Feature: Why Video Games Can Make Great Dates

In general, guys are terrible at planning dates. What's so fun about going out to a restaurant on a first date, swapping resumes and watching each other chew food? What's so great about sitting next to a stranger in a dark room with the monkey chatter in your head thinking, "Oh my God, what's this person thinking?" I was guilty of planning the exact same dates when I was younger, immature and inexperienced. It wasn't until I started to ask myself, "What sets me apart from the competition and makes me better than the other people I'm competing with?" Part of that is planning great dates. Now keep in mind, I'm talking about the early stages of a relationship, not about dating someone for several months or more. Once there's monogamy, the wooing stage has passed and most people seem to phone it in. I wouldn't consider myself part of this group, just saying. I'll give you an example of my own personal experience. This is probably the first time I've ever shared this story with anyone. My current girlfriend and I have been dating for just under a year and we're already living together. When I look back at the beginning of our relationship, I would have never planned a date that involved some sort of gaming. It was probably her that gave me the idea of even doing a date that involved playing video games. To give you some context, I live in Edmonton, Alberta. We were on our second date walking along Whyte Ave. Whyte Ave is supposed to be the "hip" area of Edmonton where you'll find a lot of "interesting" people. The hipsters blend in with the homeless people and it serves as a great people watching spot if that's what you're interested in. It also serves as another reason I feel old and want to move to the suburbs. Our second date went as is: I picked her up at her place We went glow bowling for about an hour Took her a great "hole in the wall" Thai Restaurant she had never been to. Got ice cream at another restaurant Walked on Whyte Ave After walking on Whyte Ave for a bit, it was getting late and she had invited me over to her place. She showed me around her place, I met her brother and she suggested we do some karaoke. She booted up Singstar for the PlayStation 3 and we each picked up a microphone. I am an awful singer. On one hand I felt a little reluctant playing karaoke because the way Singstar works is that you don't really harmonize, you take turns singing adding further insult to injury. At that point I was doing a fair bit of harmonizing when I played Rock Band and drummed so I thought I wouldn't be too bad. The only big difference is that when I play Rock Band I purposely wear headphones so I can hear myself sing so I can match the pitch to the original singers. The space around my drum kit is my safe place. Singing at someone else's house is like a sports team playing an away game or a country band playing a show at the Apollo Theatre. You're playing on someone else's turf and that was exactly how I felt singing. It's like  We played through a couple of songs before the night was over and we both went our separate ways. Fast forward to a week later. I told her for our following date that since we did karaoke at her place, it was time to play Rock Band at my place. Playing Rock Band was just a small part of our third date. On our third date, we got some dinner and went to a movie theme night at the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. I had told her that after the symphony I had a surprise for her. She was intrigued to say the least. At that time it was the 100th anniversary of the Edmonton Legislature and the grounds were the lit up with some really cool lights. I remember doing my own version of a "sound check" making sure that everything was in order and all the microphones and instruments were working properly and had fresh batteries. When my girlfriend first came over she had a bag of items she didn't show me at first and she quickly ran into the bathroom. After several minutes she came out with a blonde wig and sleeve tattoos ready to rock out for the next hour or so. Based on the conversation we had on our first and second dates, I learned that she loved the Smashing Pumpkins, Hole and Incubus, so I was sure to include these bands in the setlist we played. I think generally people love to talk, but don't like to listen. Simply put, knowledge is power. Remember guys, it doesn't need to be necessarily playing video games at your place. A good example is to hit the arcade, play some games, challenge each other and laugh. It's not rocket science. I think the strongest way to use this idea is when you combine it with another activity. You really get to see someone's personality when you do physical activities. Planning multiple activities on a date is a great way to speed up the attraction because it makes it feel like you've been on half a dozen dates when in reality, you've only went out two or three times In conclusion, that third date was the best date I had ever been on and it sealed the deal to what would become the best and healthiest relationship I have been in. Siddharth Masand Follow @jokeman23