Websites for dating add games, woo users
Source: Agencies |
May 24, 2012, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
NEARLY two decades since the start of online dating, the match-making sites that launched millions of relationships are spicing things up with online games and going high tech and offline as well to produce more happy ever afters.
Games, apps and offline events are beginning to replace the ritual exchange of online messages, the basic tenet of online dating, and to blur the distinction between on-and-offline dating.
Match.com, which boasts more than 1.7 million paid subscribers, has taken cues from the US$74 billion global video gaming industry by creating short dual-player games to help people express themselves better online.
A game called Food Critic prompts members to answer food-related questions, while Romance Rip-Off is designed for two players to create a love story together. During the game, players can instant message each other to discuss answers, which Match.com says promotes a more natural way of interacting.
More than 40 percent of online daters, nearly 7 million adults, have dated people they met online, and 17 percent of them entered a long-term relationship or married their online partner, according to 2006 report by the Pew Research Center.
Brian Schechter, co-founder and co-CEO of HowABoutWe, said his company has been going offline to play Cupid since it started in 2010.
Members of HowAboutWe post the type of dates they would like, such as a hike or a bike ride, and others respond. Schechter said nearly one million dates have been posted to HowAboutWe.
Games, apps and offline events are beginning to replace the ritual exchange of online messages, the basic tenet of online dating, and to blur the distinction between on-and-offline dating.
Match.com, which boasts more than 1.7 million paid subscribers, has taken cues from the US$74 billion global video gaming industry by creating short dual-player games to help people express themselves better online.
A game called Food Critic prompts members to answer food-related questions, while Romance Rip-Off is designed for two players to create a love story together. During the game, players can instant message each other to discuss answers, which Match.com says promotes a more natural way of interacting.
More than 40 percent of online daters, nearly 7 million adults, have dated people they met online, and 17 percent of them entered a long-term relationship or married their online partner, according to 2006 report by the Pew Research Center.
Brian Schechter, co-founder and co-CEO of HowABoutWe, said his company has been going offline to play Cupid since it started in 2010.
Members of HowAboutWe post the type of dates they would like, such as a hike or a bike ride, and others respond. Schechter said nearly one million dates have been posted to HowAboutWe.
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