Dating and games can make for strange bedfellows, and I don’t just mean E3 hookups. From Chuck Woolery’s televised dating disasters to the pick-up artist system, the combination seems to bring more tears and jeers than smiles and romance.
No longer!
Moving beyond the blind dates and bar scenes, Melissa Malka has toyed around with Lee Sheldon’s game-based classroom design and cooked up a leveling system for the marriage-minded player.

“You gain XP by defeating stereotypes, completing milestones, and courting.”
As funny as handling a date like a raid and making a boss fight out of asking a father for his daughter’s hand in marriage are, Melissa’s humor touches on the value of adopting a leveling approach to long-term social situations.
It raises the questions: Where in your personal or professional relationships does the level grind feel most severe? What’s your boss fight.