How To Date As A Gamer During Lockdown

With the world going through a pandemic and everything being online, online dating and dating apps are where it's at right now. If you're a single person, you've never had more access to an array of specialised apps and sites to help you find love, find dates or just find a bit of fun.

However if you're new to the dating app game, it's understandable that it might be a bit overwhelming. From finding apps that work for you (for example, apps designed for a specific type of person like dating websites for gamers) to setting up your profile for success, there's a lot to think about when it comes to online dating!

So that said, let's look at 9 different ways to level up your dating app game! Firstly, let's look at how we actually use these apps and what we can do in order to have a more positive and successful experience on dating apps:

Find Dating Apps That Work For YOU

There is an overwhelming amount of online dating apps and dating sites out there. And whilst they might look similar on the surface, they definitely differ. It's important to find dating apps that work for you, not just apps all your friends are using or the most popular ones that you see spoken about on social media.

If you really want success in the online dating game, this is the place to start. Of course you can download and try as many apps as you like and it's good to test them out and do a bit of trial and error to see which ones resonate with you. Perhaps if general sites don’t work, you might consider joining more specialised sites for dating, such as gamer dating sites or dating apps for over 50's.

Differentiate Between Your Wants And Needs

So before you start delving into your dating apps, messaging people and arranging those dates, it's time to think about and differentiate between your wants and your needs for using the dating apps in the first place. Even if you're only using them for a bit of fun and not to necessarily find love or a long-term relationship, it's still helpful to know EXACTLY what you want and what you're not willing to compromise on before you get going.

Be Picky And Choose Carefully

When it comes down to swiping left or right or messaging a potential love-interest, the answers to your above questions will come in very handy. But now is also the time to be picky and choose carefully. Know what you want and be vigilant and wary of any red flags. If someone doesn't seem right for you, they're probably not. And it doesn't matter how hot they are.

So now you know the difference between your wants and needs and you've found some dating apps that work for you, time to set up your profile for the dating site! Let's look at some do's and don'ts of how to set up your online dating account!

Do:

Have a memorable bio

This isn't your LinkedIn profile. So you'll want to write something memorable - as there are so many people on dating sites, it can be incredibly easy for people to blend into the background. And you want to stand out so your bio is a great place to do that. You'll want to show your personality and reflect who you are. Try and inject some humour or passion into your bio - even if your average Friday night consists of watching Netflix with a takeaway!

Be honest about your hobbies and interests

This is where dating apps and dating sites for specialised interests - such as gamer dating - come in handy because you already know the people on the site have similar interests to you. If you are using a specialist site, then get more specific with your interests. If you're using a dating site for gamers, don't say you enjoy gaming because that's obvious. What type of games do you enjoy? What genre of games? How long have you been gaming?

However if you're using a more general dating site then you might want to approach this a little differently. Don't get too specific but do be honest. If you have a hobby or interest that you think people will think is weird, write it down anyway! It'll only make you stand out more.

Make a move

Especially the ladies. The worst they can say is no, right?

Don't:

Take yourself too seriously

Nobody wants to be talking to a dusty old English professor with no personality. So it's important not to take yourself too seriously. Mindset work can come in really helpful here, such as understanding your fear of failure (e.g someone not wanting a date or someone not swiping) and ultimately getting over that fear to allow you to have much more fun!

Only post photos with your friends (but also don’t only post photos of yourself alone because *alarm bells*)

Now when it comes to the photos you choose for your profile, they can really say a lot about you as a person. First of all you'll want to use all available slots for images as that will help your searchability.

For the photos themselves, you don't want to be posting ALL photos with your friends but you also don't want 10 photos of you alone. Each of these could potentially put people off. If you're always with your friends, you might be giving off the wrong impression and it's also harder to identify who you are. If you're always by yourself, it might look like you don't have any friends and that might make people question whether to talk to you if you're always by yourself.

If you do post photos with your friends, make sure it's obvious which one is you!

Pose too much

And finally, don't have 10 photos of yourself posing. Or with Instagram filters. We like natural and real these days. If you always have a filter on your face, nobody really knows what you look like without it. If you're always posing heavily, everyone is only seeing you at your very best. Try having a range of photos to show the different sides of you. Yes, even one of your "not the best" photos!

So those are 9 tips to help you up your dating app game in 2020!