The Game of Online Dating Apps
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/10/the-unbearable-exhaustion-of-dating-apps/505184/
https://www.economist.com/briefing/2018/08/18/how-the-internet-has-changed-dating
Since the rise of dating apps, the process of finding romantic relationships has changed completely. People are less forthcoming about their intentions which results in overall exasperation for many of its users. Those looking for long term relationships using apps like Tinder and Bumble find themselves in an exhaustive loop of swiping through endless candidates, many of whom don’t turn into long term relationships. Once those users change their mindset and approach the app looking for a short term relationship, they achieve more “success.” One thing to consider, however, is that people who do find fulfilling, long term relationships through apps like Tinder, find that those relationships are “less likely to end in break-up and were associated with higher levels of satisfaction” than marriages created from in the more traditional route (“How the internet has changed dating”, 2018).
This could be seen as a game; the players are the users and the strategies are how those users approach the app. A strategy of selectivity would decrease the players chance of “winning” while having an open strategy, swiping on a wider range of people would increase one’s chance of achieving their goal. Moreover, if they change the strategy completely to search for a short term, it seems that they would feel less frustration. This isn’t a perfect game since the outcome doesn’t exactly line up with the users’ initial intentions; however, if players are willing to adjust their expectations, they could achieve a version of success.