You’re gonna be tempted to giggle at this one, so instead I’m going to start this post by pointing out that I know kind of a long list of people who met their significant others online, in MMOs, and through dating apps, so this is not on its face a dumb idea and I am glad in theory that something like it exists.
On the other hand, I can’t remember the last time I saw an explicitly gamer-centric dating app, and that’s what the newly announced Joystick is. (No, not Joystiq. That’s buried at the bottom of the sea in the sludge of valuable things AOL threw overboard for reasons that will never make sense to anyone who likes to make money. Ahem.) UK company DM Cubed, which has apparently been putting out social apps for the last few years, is promising excessive privacy and anonymity, a focus on tech, and a “swipe free zone” without “stupid barriers to communication,” though we couldn’t find anything about dealing with harassment on the official site, just mention of a block feature and data erasure. Here’s the pitch:
“Looking for someone who shares your passion for gaming? Joystick dating is here to match gamers or people who would like to date a gamer. Joystick dating has gamers looking for relationships or friendships. Maybe you want to find a partner who understands your love of games? Or perhaps you want to find someone to play games online? You’re going to find it simpler and quicker on Joystick than a traditional dating site. Joystick dating is for everyone as we are a fully inclusive site. We welcome, guys, girls and transgender folk of every sexuality possible. Our members are from all over the world and you can connect with anyone. Maybe your match will be in a different country and you will play online, or your match could be round the corner allowing you to play side by side on the sofa.”
Sorry, guys, no nudes. I poked through the type of data the app collects, and it seems relatively benign to me, in that even if they’re harvesting data, you’re not giving much up, and you should definitely be careful on any such site (though I’m not sure why that section was last updated two years ago when the site launched today). Think this will take off? Would you try this if you needed it?
