Playing Dirty: Love on the auction block

by Bonnie Ruberg { Apr 26th 2007 at 12:58PM }

Every other week, Bonnie Ruberg contributes Playing Dirty, a column on sex and gender in video games:

Do you ever get the feeling dating is a game? Or that racking up MySpace friends is like scoring points? Or maybe that being charming is all well and good, but you should just be able to bid for girls' attention? Well then, cynical love birds, you might want to check out i'm in like with you. Started by Dan Albritton, an ITP student in New York, and his partner Charles Forman, the self-proclaimed game is like Facebook meets Ebay. Except, of course, that the money isn't real, no one regulates the "services rendered," and there's never any shipping and handling. Unless you count the cost of sending your date back home in a taxi at the end of the night. Or the next morning. Or whatever.

Things start out pretty normal in i'm in like with you. You go in, you set up your profile, you pick a sexy "favorite drink." But unlike other social networking sites, the only way you can contact people is by setting up other "games." These games are actually one- to three-day auctions. Usually they're based on questions like "Want to take me out for drinks?" or "Who's the coolest Power Ranger?" Other players bid their points to be one of five top responses to the question. Then whoever started the game picks a winning bidder, and gets the chance to send him a flirtatious message. It better be a good one though, because he just paid for that wink-y smiley face with a hefty chunk of points.

I'm in like with you makes itself out to be a game about real-life dating. An introductory flash video on their site shows us "Samantha," a pretty girl who's new to the city, searching for "a cute guy to take her to the movies." The actual number of people meeting up through auctions seems up in the air, though. What's more interesting is the different ways players go about advertising for potential playmates -- and which ways are most successful. Some people ask directly ("Let's go get ice cream" or "Convince me you're normal and we'll do dinner"), but the auctions that bring in the big bucks are the ones that are more subtle. A hot blond pictured with her laptop asking about l33t? Please, take our points and do with them what you will!

Since i'm in like with you is in closed beta, the community is still somewhat small and techy-- although the gender divide is surprisingly even. Even in that kiddy pool of players, there's a descent amount of variety in what people want out of the game. Is the goal to meet someone? Or just to socialize? (There are plenty of auctions that don't have anything to do with real-life dating.) Or maybe just to rack up as many points as possible? That's up to you to decide. Then there are the other questions yet unanswered. What if you don't deliver as promised on your auction? What about non-heterosexual hook-ups? The game's makers are clearly orienting it toward a straight crowd, but the mechanics themselves leave all possibilities open. And what about the delicate question of point prostitution?

Whether or not i'm in like with you will work out as a dating site has yet to seen. In the meantime, it's at least giving us a new way to look at social networking in general: as one big game.

Bonnie Ruberg is a writer, researcher, and all around fangirl with a big crush on games. Find more of her work at Gamasutra, The Onion A. V. Club, or her blog, Heroine Sheik. She can be reached at .

Tags: playingdirty

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

mike @ Apr 26th 2007 1:14PM

An article about a site that says on the main page that I cant join unless im invited, and probably always will be like that.

I feel im missing a point to this article if its refering to something that basically doesent exsist.

2slick @ Apr 26th 2007 1:28PM

another stupid and pointless post by ms. ruberg. I swear the only reason I read these things is to see how low she sets the bar for her next "idea"

JodyAnthony @ Apr 26th 2007 1:28PM

sounds like a terrible website, imo

2slick @ Apr 26th 2007 1:29PM

just thinking about this. If she wanted a decent article. She shoulda focused on the WOW craze going on. The lovey-dovey-ness of that. Why men act like women and such. read about something like that a couple years ago as a freshmen in a sociology class very good read.

Crono @ Apr 26th 2007 1:32PM

C'mon guys, give the girl a break. I know 3 out of her last 4 articles have sucked it up, but most before that were good reads, and this one isn't a bad read at all.

Honestly, what do you want her to post about? Sex in WoW? Look up whorecraft.

JodyAnthony @ Apr 26th 2007 1:37PM

I liked this post (I also like most of the others..not all, but most) but I still think the website is terrible. Then again I'm not a huge fan of 'Social Networking' sites. Maybe its because noone wants to be my friend on Myspace (myspace.com/jodyanthony add me lollery!!!!11).

Damn you, Tom.

matt @ Apr 26th 2007 1:50PM

I thought it was way interesting as a social phenomenon in the context of gaming. You guys are just butt-hurt 'cause you weren't invited. If you're not interested, don't read the thing.

Todd @ Apr 26th 2007 2:00PM

Interesting idea of making dating a game, though I think "applying for a job" is closer to reality.

Todd @ Apr 26th 2007 2:00PM

Interesting idea of making dating a game, though I think "applying for a job" is closer to reality.

Crono @ Apr 26th 2007 2:33PM

so, anybody got any invites?

nospam @ Apr 26th 2007 2:37PM

I've been checking out i'm in like with you lately for the nifty interface, and the concept as well. It's got a lot going for it, though some of the fancy "Web 2.0" effects are a little over the top. It's worth checking out, if you get invited that is, as it's probably always going to be invite only.

And wow, that Faruk guy sure is popular. I bet he gets all the ladies.

mkoracer @ Apr 26th 2007 3:12PM

I just joined this thing a week ago... it's allright, the interface is top notch dhtml but the response time is a bit laggy. The idea is great too, even though most of the people are in New York and LA right now I managed to exchange phone numbers with one of the two women in my city!

randomshagz @ Apr 26th 2007 3:46PM

Got an Invite? I wanna see what the site is about.

thanks. randomshagz@gmail.com

phalligator @ Apr 26th 2007 4:09PM

I joined a few days ago and my main criticism is that I can't change my game...and now it has a day left and I want to start a new one.

yeah, for now it seem like SF and NY folks.

Bart @ Apr 26th 2007 4:27PM

I'd like to /agree with the first comment here...I find this sort of thing interesting, but the front page gives me NOTHING! I can't even read about the service, I can't create an account, I can'd do anything to even explore what it's about.

Thanks for providing insight to an application that appears impossible for me to look into more : /

PKenne21 @ Apr 26th 2007 4:53PM

I thought the article was interesting. It's gaming news, and this is a gaming news blog.

If anyone has an invite thats willing to pass one this way, I'd like to see what this is all about.

pkenne21@gmail.com

switched0 @ Apr 26th 2007 4:59PM

if any one has any extra invites, could you please email me one?
schlafket@uwstout.edu

mkoracer @ Apr 26th 2007 5:25PM

Try logging in with the code "GIGA" It lets you look around the site without signing up.

The Crowing One @ Apr 26th 2007 5:43PM

I'd love to grab an invite if someone would be so kind, this looks kinda fun/creepy.

d_schrag@skidmore.edu

Ryan @ Apr 26th 2007 5:58PM

Interesting article, Bonnie! I like the site design a bunch. Anyone have an invite for me? baddman@gmail.com

Grant @ Apr 26th 2007 6:46PM

Wow,
blogging about a social website that is trying to be a game, good thing to put on joystiq.

This is nothing new, there's already a site like this, it's called catch27.com and it's been around for about a year now, and you don't need a beta invite to join up.
Did i mention cash prizes?
So, yeah, if that article above sounded awesome to you, by all means, head over to catch27, but i got bored of it after a month.

Did that "article" above sound more like an advertisement than an op/ed piece to anyone else?