Dating Apps Are Using Roleplaying Games to Fix Your Rizz
Attached to the post, titled 'Sometimes, texting on dating apps feelings (sic) like hitting your head against a brick wall,' is a screenshot of a bone-dry Tinder conversation between himself and one of his matches, in which Raines' curiosity is met with short, dead-ended answers.
'The vast majority of my online dating interactions have been like that,' says Raines, 25, a gay man living in the UK who asked to use a pseudonym to protect his privacy.
Many users in the thread echoed his sentiment and offered explanations or theories as to why conversations on dating apps are often unsatisfying. 'I see I'm not the only one getting that type of energy lol,' one wrote, as another noted, 'It sucks, and if people swiped more mindfully this wouldn't happen, but a lot of guys are so beaten down by the dating app experience they feel like they don't have any other choice and want whatever validation they can get.'
People are sick of dating apps; chatting feels like a chore, most conversations lead nowhere, and the novelty of swiping has worn off. Attempts to identify the apps' critical flaws and theorize about how the profit incentive has run the user experience into the ground have proliferated over the past few years: desirable potential matches are locked behind paywalls, matches and likes are limited. But some of the most ubiquitous dating apps seem to be suggesting the problem may not be solved with better UX, algorithms, or paywalls—but by users learning how to actually talk to people.
Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, and Grindr are all rolling out features aimed at helping people court romantic partners and banter more successfully, suggesting an industry-wide reckoning with young users' lack of dating experience.
'We can't solve for the fact that human interactions can be stressful or people may be apprehensive about them at times, but we can help make it more fun and we can help you prepare,' Hillary Paine, Tinder's VP of product growth and revenue, tells WIRED.
A study from The Survey Center on American Life found that only 56 percent of Gen Z adults said they were involved in a romantic relationship as teenagers, compared to 78 percent of baby boomers and 76 percent of gen Xers. In a 2024 report, Hinge found that its Gen Z users in particular struggle in dating, and many of them attribute their unease in dating to the pandemic: they were 47 percent more likely than millennial users to say the pandemic made them nervous talking to new people, and 25 percent more likely to say it lowered their confidence on a first date.
In March, Tinder partnered with OpenAI to launch 'The Game Game,' which drops users into hyperspecific scenarios that have the potential to become flirtatious. An AI-generated voice begins flirting with you and you—the user—are prompted to respond back via your own voice.
I'm given the following scenario: I'm at a friend's housewarming party and accidentally break a vase that turns out was a gift for the host brought by 35-year-old Caleb, a financial analyst from Annapolis, Maryland. 'How will you handle this?' the screen reads. After responding to Caleb—a very eager robot with a deep voice who called me 'hon' in nearly every sentence—with one-word answers that indicated my discomfort with seducing a computer, Tinder suggests that I 'engage more in shared interests,' 'provide more details about your hobbies,' and 'show enthusiasm in the conversation.'
Announcement of the game was met with scorn by some social media users.
'This is the saddest thing I've ever seen,' one person posted on X, while another said, 'I already know I don't have game. I don't need ai to confirm it for me.'
'This was really meant to be sort of fun and campy,' says Paine, describing the prompts presented as 'intentionally over the top rom-com scenarios.' According to Paine, internal research that informed this new feature indicated that one in four young daters said they lacked confidence in their flirting skills. 'We built it as a way to give users a fun, safe playground to practice flirting so that they could go into real life connections and scenarios with more confidence.' The Game Game is targeting daters between the ages of 18 and 22, not only because of their shortcomings in dating, but because they expressed a willingness to allow AI into their dating experience, she says.
Raines says he's 'not hopeful' that a bot's language models 'are robust and realistic enough to properly simulate, or 'teach', online flirting.'
While flirtations between humans and chatbots are becoming increasingly controversial, Tinder is framing its use of interactive AI as an aid to, rather than a force in conflict with, real-life dating. Tinder will analyze how its members use the feature to determine the future of voice-to-voice interactions on the app.
AI is 'a really big part of Tinder's roadmap,' Paine says.
Tinder is not alone in that. Grindr has been testing a beta version of an AI wingman that can craft witty messages for users; the app is partnering with Amazon and Anthropic to for wingman's A-list features, which will be able to prioritize past connections and summarize conversations, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.
Real life dating experts are also addressing their clients' lack of rizz—and anxieties around talking to strangers.
'Men really hate the apps right now and they're wanting to do a more in-person approach, but it's really scary because people don't know what to say,' says Emyli Lovz, who runs a dating and relationship coaching business. Her company offers not only human-to-human conversation practice, but full-fledged mock dates to help improve clients' skills in conversation, flirting, and sexual escalation.
She attributes the phenomenon to the fallout of COVID-related social isolation but says some of her male clients also express a fear of coming off as 'creepy.'
'I know the guys in my community love being able to practice their conversation skills in a judgment free environment where someone's just going to give them feedback.'
Flirting via the apps, on the other hand, poses an entirely new challenge: making your pickup line stand out among a sea of generic introductions.
'Everybody wants to say 'Hi, hey, what's up, cutie?' It becomes totally meaningless, even though that's what you could say in person easily,' Lovz tells WIRED. 'It doesn't work on the apps because there are so many people on them that if you get that message a million times as a woman, you're like, 'Please don't ever send me that message again.' So there's a lot of coaching that could happen around the messages.'
According to Hinge, part of Gen Z's hesitancy in flirting with new people comes from a fear of coming off as 'cringey' or 'overeager.' But the app's Love and Connections expert Ari Brown recommends younger users 'embrace Cringe Mode' by 'doing something that requires vulnerability or risking rejection.'
In March, as part of its 'One More Hour' campaign which encourages members of Gen Z to engage in more in-person interactions, Hinge released its guide to building connections, a step-by-step guide to starting and escalating both romantic and nonromantic relationships, which includes fill-in-the-blank suggestions to help users build momentum after meeting someone in person: 'Hey friend! It was great meeting you at (social group). You mentioned that you like (insert activity). I love that too. Want to go together this weekend?,' reads one prompt.
Bumble's Instant Match, meanwhile, claims it eliminates the need for 'awkward exchanges,' by allowing users to match with one another by scanning users' QR codes out in the wild. The feature, which the app says is primarily intended to serve attendees of Bumble's 'IRL' events, lets users skip the banter typical of a meet-cute by providing the two participants with a list of their shared interests, theoretically helping them more efficiently determine their compatibility. While Instant Match seems to tacitly acknowledge that Bumble's users struggle with small talk, it's not clear how it would help them improve on that front.
As apps like Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, and Grindr realize that a userbase of socially inept daters is making them look bad, a larger push to catch younger daters up on basic conversational skills (or eliminate the need for them) might be inevitable. But whether the tools on offer are actually useful remains to be seen.
In the two years since his Reddit post seeking advice, Raines says he hasn't met up with anyone from the apps. Though he still struggles to converse with potential mates online, he's not convinced AI-based features in particular offer a long-term solution.
'There is perhaps a benefit in helping people who are unsuccessful feel less alone, maybe? Boosting their confidence? But in improving the dating app experience in any marked way? No.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Android Authority
5 hours ago
- Android Authority
Nest Aware is getting pricier, but users says the service isn't keeping up
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority TL;DR Nest Aware users are unhappy about rising prices despite worsening service quality. Users are bringing up issues with broken video history playback, unreliable familiar face detection, and more. Many are switching to alternatives like Ubiquiti or Reolink that offer better reliability and local control without subscription fees. Google recently increased the prices of its Nest Aware and Nest Aware Plus subscriptions, but many users say the service isn't improving to match the higher cost. The standard Nest Aware plan has gone from $8 per month ($80 per year) to $10 per month ($100 per year), while Nest Aware Plus has jumped from $15 per month ($150 per year) to $20 per month ($200 per year). While price increases are very common in tech subscriptions, this one has struck a nerve. Users are frustrated that they're now paying more for a service they feel is becoming less reliable. Just yesterday, we covered growing complaints about the declining performance of Google's smart speakers and hubs. It's clear that Nest camera users are facing similar frustrations, especially judging by reactions in this Reddit thread. How do you feel about the Nest Aware price hike and current service quality? 0 votes I'm fine with the new prices. Nest cameras and Nest Aware still work well for me. NaN % I'm annoyed by the price hike, but I'll stick with Nest cameras and Nest Aware for now. NaN % I'm actively looking for alternatives like Ubiquiti or Reolink. NaN % I've already canceled or plan to cancel Nest Aware soon. NaN % In the r/googlehome community, long-time Nest users are voicing their frustration about Nest Aware features not working despite rising prices. A popular thread titled 'Please explain to me why you're raising my prices when 90% of the time this is what I get when I try to look at the history?' has sparked a chain of comments highlighting the ongoing service problems. One of the biggest complaints is that Nest Aware's video history feature, a major selling point of the subscription, has become very unreliable. Users frequently see 'couldn't load video' errors when trying to review footage. 'It's so bad. It can never load videos. The only supposed improvement since last time they raised prices is the AI stuff, and I still don't have access to it even though I've been in the Public Preview for months,' a user commented in the Reddit thread. Some users are also reporting problems with Google's familiar face detection feature. Nest cameras apparently misidentify people, showing alerts for individuals who haven't been near the house in years, or simply failing to detect anyone. 'The detection used to be good. Now it can't seem to tell who is who anymore. My house constantly has people that I haven't even spoken to in years walking around,' said a user. While Google's Nest services have received several new features, including Gemini smarts, in the recent past, many users say they haven't noticed meaningful improvements, especially to the Nest Aware service. Instead, there's a general feeling that the platform is stagnating and neglected. Rita El Khoury / Android Authority Many Nest camera users are looking elsewhere for their security camera needs. Brands like Ubiquiti, with its UniFi Protect surveillance system, and Reolink are gaining traction among former Nest customers. People are praising these Nest cam alternatives for their reliability and freedom from recurring subscription fees. Ubiquiti users especially appreciate the integration with Home Assistant, allowing for greater customization and privacy control. One such user who switched to Ubiquiti said, 'I didn't even bother to sell my Nest cameras. I just gave them away for free. I moved over to Ubiquiti Protect cameras. They are 100% reliable and 100% less headaches. Now I'm almost all on Home Assistant.' Meanwhile, some users who aren't ready to leave just yet say they are preparing to cancel their Nest Aware subscriptions before the next renewal cycle. How has your experience been with Nest Aware and Nest cameras in general? Take our poll and let us know in the comments section. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Buzz Feed
6 hours ago
- Buzz Feed
9 Celebrities Who Died In Strange, Mysterious Ways
It's always been fascinating to me how, as a celebrity or public figure, you can live your whole life under the microscope of for your death to be shrouded in mystery, and — in some cases — still unsolved decades later. Or, like others, you become famous because of your death, only reaching the goal of celebrity when you're no longer able to bask in it. Recently, I came across a thread on Reddit where u/the_last_lemurian asked people to share celebrity deaths that were so mysterious, people spent literal hours thinking about them. Based on their suggestions, I spent hours going down rabbit holes myself, summarizing these cases of strange, mysterious, or unsolved celebrity deaths that I, too, cannot get out of my head now. Here are nine of the strangest, most fascinating, and most-suggested celebrity deaths they shared: George Reeves (1914–1959). Reeves, best known for playing the titular character in Adventures of Superman, died on June 16 from a gunshot wound to the head. Officially, it was ruled as a suicide, but in conjunction with a lack of evidence, suspicious circumstances, and contradictory witness reports, his friend Rory Calhoun reportedly said, "No one in Hollywood believed the suicide story." On the night of his death, Reeves and his fiancé, Leonore Lemmon, had been out drinking, and Reeves went to bed as Lemmon invited friends over. Reeves was said to have come downstairs to ask the group to quiet down, and as he left, Lemmon reportedly joked that he was "going upstairs to shoot himself." The group heard a noise coming from upstairs but didn't immediately check it. Here is where the inconsistencies begin. Despite the apparent suicide, no fingerprints — not even Reeves's — were found on the gun, and Reeves didn't have gunpowder on his hands. Additionally, Lemmon and her friends only reported hearing one bang, but there were three bullets found at the scene, as well as a casing whose placement wasn't consistent with a suicide. Pictured: Lenore Lemmon (left) Despite the ruling, three main theories came to be: that Reeves was depressed about a lack of roles post-Superman and killed himself, that it was a drunken accident and Lemmon killed him, and that it was a planned murder in relation to an affair he had reportedly had with actor Toni Mannix. "The fact that he played such a beloved character like Superman but was found dead under such mysterious circumstances makes you wonder if it really was a suicide or if it was something more sinister. Like, imagine if tomorrow they found Chris Evans dead by a gun that doesn't have his fingerprints on it, with no gunshot residue on his hands, and it's just ruled a suicide? That would be wild."—sun4restYou can read more about his death here. Natalie Wood (1938–1981). On Nov. 30, 1981, Wood's body was found off the coast of Santa Catalina Island, where she'd been vacationing with her husband, Robert Wagner, her Brainstorm costar Christopher Walken, and friend/captain, Dennis Davern, on a yacht. The West Side Story actor — who was said to be "famously terrified of dark water," was found floating about 200m away from a motorized dinghy in the early hours of the morning. Initially, reports assumed the death was accidental; however, the story got much more complicated over the years as stories and timelines changed with new information. Per Wagner's memoir, Pieces of My Heart, he claims he, Wood, and Walken returned to the boat that night at around 10 after wining and dining on land. Witnesses said the trio was visibly intoxicated. Back on the boat, Davern said Wagner smashed a bottle in front of Wood and Walken "out of the clear blue," asking, "What are you tryin' to do, f--- my wife?" The Rebel Without a Cause actor reportedly left and went to her room, with her husband following, where they began arguing. Davern claimed it sounded as though it could be physical, and said they continued out on the back of the boat. This information came years after Wood's death. Davern shared this with investigators in 2011, which reopened the case and brought Wagner back into question. In 2012, her cause of death was amended from accidental drowning to "drowning and other undetermined factors." Nonetheless, after years of additional investigation, Wagner was cleared, and the case was left open and unsolved. Pictured: Wagner (left) and Wood (right)Suggested by: Toxicity246"Christopher Walken KNOWS SOMETHING."—Longjumping-Ant-77"[The boat] was around 60 feet, and on a boat that size, you can hear everything that is going on. A huge fight would have been heard, as would have the sudden silence of the fight ending. Robert's actions seem very suspicious. But we will never know, unless Christopher talks, which he won't."—NoneThere's so much information and speculation around this case that it truly could be its own article and is by no means all covered in this brief summary. If you'd like to read more about it, you can start here and here. Brittany Murphy (1977–2009). On Dec. 20, 2009, the 32-year-old Uptown Girls star collapsed on her bathroom floor and just hours later, was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in LA. Her coroner's report later showed pneumonia as her cause of death, and listed anemia and multiple drug intoxication as "contributing factors." Following her death, both her mother and her husband, Simon Monjack, made a rather strange appearance together on Larry King Live. Further, Murphy had lived with the two of them while she was alive, and they continued to live together in her home after her death. This, fueled by Monjack's criminal history and track record of abusive behavior toward his exes, created tons of conspiracy theories around what actually happened to the Clueless star. A majority of theories surrounding her death center around some kind of poisoning, be it accidentally from mold or intentionally by her mother or husband (often suggested to be linked to a desire for Murphy's wealth or an alleged affair between the two). Theories only grew wilder when, less than six months after Murphy's death, her husband died of the same causes. Suggested by: bluntbiz and Dougalface. You can read more about her death here. Michael Rockefeller (1938-????). At 23 years old, Rockefeller disappeared while traveling to Dutch New Guinea (now West Papua). The son of the then-New York City governor had been traveling for seven months already when his boat capsized, sending him and his travel companion René Wassing into the Betsj River. While two others they traveled with — who were native to the region and familiar with the hostility of the river — made it to shore to find aid, Rockefeller and Wassing stayed atop the overturned boat. Rockefeller was reportedly worried they would float into the open ocean with even less of a chance of survival, so he attached a make-shift flotation device to his belt and jumped in. The swim to shore was estimated to be somewhere between three and ten miles. Wassing stayed behind and was rescued the following morning by search parties. Two weeks' worth of search parties scoured the region, though he was never found, dead or alive. Pictured: Wassing This disappearance, of course, created a breeding ground for theories as to how specifically he met his demise. Some are simple and straightforward, like drowning. Others suggest Rockefeller abandoned society and joined the Asmat tribe that called the region home, claiming to have photographic evidence of a white man amongst them. Others, however, believe Rockefeller sought help from the Otsjanep (a subgroup of the Asmats) when he reached land and was ultimately killed and eaten by them. You can read more about his disappearance by: laufsteakmodel Elizabeth Short (1924–1947). Also posthumously known as "The Black Dahlia," Short was a 22-year-old aspiring actress when her body was found on a "barely developed" Los Angeles street, naked, bloodless, sliced in half, and positioned like a mannequin. Per BBC, "she had been mutilated, her intestines removed, and her mouth slashed from ear to ear." Her case, unfortunately, remains unsolved to this day. There are tons of theories involving Short's death, which range greatly due to the sheer lack of information. The FBI speculates that her killer might've worked in or studied medicine, given the precision of her dissection, and students at USC Medical School at the time were looked into. For similar reasons, they also could've been a butcher, though neither lane led them anywhere in the end. In what they hoped would be a breakthrough, investigators got an anonymous letter from the potential murderer with fingerprints on it, though they weren't a match to any in their database at the time. Suggested by: robj57You can read more about her murder here. Elliott Smith (1969–2003). On Oct. 21, 2003, Smith and his girlfriend, Jennifer Chiba, were fighting in their LA apartment when he threatened to kill himself. This wasn't something out of the blue for Smith, and so Chiba reportedly locked herself in the bathroom in the heat of their she heard a scream. She unlocked the door to find a kitchen knife lodged in his chest, stabbing him right in the heart. He died just 20 minutes after arriving at the hospital. While an apparent suicide note reading "I'm sorry, love, Elliott. God forgive me." was found on a sticky note, Smith's death was still considered suspicious for many reasons, and investigators struggled with whether to rule it a suicide or a murder. First and foremost, a stab to the heart is one of the rarest and most painful ways to commit suicide, though that didn't make it impossible for him to have done so. What was unusual, however, was that Smith had no "hesitation wounds," or initial, shallower cuts typically inflicted before the final wound, and had small, potential self-defense wounds. Further, Chiba had reportedly removed the knife from his body and, though she personally denied this, it was reported that she refused to speak to detectives initially. While some may blame his suicide on his drug addiction or depression, Smith was reportedly doing well in the time leading up to his death and had been clean. No substances aside from his prescribed medications for depression and ADHD were found in his system at the time of his death. That's not to say his lifelong depression — which, along with his addiction, were often topics of his music — couldn't have played a major role in his potential some friends and colleagues of Smith claimed that his relationship with Chiba was nowhere near as peaceful as others had made it out to be, reporting constant fighting, breaking up, and tense feelings between the two (and Chiba's band) as collaborators. Others, however, countless theories, as of 2003 the case remains open with the by Zukez, interprime, and obi-sean. You can read more about it here. Anton Yelchin (1989–2016). The Star Trek actor died in June of 2016 in a freak accident in which he was pinned between his fence and mailbox on his Los Angeles property by his 2015 Jeep Cherokee. The car had been recalled just months earlier for having confusing gear shifters that had, on more than one occasion, caused the vehicle to roll off. This, too, was believed to have been the cause of his death. Per the lawsuit, he "was crushed and lingered alive for some time, trapped and suffocating until his death." Suggested by: DaveDavidsen. You can read more about his death here. Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962). The 36-year-old Hollywood icon's death in August of 1962 is shrouded in mystery and conspiracy, even all these decades later. This, of course, includes the events leading up to her death. Per a 1962 Los Angeles Times article, the Gentlemen Prefer Blondes star's psychiatrist broke into her room at 3:30 in the morning and found her naked, facedown, and "clutching a telephone receiver" in bed. She had reportedly already been dead for somewhere between six to eight hours due to an "apparent overdose of sleeping pills," and investigators were uncertain whether it was accidental or a suicide. A second timeline of events was proposed in the documentary The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes, based on "hundreds of interviews," aimed to get to the bottom of inconsistencies in the original story. It suggested that — per the word of several paramedics and the wife of Monroe's PR manager — it was actually known that Monroe was unwell hours earlier (10:30 p.m. the night before), and that she was taken in the ambulance alive and died on the way to the hospital. Regardless, the reason for her death — and whether it was accidental, a suicide, or a staged homicide — remains a mystery. There are probably hundreds of conspiracy theories surrounding the nature of it all, from her romantic entanglements with JFK and Robert Kennedy to CIA involvement over fear of her harboring Communist connections. "She had been sleeping with some very elite people, who knew some very elite information."—prettyvoidofevilYou can read more about her death here, as well as the aforementioned documentary here. And finally, Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849). On the 27th of September, Poe left Richmond, Virginia, for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for an editing job. never made it there. Nor was he seen in New York, where he lived. He wasn't found at all, in fact, for almost a week. When the legendary author did turn up once again, he was in Baltimore, Maryland. It was Oct. 3, four days before his death. Poe was found lying in the gutter of Gunner's Hall tavern, delirious, disheveled, and dressed in someone else's clothing. His friends assumed him to be drunk, so he was sent to Washington College Hospital to recover. While there, he drifted in and out of consciousness, covered in sweat and talking to seemingly imaginary things nobody else could see. He was unable to adequately answer the physician's questions and was reported to have repeatedly asked for someone by the name of "Reynolds" on his final day in the hospital. To this day, no one knows who "Reynolds" is. There are loads of theories as to what exactly happened to the Tell-Tale Heart author, from suspicions of carbon monoxide poisoning to rabies. One of the most popular theories, though, is that Poe was "cooped." Cooping was a method 19th-century gangs would use to rig elections by kidnapping people, disguising them, forcing them to vote for their preferred candidate, then "rewarding" them with alcohol, as this occurred during Prohibition. Poe was found on Election Day, and the tavern had been a polling site. He ultimately passed away at the hospital on Oct. 7. While the theory definitely carries its weight, unfortunately, we will likely never know for certain what happened to Poe that by: Rigistroni and Blametheorangejuice. You can read more about Poe's death here. Do you love all things scary, dark, and creepy? Subscribe to the That Got Dark newsletter to get your weekly dopamine fix of the macabre delivered RIGHT to your inbox!
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Splitgate 2 is yanked back to beta a month after release
Splitgate 2, the follow-up to the hugely successful 2021 Quake-Portal hybrid concept, is returning to beta. The game launched last month, but developer 1047 Games is pulling it after deciding the release had been rushed. The company doesn't plan to release the project again until 2026. "We'll be heads down until early next year, rebuilding major parts of the game to capture the spirit of what made Splitgate special," the founders said in a post to the game's Reddit community. "That means reworking progression from the ground up, adding more portals to our maps, simplifying monetization, refocusing on classic game modes you've been asking for, and more, which we'll share soon." Not only will the sequel go back into development, but 1047 Games is also cutting jobs. And that's after it already laid off some team members shortly after Splitgate 2's initial release. The company said it will shut down the servers for the original Splitgate in order to reduce expenses and keep more of its team members employed. 1047 Games has been brutalized in the public eye after co-founder Ian Proulx appeared at Summer Games Fest wearing a hat that read "Make FPS Great Again," which infuriated many of the original Splitgate's players. After the initial stance, posted to the studio's X account on Splitgate 2's release date, that he was both "not here to apologize" and that the hat was "not a political statement," Proulx finally landed on the line that it was all basically a publicity stunt.
