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Over the years, many dating sites and apps have come and gone hoping to tap into the “geek dating” niche, offering a place for geeks, nerds and gamers to find a special someone who share their interests.
And we totally understand! As two geeks ourselves who found our other half in someone with similar interests, we can attest to the fact that geek couples make the best couples.
But are dating sites and apps designed for geeks the answer?
Here are some reasons why we *don’t* think geek-only dating sites/apps are necessarily the best place to meet your significant other, and some other options to try out instead.
Dating apps for geeks have fewer users
The first main problem with dating sites or apps for geeks is a simple numbers issue – most of these sites have a fraction of the users of mainstream dating services, which of course means far fewer options, especially when it comes to users that are in your local area.
And while some people might see this as a good thing (fewer, more targeted users is preferable to a huge amount of users that you have nothing in common with, right?), the situation can be so dire that, depending on where you live, you’ll get no matches at all, or only a few spaced out over long periods of time.
Not only can this be really discouraging, it’s just not fun, and not really conducive to your mission of finding the perfect significant other.
Dating apps for geeks have fewer safeguards in place
One of the main complaints we see over and over when it comes to dating apps specifically designed for geeks, nerds and gamers is that there is a high volume of fake users and fake messages.
This makes sense, given that many smaller ‘niche’ dating apps and sites don’t have the resources or manpower to sift through fake users like the big mainstream alternatives.
Many dating sites/apps for geeks are outdated, clunky, and irrelevant
When doing research for our roundup of dating apps and sites for geeks, we found a LOT of sketchy looking websites that seemed like they were built 20 years ago. Think old school dating sites/forums à la the early 2000s.
Many of these niche dating sites have clunky interfaces, load slowly, or haven’t adapted to the world of mobile quite yet. While some slicker options like Kippo have emerged to sort of fill this void, a lot of the sites we found felt stuck in an old era, and not in a fun nostalgic way.
Others even seemed like regular dating sites simply masquerading as one meant for geeks based on name alone… we won’t name and shame, but be wary of any sites that look incredibly generic and offer no information besides a sign-up button!
Sometimes opposites attract
Another very important issue when it comes to seeking love on geek-only dating apps and sites is well – you’re sealing yourself off from a lot of great potential options.
While on paper it might seem like THE dream to find someone who loves all the same games as you, all the same movies, and has all the same hobbies, the truth is a lot of successful relationships are built on varying interests/hobbies and two people who bring each other out of their comfort zone.
Even we both (despite being geeky in our own way) have varying interests that have forced us to grow/adapt. We would argue that similarity in values and humour is more important than necessarily loving the exact same hobbies and things – plus, it can be really fun to share your passion and interests with a new partner!
There are plenty of people out there who you’d likely be compatible with, geek, nerd, gamer or otherwise, so we wouldn’t necessarily recommend looking ONLY in spaces where you think a carbon-copy of yourself would hang out. Remember, variety is the spice of life!
Lastly: Who even is a “geek” anyway?
While geek or nerd might have been stronger labels in the past, these days it seems the majority of people can have some ‘geeky’ tendencies, whether it’s enjoying a particular game, geeking out over particular shows or movies, etc. The term “geek” has become a lot more fluid in recent years, which makes the distinction between ‘geek’ and ‘non-geek’ much murkier.
Because of this, many people might not necessarily see their geeky attributes as something that would drive them to sign up for a geek-only dating site/app. The truth is, these apps are only good for attracting people who self-identify as geeks/nerds, and there’s probably loads of others out there who would make a good geeky mate, but not necessarily see themselves that way.
So, where should geeks go to meet other geeks?
As you’ve likely gathered from this post, we don’t necessarily think that dating sites for geeks are the be-all, end-all of dating for those with geeky persuasions. Of course, if you’re still curious about the niche dating apps out there (after all, they do exist for a reason!), then you can click here for a roundup.
Otherwise, we would recommend trying standard dating apps and simply using them more strategically to find someone with the same interests as you.
Want to see more places where you can find geeks? Check out this guide here on where to find geeks to date, whether online or in real life.
Thanks for reading, and we hope you found this article helpful!