable experiences celebrating diversity and acceptance! You’ll see why Donors Choose and PFLAG ( Parents, Family, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) recommend Rainbow Quest! as a must-have activity. Is Rainbow Quest! really wholesome? Yes, and we are proud that we were selected by the NYC Department of Education, the largest in the world, for use in hundreds of their schools. According to the American Psychological Association, being able to discuss one’s sexual orientation with others also increases the availability of social support, which is crucial to mental health and psychological well-being.
Cooperative games like Rainbow Quest! are especially popular among LGBTQ+ gamers, who now make up 20% of all gamers, compared to only 10% in 2020. Rainbow Quest! fills a void in the market by providing gay-themed family-friendly games. This is a significant market given that LGBTQ+ adults in the U.S. have a buying power of $1.4 trillion, and globally, $3.9 trillion (The Pride Co-op Q+ Report 2022 / LGBT Capital 2020), not to mention the additional market share from their families and friends.
Additionally, Rainbow Quest! and similar games can help combat anti-gay stereotypes and prejudice by allowing heterosexuals to experience the perspectives of LGBTQ+ individuals. This transformative gaming experience benefits everyone, as a 2024 national study showed that both LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ gamers value the opportunity to experience different perspectives.
The Healing Power of Play
At Rainbow Quest! we believe in the healing and educational power of play. Consider the following statistics: The US Centers for Disease Control reported that LGBTQ+ students grew from 11% in 2015 to 26% in 2021 — a 227% increase in 8 years. Almost half of these LGBTQ+ youth said they seriously considered committing suicide in the past year, which is three times the national average. Rainbow Quest! offers a pre-emptive, not reactive, resource to combat depression and suicide.
By increasing familiarity with hidden heroes, we can cultivate genuine racial, ethnic, and cultural pride as players learn that people like themselves made significant contributions to better humankind. The academic and social elements of Rainbow Quest! enhance and reinforce the necessity of celebrating diversity among a community of all peoples. Rainbow Quest! believes in the power of play to heal and educate.
The US Centers for Disease Control reported a 227% increase in LGBTQ+ students from 2015 to 2021, and nearly half of these students seriously considered suicide because unflattering – even hateful – public discourse is what they hear on a regular basis. For many people, their time playing Rainbow Quest! Is the only time they ever have genuine and positive discussions of LGBTQ+ people and their stories.
Rainbow Quest! is an effective resource to combat depression and suicide in this community. For that reason, school counselors and therapists in private practices value how easily they can get people to open up and talk about the real issues that impact their lives. By highlighting hidden heroes, Rainbow Quest! fosters racial, ethnic, and cultural pride. When players learn about the significant contributions of people like themselves, they shed feelings of shame, failure, and hopelessness and develop a brighter outlook for their futures.
