- Sep 26, 2002
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from http://www.g4techtv.com/feature.aspx?article_key=21
It's often said that dating is a game. But let's face it, dating is really more than just one game.
In the beginning, finding a girl is a lot like playing a first-person shooter: you're out in the jungles, scoping your target, trying not to get a slug through your heart.
Once you've found what you're looking for, the game suddenly becomes a two-player game. You spend most of your time figuring out how to balance keeping your turn and making sure your partner has a good time too.
Eventually--if you resist the urge to hit the eject button-- you realize that maybe she's special enough to become your permanent Player 2. And then, before you know what's happened to you, you're living a happily-ever-after RPG every single day.
Like any true player, your goal in the dating game is to score...and, eventually, beat the game. Here are my latest and greatest cheats on how to make it happen:
10. Develop Your Game
You didn't throw away your Game Boy just because those clever Tetris blocks beat you the first time you played. You kept playing until you got the hang of it, and now sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but you always know how to play the game. Same goes for girls.
Thanks to MTV, most of us have come to associate "having game" with riding around the streets of Miami in a gold-plated stretch-limousine Escalade decked with a hot tub filled with Cristal and a dozen or so gold-plated strippers.
Luckily, impressing the girl of your dreams may not be that hard. (In fact, I'm pretty sure the average girl would be a tad freaked out if you picked her up for a date in such a vehicle.)
Having game is less about the assets and more about the attitude--confidence and charisma always win out over bucks and bling. If there are things you don't like about yourself, work on them or learn to live with them, so that when you meet a girl you like, you can approach her with self-assurance.
9. Upgrade Your Soft Wear
I'll spare you the Queer Eye episode. All you really need to know is that life is in the details--which for women, means clothes and grooming.
Next time you're picking up a new title at Best Buy, swing into a mall and get some new threads. Girls don't care that much about what you wear, they just want to know you thought about it. So wear what feels right. Unless, of course, what feels right looks like it came out of Tommy Vercetti's closet. Then you probably should watch Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. A lot.
As for grooming, it's pretty simple: every now and then, put the controller down. Get a haircut. Clean your fingernails. Pluck the hair between your brows. I promise you, it really does make a difference.
8. Find Your Genre
If you continually play the game, and continually get rejected, you might begin to ask yourself some tough questions. What's the problem here? Is it me? Or is it girls? The truth is, it could be a combination of the two: the problem may lie in the type of girls you're approaching.
Just like some people are drawn to fantasy games and others are really good at fighting games, certain types of people are more naturally inclined to hit it off. If the girl of your dreams is into the Dixie Chicks and painting, and you hate country music and art, there may be more to her rejecting you than the fact that you think she's way too hot for you.
Plus, as much as we all enjoy eye candy, eventually we turn to games that offer more of a challenge than just a screen of pretty graphics. It's the same with dating; maybe in your quest to win over Miss Perfect, you've overlooked Miss Perfect For You.
Nobody wants to date someone exactly like himself, but since relationships involve spending time together, it makes sense to find someone who likes the same things you do.
7. Get Connected
Thanks to movies like Kiss the Girls (and every other stalker flick Ashley Judd's ever been in) guys today are understandably hesitant to actively pursue a modern gal.
While it's important to not look too eager, you still have to make sure she knows you're interested.
If you're taking her on a date, it's okay to send her an e-mail during the day to let her know you're looking forward to seeing her that night. If you had fun hanging out together, it's okay to call her the next day to let her know you had a good time with her. Every time you connect with her it's like adding a little more energy to your relationship life meter.
Remember: playing hard-to-get is okay, but if you play too hard-to-get, you'll just end up not getting anything.
6. Learn to Push Her Buttons
Yes, it's true that figuring out a girl's anatomy is crucial in getting to the next level. But you'll never get anywhere near her anatomical buttons unless you first figure out how to push her mental and emotional ones.
What makes her think and feel? How can you get her to laugh? What kinds of things excite her?
Figure out her code and you'll be enjoying your own private Dance Dance Revolution before you know it.
5. Stay Plugged-In
So you think once you've learned how to make her fall for you, you're done? Much like Charade in Soul Calibur II, girls are constantly changing creatures. If flowers and a mix CD worked in week two of your relationship, it probably won't do the trick in month two.
The key to finding out what a girl is into isn't that hard: just listen. Women are naturally verbal people, and they will tell you--sometimes over and over and over again--exactly what matters to them.
On Monday she may be all about Sandra Bullock's new romantic comedy, but by Thursday it could be "So long, Sandy." Her roommate may be driving her nuts today, but tomorrow they could be best friends, so pay attention to the deets and the game will make a lot more sense.
4. Never miss a Chance to Rack Up Points
I'll admit it: sometimes girls whine. But what you may not realize is that every time she bitches and moans about something, she's really giving you a chance to score some points.
If her boss is being a pain in the neck, give her a back massage. If she's stressed about the million errands she has on her to-do list, offer to take care of one of them for her.
Wanna really score big? After you've covered all the obvious bases, start looking for unique things that impress your girl specifically. She may really appreciate a man who cooks for her, or may be more thrilled by a guy who can make her laugh at just the right time. Take the time to find her Easter Eggs and you'll overload the score board in no time.
3. Take Advantage of Bonus Rounds
Yes, in theory, every day should be Valentine's Day. In reality, most of you aren't even close to being the romantic hero most girls are after. That's where holidays come to your rescue. Most guys dread Valentine's Day, Christmas, New Year's and especially birthdays and anniversaries.
But instead of seeing the next holiday as one more thing to screw up, approach it as an opportunity to raise your total score. Red-letter days are the bonus rounds that help you make up for any romance that may be lacking in your day-to-day life with her.
Don't believe me? A guy once paid a library fine for me for my birthday present. It was only a $10 fine but he scored more bonus points with me than if he'd bought me diamonds. Why was it so impressive? Because it showed he'd been listening when I'd told him I couldn't go back to the library until I paid the fine.
The bottom line: Remembering a holiday and paying attention to what she says? Double bonus points!
2. Let Her Handle the Joystick
Guys have it pretty easy in a lot of ways, but understanding girls is not one of them. These days, the expectations women put on men are as varied as the skins in a Sims Expansion Pack.
Some women want the door opened for them, some don't. Some girls want you to pay for dinner, others want to pay their own way, and still others want to buy you dinner. One girl might ask you out, another might be quietly crushing on you for months, but not do anything because she thinks the guy should make the first move.
Um, I don't have a clever game-related answer for you on this one. What I do know is this: no matter where a girl is on the traditionalist vs. feminist continuum, she doesn't ever want to be controlled. Even the most old-fashioned gal wants to feel like she is a part of a balanced relationship, not a pawn in your game of Command and Conquer.
So if she offers to drive, or buy you a drink, or take you out for Valentine's Day, say "Thank You" and enjoy yourself.
If you play by these rules, I guarantee you'll soon find yourself in an all-night bonus round with your favorite Player 2. When that finally happens, you'll inevitably be tempted to try to follow up a makeout marathon with a game-a-thon. But while the idea of a girl-gaming double-header sounds great in theory, always keep in mind the infamous Costanza Combo. Like George's heartfelt attempt to combine romance with eating, your effort to merge girl time with game time could result in girl Game Over.
Which brings us to the most important cheat for gamer guys:
1. Never press pause
No matter how thrilling the thought of a little post-hookup gaming may be, never, under any circumstances, abandon a girl to go level up in Final Fantasy.
Remember, if it looks like you're going to lose a game, you can always restart from the last place you've saved. But once you've lost a girl, there's a pretty good chance you'll never win her back.
It's often said that dating is a game. But let's face it, dating is really more than just one game.
In the beginning, finding a girl is a lot like playing a first-person shooter: you're out in the jungles, scoping your target, trying not to get a slug through your heart.
Once you've found what you're looking for, the game suddenly becomes a two-player game. You spend most of your time figuring out how to balance keeping your turn and making sure your partner has a good time too.
Eventually--if you resist the urge to hit the eject button-- you realize that maybe she's special enough to become your permanent Player 2. And then, before you know what's happened to you, you're living a happily-ever-after RPG every single day.
Like any true player, your goal in the dating game is to score...and, eventually, beat the game. Here are my latest and greatest cheats on how to make it happen:
10. Develop Your Game
You didn't throw away your Game Boy just because those clever Tetris blocks beat you the first time you played. You kept playing until you got the hang of it, and now sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but you always know how to play the game. Same goes for girls.
Thanks to MTV, most of us have come to associate "having game" with riding around the streets of Miami in a gold-plated stretch-limousine Escalade decked with a hot tub filled with Cristal and a dozen or so gold-plated strippers.
Luckily, impressing the girl of your dreams may not be that hard. (In fact, I'm pretty sure the average girl would be a tad freaked out if you picked her up for a date in such a vehicle.)
Having game is less about the assets and more about the attitude--confidence and charisma always win out over bucks and bling. If there are things you don't like about yourself, work on them or learn to live with them, so that when you meet a girl you like, you can approach her with self-assurance.
9. Upgrade Your Soft Wear
I'll spare you the Queer Eye episode. All you really need to know is that life is in the details--which for women, means clothes and grooming.
Next time you're picking up a new title at Best Buy, swing into a mall and get some new threads. Girls don't care that much about what you wear, they just want to know you thought about it. So wear what feels right. Unless, of course, what feels right looks like it came out of Tommy Vercetti's closet. Then you probably should watch Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. A lot.
As for grooming, it's pretty simple: every now and then, put the controller down. Get a haircut. Clean your fingernails. Pluck the hair between your brows. I promise you, it really does make a difference.
8. Find Your Genre
If you continually play the game, and continually get rejected, you might begin to ask yourself some tough questions. What's the problem here? Is it me? Or is it girls? The truth is, it could be a combination of the two: the problem may lie in the type of girls you're approaching.
Just like some people are drawn to fantasy games and others are really good at fighting games, certain types of people are more naturally inclined to hit it off. If the girl of your dreams is into the Dixie Chicks and painting, and you hate country music and art, there may be more to her rejecting you than the fact that you think she's way too hot for you.
Plus, as much as we all enjoy eye candy, eventually we turn to games that offer more of a challenge than just a screen of pretty graphics. It's the same with dating; maybe in your quest to win over Miss Perfect, you've overlooked Miss Perfect For You.
Nobody wants to date someone exactly like himself, but since relationships involve spending time together, it makes sense to find someone who likes the same things you do.
7. Get Connected
Thanks to movies like Kiss the Girls (and every other stalker flick Ashley Judd's ever been in) guys today are understandably hesitant to actively pursue a modern gal.
While it's important to not look too eager, you still have to make sure she knows you're interested.
If you're taking her on a date, it's okay to send her an e-mail during the day to let her know you're looking forward to seeing her that night. If you had fun hanging out together, it's okay to call her the next day to let her know you had a good time with her. Every time you connect with her it's like adding a little more energy to your relationship life meter.
Remember: playing hard-to-get is okay, but if you play too hard-to-get, you'll just end up not getting anything.
6. Learn to Push Her Buttons
Yes, it's true that figuring out a girl's anatomy is crucial in getting to the next level. But you'll never get anywhere near her anatomical buttons unless you first figure out how to push her mental and emotional ones.
What makes her think and feel? How can you get her to laugh? What kinds of things excite her?
Figure out her code and you'll be enjoying your own private Dance Dance Revolution before you know it.
5. Stay Plugged-In
So you think once you've learned how to make her fall for you, you're done? Much like Charade in Soul Calibur II, girls are constantly changing creatures. If flowers and a mix CD worked in week two of your relationship, it probably won't do the trick in month two.
The key to finding out what a girl is into isn't that hard: just listen. Women are naturally verbal people, and they will tell you--sometimes over and over and over again--exactly what matters to them.
On Monday she may be all about Sandra Bullock's new romantic comedy, but by Thursday it could be "So long, Sandy." Her roommate may be driving her nuts today, but tomorrow they could be best friends, so pay attention to the deets and the game will make a lot more sense.
4. Never miss a Chance to Rack Up Points
I'll admit it: sometimes girls whine. But what you may not realize is that every time she bitches and moans about something, she's really giving you a chance to score some points.
If her boss is being a pain in the neck, give her a back massage. If she's stressed about the million errands she has on her to-do list, offer to take care of one of them for her.
Wanna really score big? After you've covered all the obvious bases, start looking for unique things that impress your girl specifically. She may really appreciate a man who cooks for her, or may be more thrilled by a guy who can make her laugh at just the right time. Take the time to find her Easter Eggs and you'll overload the score board in no time.
3. Take Advantage of Bonus Rounds
Yes, in theory, every day should be Valentine's Day. In reality, most of you aren't even close to being the romantic hero most girls are after. That's where holidays come to your rescue. Most guys dread Valentine's Day, Christmas, New Year's and especially birthdays and anniversaries.
But instead of seeing the next holiday as one more thing to screw up, approach it as an opportunity to raise your total score. Red-letter days are the bonus rounds that help you make up for any romance that may be lacking in your day-to-day life with her.
Don't believe me? A guy once paid a library fine for me for my birthday present. It was only a $10 fine but he scored more bonus points with me than if he'd bought me diamonds. Why was it so impressive? Because it showed he'd been listening when I'd told him I couldn't go back to the library until I paid the fine.
The bottom line: Remembering a holiday and paying attention to what she says? Double bonus points!
2. Let Her Handle the Joystick
Guys have it pretty easy in a lot of ways, but understanding girls is not one of them. These days, the expectations women put on men are as varied as the skins in a Sims Expansion Pack.
Some women want the door opened for them, some don't. Some girls want you to pay for dinner, others want to pay their own way, and still others want to buy you dinner. One girl might ask you out, another might be quietly crushing on you for months, but not do anything because she thinks the guy should make the first move.
Um, I don't have a clever game-related answer for you on this one. What I do know is this: no matter where a girl is on the traditionalist vs. feminist continuum, she doesn't ever want to be controlled. Even the most old-fashioned gal wants to feel like she is a part of a balanced relationship, not a pawn in your game of Command and Conquer.
So if she offers to drive, or buy you a drink, or take you out for Valentine's Day, say "Thank You" and enjoy yourself.
If you play by these rules, I guarantee you'll soon find yourself in an all-night bonus round with your favorite Player 2. When that finally happens, you'll inevitably be tempted to try to follow up a makeout marathon with a game-a-thon. But while the idea of a girl-gaming double-header sounds great in theory, always keep in mind the infamous Costanza Combo. Like George's heartfelt attempt to combine romance with eating, your effort to merge girl time with game time could result in girl Game Over.
Which brings us to the most important cheat for gamer guys:
1. Never press pause
No matter how thrilling the thought of a little post-hookup gaming may be, never, under any circumstances, abandon a girl to go level up in Final Fantasy.
Remember, if it looks like you're going to lose a game, you can always restart from the last place you've saved. But once you've lost a girl, there's a pretty good chance you'll never win her back.
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