Chicagoan David Kimlin launches “Work The Strip” card game
Wed. April 9, 2025 9:13 AM by Ross Forman
work the strip card game
photo credit // provided
In 2004, David Kimlin took a trip to Las Vegas with his mom and younger brother to celebrate his 21st birthday. During that trip, Kimlin collected more than 200 of the infamous Escort Cards from the Las Vegas Strip.
For the next 19 years, Kimlin created a simple matching card game that he played with friends when they were bored from playing other card and board games, and yes, the impromptu card game featured the Escort Cards.
In early-2023, Kimlin was recovering from surgery and, “I could see the silly card game I created poking out from the TV credenza where it was kept safely in a little black box,” he said. “I have always been a creative person; acting in community theater in my teens and I have created many games at work as a fun way to test their knowledge on the job. I’ve managed an entire food service department at a hospital and currently manage a clinical staff of dietitians. I’ve even created my own escape rooms for them as team building exercises.
“I thought creating (an actual) card game was an excellent opportunity to channel my inner creative self, give myself a project, entertain others, and if I get lucky…. turn this into a full-time opportunity.”
Here it is, just released this year: “Work The Strip” – A Card Game Where Escorts Are The Main Attraction.
“I wanted to add some strategy and luck to keep in tune with Vegas. I wanted to create a fun and dramatic game where friends would laugh with each other while hustling, gambling and stealing to be the Top Madam on The Strip,” said Kimlin, who is openly gay, married (to Ernie) and lives in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. “I wanted the game to be simple enough for non-card gamers to be able to play and still offer something for hard gamers. I wanted to respect the escort industry as best I could.”
The objective in “Work The Strip” is players will play the role of a Madam and compete over six rounds (or days) of play. They will sabotage their fellow Madams while trying to build their own escort empire, make the most money, and reign supreme at week’s end.
The game is equal parts strategy and luck. “In six short rounds, you will experience the thrills and drama like having a night out in Vegas,” Kimlin said. “Some nights you come out winning, other nights are filled with loss, regret and ‘What just happened?’”
Kimlin, 45, the owner of DNKG, LLC, started developing the game in April 2023, with assistance from his husband and two friends from Chicago’s LGBT community. They spent six months developing the game, holding focus groups and fine-tuning the mechanics of the game before he officially got his LLC in October 2023.
“Once I got my LLC, we turned our focus (into) hiring a copyrighter and graphic designer for the game,” Kimlin said. “I had 45 candidates apply to be graphic designer and the hiring process was grueling; (it) took a month to find the right person as the visuals are what sets this game apart from many other card games. Nailing the visuals was so important. Not only do they tell the story of the escorts, but they are essential for matching and counting the cards. With a limited landscape of a poker-size card, hiring a professional graphic designer who could make the most of the space was essential. As luck would have it, I found a graphic designer who had previous experience as a photographer.”
The deck is made up of 108 cards with 60 unique images (48 are matching cards). “My collaborators made a mood board where we put all our creative ideas out there and the graphic designer and I spent substantial time dissecting that mood board. We refined the look on five distinct cards before creating the entire deck,” he said.
The game development was finalized in late September 2024 and Kimlin chose a printing company, then received his sample games in the first week of November. “I was impressed with their work and immediately ordered 2,000 copies, which finally arrived February 21, 2025,” Kimlin said.
His short-term goal is the sell all 2,000, then order another 5,000, and work on expansion packs and spin offs, including an edition with male escorts.
Long-term, Kimlin wants to collaborate with other businesses and celebrities and bring “Work The Strip” to other forms of media.
“Personally, (this game is a) challenge to me creatively. Professionally, this is more of a love-letter to the adult entertainment industry. They work hard and make the work seem effortless. I’d like more light to shine on them and reinforce that sex work is real work.”
Kimlin admitted, a card game about escorts has the potential to be a hot-button topic. “Not all sex work is consensual and human trafficking exists; I do not condone that behavior. I’m simply making a game about escorts. It’s no different than something that you’d find streaming on TV that covers other hot button topics; think about Breaking Bad, The Ozarks, Hustlers, and much more.
“It also was challenging to produce a card game that has nudity. The card game does include some R-Rated nudity (nothing explicit), and I thought it was essential to the game. During this process, I’ve learned to collaborate but also stand firm on some things. This one was of those things I stood firm on. I had a lot of people tell me the game would be more marketable without the nudity, but honestly, I find that to be more of a tease. It’s like who wants to see a horror movie without anyone getting killed or an action movie with no car chase scene? Many printing companies did not want to work with me because of the nudity. However, I will say that I think ‘card games’ might be one of the last forms of media not saturated with nudity. Adult magazines and movies have been around for ages, and even mainstream movies and television frequently have included nudity.”
“Work The Strip” has 108 cards, and 23 of those cards contain some sort of nudity.
Inclusivity is an essential element of the game, he said. “Our team spent a lot of time ensuring that we were including visuals that celebrated body diversity, ethnic diversity, queer, trans, non-binary and gender-neutral escorts,” Kimlin said. “It’s been interesting watching people’s reactions to cards. My answer is: ‘Of course, all the escorts are attractive … they’re escorts. Some see the diversity, some crush on some of the cards, some see the unattainable, but at the end, those people who enjoy the game the best will look beyond the visuals and enjoy the strategy, luck and thrills the game provides.”
The game has been a hit so far on college campuses, and during card game nights.
“(The game is a) nice alternative to going out at the bars,” Kimlin said. “This game gives us a chance to get away, relax our minds and laugh with our friends in a comfortable setting while enjoying some eye-candy.”
To purchase Work The Strip, go to www.workthestrip.com.
Kimlin will appear this weekend at EXXXOTICA, set for April 11-13 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. EXXXOTICA is the largest adult event in the U.S., dedicated to love and sex. EXXXOTICA was created for like-minded adults who are looking to discover their adventurous side.
For the next 19 years, Kimlin created a simple matching card game that he played with friends when they were bored from playing other card and board games, and yes, the impromptu card game featured the Escort Cards.
In early-2023, Kimlin was recovering from surgery and, “I could see the silly card game I created poking out from the TV credenza where it was kept safely in a little black box,” he said. “I have always been a creative person; acting in community theater in my teens and I have created many games at work as a fun way to test their knowledge on the job. I’ve managed an entire food service department at a hospital and currently manage a clinical staff of dietitians. I’ve even created my own escape rooms for them as team building exercises.
“I thought creating (an actual) card game was an excellent opportunity to channel my inner creative self, give myself a project, entertain others, and if I get lucky…. turn this into a full-time opportunity.”
Here it is, just released this year: “Work The Strip” – A Card Game Where Escorts Are The Main Attraction.
“I wanted to add some strategy and luck to keep in tune with Vegas. I wanted to create a fun and dramatic game where friends would laugh with each other while hustling, gambling and stealing to be the Top Madam on The Strip,” said Kimlin, who is openly gay, married (to Ernie) and lives in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. “I wanted the game to be simple enough for non-card gamers to be able to play and still offer something for hard gamers. I wanted to respect the escort industry as best I could.”
The objective in “Work The Strip” is players will play the role of a Madam and compete over six rounds (or days) of play. They will sabotage their fellow Madams while trying to build their own escort empire, make the most money, and reign supreme at week’s end.
The game is equal parts strategy and luck. “In six short rounds, you will experience the thrills and drama like having a night out in Vegas,” Kimlin said. “Some nights you come out winning, other nights are filled with loss, regret and ‘What just happened?’”
Kimlin, 45, the owner of DNKG, LLC, started developing the game in April 2023, with assistance from his husband and two friends from Chicago’s LGBT community. They spent six months developing the game, holding focus groups and fine-tuning the mechanics of the game before he officially got his LLC in October 2023.
“Once I got my LLC, we turned our focus (into) hiring a copyrighter and graphic designer for the game,” Kimlin said. “I had 45 candidates apply to be graphic designer and the hiring process was grueling; (it) took a month to find the right person as the visuals are what sets this game apart from many other card games. Nailing the visuals was so important. Not only do they tell the story of the escorts, but they are essential for matching and counting the cards. With a limited landscape of a poker-size card, hiring a professional graphic designer who could make the most of the space was essential. As luck would have it, I found a graphic designer who had previous experience as a photographer.”
The deck is made up of 108 cards with 60 unique images (48 are matching cards). “My collaborators made a mood board where we put all our creative ideas out there and the graphic designer and I spent substantial time dissecting that mood board. We refined the look on five distinct cards before creating the entire deck,” he said.
The game development was finalized in late September 2024 and Kimlin chose a printing company, then received his sample games in the first week of November. “I was impressed with their work and immediately ordered 2,000 copies, which finally arrived February 21, 2025,” Kimlin said.
His short-term goal is the sell all 2,000, then order another 5,000, and work on expansion packs and spin offs, including an edition with male escorts.
Long-term, Kimlin wants to collaborate with other businesses and celebrities and bring “Work The Strip” to other forms of media.
“Personally, (this game is a) challenge to me creatively. Professionally, this is more of a love-letter to the adult entertainment industry. They work hard and make the work seem effortless. I’d like more light to shine on them and reinforce that sex work is real work.”
Kimlin admitted, a card game about escorts has the potential to be a hot-button topic. “Not all sex work is consensual and human trafficking exists; I do not condone that behavior. I’m simply making a game about escorts. It’s no different than something that you’d find streaming on TV that covers other hot button topics; think about Breaking Bad, The Ozarks, Hustlers, and much more.
“It also was challenging to produce a card game that has nudity. The card game does include some R-Rated nudity (nothing explicit), and I thought it was essential to the game. During this process, I’ve learned to collaborate but also stand firm on some things. This one was of those things I stood firm on. I had a lot of people tell me the game would be more marketable without the nudity, but honestly, I find that to be more of a tease. It’s like who wants to see a horror movie without anyone getting killed or an action movie with no car chase scene? Many printing companies did not want to work with me because of the nudity. However, I will say that I think ‘card games’ might be one of the last forms of media not saturated with nudity. Adult magazines and movies have been around for ages, and even mainstream movies and television frequently have included nudity.”
“Work The Strip” has 108 cards, and 23 of those cards contain some sort of nudity.
Inclusivity is an essential element of the game, he said. “Our team spent a lot of time ensuring that we were including visuals that celebrated body diversity, ethnic diversity, queer, trans, non-binary and gender-neutral escorts,” Kimlin said. “It’s been interesting watching people’s reactions to cards. My answer is: ‘Of course, all the escorts are attractive … they’re escorts. Some see the diversity, some crush on some of the cards, some see the unattainable, but at the end, those people who enjoy the game the best will look beyond the visuals and enjoy the strategy, luck and thrills the game provides.”
The game has been a hit so far on college campuses, and during card game nights.
“(The game is a) nice alternative to going out at the bars,” Kimlin said. “This game gives us a chance to get away, relax our minds and laugh with our friends in a comfortable setting while enjoying some eye-candy.”
To purchase Work The Strip, go to www.workthestrip.com.
Kimlin will appear this weekend at EXXXOTICA, set for April 11-13 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. EXXXOTICA is the largest adult event in the U.S., dedicated to love and sex. EXXXOTICA was created for like-minded adults who are looking to discover their adventurous side.