Dating Simulation Games
From LoveToKnow Dating
Dating simulation games can be both fun and educational. Whether just to play around or as a tool to get over "first date" nerves, there's many ways to "score" in the virtual realm.
Types of Dating Simulation Games
The web is full of articles about how to date, but some people enjoy playing games around the idea of finding love. Dating simulation games on the web fill that need, are easy to access, and lack any of the social stigma or embarrassment of losing – one click and the whole situation, no matter how awkward, disappears.
Dating simulation games tend to fall into one of three different categories:
How-To
This first type of dating game is designed to be educational – often trying to teach you how to carry on a conversation, read visual cues, or simply trying to explain the various steps involved in getting to know someone. Usually these games, such as the Speed Dating Game, will show you a caricature of a woman and present you with a selection of possible conversational responses that will either charm your paramour or make her so mad she leaves in a huff. The game also features a "countdown" so that you have to make your decisions quickly – a good primer for real life.
Unfortunately, games like this fall prey to one very large problem of relying on stereotypes, and the odds that they actually resemble anyone you would actually meet are slim.
Another dating game that tries to be educational is the New Seduction game, which is more like an interactive board game, combining questions like "Do you plan to use a condom?" with skill games supposed to teach "techniques" – like planting an icon of a "kiss" on the arm of a woman's silhouette. Delicate skills like this don't really translate well into the world of clicking a mouse, though, and the game is entertaining but mostly unplayable.
Competitive
Of course, dating is primarily supposed to be fun, so there's no wonder that there is a great variety of games that don't try to "teach" any skill as much as present a simulation of the challenges of dating. Generally, characters have "qualities" such as Strength, Knowledge, and Charm, and then given the opportunity to both develop these and then use them to attract and eventually bed the opposite sex.
These games are based on numbers and scores – for example, working will deplete your "health points" but gain you "money" to buy presents for a date. But you have to balance the amount of time you work, lest you look too tired and lose Charm points. This kind of strategizing is especially popular in Japan, where the games are called "romantic simulation games." An example of this is Ganguro Girl, which includes items to acquire, different environments, and both a free and deluxe version.
Character-Driven
Many people fantasize about dates with their favorite characters, especially anime fans. There is a whole genre of dating simulation games that are based around popular Japanese anime shows – such as Naruto and Love Hina. These are very similar to the competitive games listed above, but instead of being in the first-person or with some caricature, they feature the characters from the story in the environment of the cartoon.
More Games Every Day
While these are only a few of the online dating games, there are also entire games for the computer ranging from the puerile "Leisure Suit Larry" to the robust "Sims Dating" (where you can create your own characters and watch them enact their own soap opera). They've become immensely popular, and one of the interesting side effects is that you can actually play a dating game as part of a date – the both of you getting to know each other better through the way you play. Real or simulated, dating is all about interaction.
Learn More
This page has been accessed 1,440 times. This page was last modified 02:56, 3 September 2009.
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