WELLBEING

Flirt-ual reality: How the metaverse is changing the dating game

13 February, 2023 . 0

Looking for an out-of-this-world date? Welcome to metaverse dating, where virtual worlds are the next high-tech step to helping land a perfect match.

In the real world, riding off into the sunset on your first date might sound a little far-fetched.

But not so in the metaverse.

Here, in this network of three-dimensional virtual worlds (best experienced through a virtual reality headset), you can gallop off on a unicorn or hop on a dragon.

“And that’s a big part of the attraction of virtual reality (VR) and the metaverse because it allows us, via avatars, to do things outside our everyday reality,” People Tech Revolution joint chief executive Leonie Sanderson says.

The immersive tech champion, who holds a psychology degree, predicts metaverse dating is set to boom, much like online dating apps and Covid-fuelled Zoom dates have in recent years.

Data shows from 2015 dating app usage has risen every year to more than 323 million people worldwide, with most of the matchmaking carried out on mobile devices.

“I see metaverse dating as a natural progression of how we use technology,” Leonie says.

Fitness fun: How to ‘game’ your workout and boost results

Interest soars in metaverse dating

According to Reddit data, mentions of “dating” within VR interest groups rocketed 249 per cent in the six months to April 2022, compared to the previous six months.

Relationship expert Andrew Gung, founder and director of Core Confidence Coaching, is interested in the emerging trend.

The 3D game animator turned dating coach is trialling metaverse dating.

“Dating in the metaverse is a topic clients bring up when they ask me, ‘What’s the best way of dating?’” Andrew says.

“Being a dating coach, I’m the type who has to dabble in everything because if a client wants to learn more about it, I need to have experienced it myself.”

While none of Andrew’s clients have yet dated in the metaverse, he has watched the trend surface.

Last year, dating-specific VR apps Nevermet and Flirtual arrived, operating much like Tinder (but for avatars).

And they look set to be followed this year by Planet Theta, which is tipped to include virtual dating spaces such as a bar and “enchanted forest”.

Andrew stresses the metaverse, as with any dating platform, should be seen as a tool before meeting in person and is secondary to building life skills centred on self-confidence, leadership and real-life social interaction.

Match maker: Four online dating tips to help keep you safe

Upsides and downsides to metaverse dating

Is it possible to form relationships in the metaverse?

“The answer is yes, but whether they’re positive or negative will depend on how we build the metaverse and ensure spaces are inclusive, safe and fun,” Leonie says.

Zebrar is a Sydney creative technology studio renowned as a global leader in immersive experiences.

Its chief executive Simone Barker agrees with Leonie that it all comes down to how the metaverse is built.

Simone suggests metaverse dating platforms have a responsibility to involve psychologists in shaping the right experiences that bring couples together.

“I think metaverse dating is going to let people share various complex experiences and create deeper aspects of connection and compatibility without external or materialistic judgments,” she says.

Metaverse dating could help create intimacy without the need for awkward or unsafe in-person meetings.

But like any dating app, Andrew warns of the potential for “catfishing” and other unwanted behaviour in the metaverse.

On the plus side, he says a first date via an avatar may help people feel less self-conscious, instead putting the focus on “connection and chemistry”.

He advises an avatar should represent an individual’s identity as closely as possible to avoid disappointment when meeting in real life.

And he also has this advice for metaverse daters: “Be authentic, progress over time and remember to have fun and a bit of a laugh, which is always good medicine on any first date.”