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If the thought of dating makes you anxious and all you’d rather do at night is stay home and play video games, we’ve got the app for you. Date Like Goblins, a new dating platform that debuted on Kickstarter this week and is set to launch later this year, invites you to go on dates that take place entirely within your favorite video games. You play a few rounds of Fortnite either Final Fantasy with your date, while you voice chat and get to know each other. It’s adorable!
Date Like Goblins is one of many dating platforms specializing in niche interests. There are apps for farmers, Christians, music band fans, rope lovers… you name it. These smaller, more personalized communities can be seen as an antidote to the fatigue caused by the alienating, over-monetized experience of big dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge.
This week, we’re joined by WIRED staff writer Amanda Hoover to talk about Date Like Goblins and other apps that have learned the cheat code for online romance.
Show notes
Read Amanda’s story on Date Like Goblins. Read Lauren Goode’s story on the “Date Me” documentaries. Read Jason Parham’s story on boomers on apps. Read all of our dating coverage.
recommendations
Amanda recommends doing Coconut Butter Bars for your next summer potluck. Lauren recommends recent episode of The newspaper of The New York Times with Taffy Brodesser-Akner telling the story of her new book. Michael recommends Trickster: The Many Lives of Carlos Castanedaa podcast about the wild and dark history of the famous author and leading figure of the counterculture.
You can find Amanda Hoover on social media @by amandahooverLauren Goode is on @Lauren Goode. Michael Calore is at @snack fight. Bling the main hotline at @Device LabThe show is produced by Boone Ashworth (@Boone Ashworth). Our theme music is from Solar keys.
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