Dating is a game. I've always found this to be an incredibly frustrating aspect of dating, but time and again I have come to find that it's pretty true. Why is it frustrating to me? Well, I'm not competitive, I'm no good with strategy, I lack confidence, and in general I would just like everything to be easy (whatever happened to the idea of two people genuinely just liking each other and wanting to spend time together? Or rather, why does it take so much work to get to that?). Unfortunately, it's not easy. It's awful.
Here's the honest truth. I haven't tried very hard to date. Not really. I'm so scared of the actual real dating concept that if an opportunity arises I usually run as fast as my average length legs can carry me in the opposite direction. But from my observations (and advice I was given that I ultimately haven't taken yet) I have come to a conclusion. Dating is a game, but it's not the game everyone seems to think it is.
I used to think dating was like chess. You out-maneuver your opponent until they are finally caught in an impossible position, then you win. As a girl, it is all about being just forward enough to get your point across without being pushy or creepy, as a boy it's all about having all of the right lines and the right gestures. This outlook was a bit cynical, especially if you consider how much I dislike playing chess (mostly because I've only ever played it three times in my life and I never really had a clue what was going on. You can know how the pieces move and still be completely lost).
Recently (last night), I came to the conclusion that dating is like the Pokemon card game.
Pretend with me, for a moment, that you are a Pokemon. As a Pokemon you have a card and that card describes how much power you have and what your special abilities are. When you are played against other Pokemon cards the winner is determined by how much power and ability you have (as well as some luck. Unfortunately, every game requires a little luck).
So, the point is that you need to make your Pokemon card as awesome as possible. You need to think about your perfect girl/guy (who is imperfect, because no one wants to date a robot), then you need to consider what kind of partner this girl/guy would find irresistible. Then you need to strive to become that person. You’re still you, but like a Pokemon, you
evolve and become more powerful and harder to beat (not to mention, rarer and
more worth having). Not only that, but you get the added bonus of being a
pretty awesome person, because let’s face it, the girl/guy of your dreams wouldn't find anything less than awesome irresistible.
