Kinder World featured by Apple for WorldPride
On Wednesday, Lumi Interactive’s house plant-based game Kinder World was spotlighted on the Apple Store as part of the company’s celebrations for WorldPride due to the game’s resonance with LGBTQ+ players. It joins the likes of the Pride at Play in showcasing LGBTQ+ games during Sydney WorldPride.
Kinder World tasks players with taking care of a houseplant, which needs to be watered twice a day. Keeping up with the plant’s watering needs keeps it happy and smiling, and unlocks other rooms in the house that you can then decorate. Players can also participate in “kindness activities,” which involve interacting with other players in kind ways, like sending words of encouragement. The game also features characters with diverse identities (though they are animals) and Pride decorations for the rooms you unlock.
WorldPride is an an event thrown every two to three years that cities compete to host. This year’s festival will take place in Sydney, Australia, and runs from February 17 – March 5. It is a non-profit festival that aims to celebrate LGBTQ+ folks and advocate for their rights globally. As Lumi Interactive is a Melbourne-based team, they are relatively local to the festivities and were thus highlighted by Apple.
Lumi Interactive co-founders Lauren Clinnick and Christina Chen created Kinder World during the pandemic when they realized there was a gap in the market for cozy mobile games with a focus on mental health. Folks in the LGBTQ+ community were some of the first to really come on board as part of the game’s audience.
“Many people have taken a lot of damage over the pandemic,” Clinnick told Apple. “And a lot of us in the queer community are really open about struggling and the need for mental-health resources.”
“For the queer community, a lot of us fantasize about feeling safe, or just having a moment of peace. So a lot of those values are reflected in the game. Plus, we’re all so into houseplants!”
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