I remember, as a young girl I watched plenty of television, and if you ask me, the 90s had some of the best shows ever.
Living Single, Dawson’s Creek, Martin, Buffy, Sister Sister, Are You Afraid of the Dark, Doug, Recess, Xena, The Nanny, Family Matters, TRL, and the list goes on, all of these shows possessed a vibrancy and youthful “coolness” that I believe modern shows are lacking.
One my favorite genres of 90s television were the matchmaking and dating game shows. I’m not sure if my infatuation is due to the romanticized courting setups in Disney movies, or the fact that the casual new age situation-ships had not yet polluted romantic pursuits.
What I do know is that I, like everyone else in the audience, was at the edge of my seat and giddy from the remarks of the host and contestants.
These shows fed into the nature of what a hopeless romantic should be. Sure, the Bachelor, the Bachelorette, Dating Naked and MTV’s Parental Control are pretty entertaining.
Still, I would gladly lose the remote and turn into a binging zombie for episodes of Blind Date, Change of Heart, and the Dating Game.
As I placed my palms together and tapped my fingers in a thoughtful pose, I discerned the different dynamic between the eras, and I believe I’ve come to a pretty good conclusion.
Newer dating shows are more concerned with recreating reality television (and in most cases, they yield the most over the top, unrealistic scenarios), that they lose the fantasy aspect that should be associated with love and courtship.
The key, then, to the older shows is to keep it as honest as possible and not to spread the contestant animosity so thick.
To accomplish this, they usually have three features that help keep us entranced without the extraness which are simple questions, an audience, and realistic wooing.
I’m happy to report that these techniques can still be employed in modern day dating. That’s right, my fellow hopeless romantics, we still have a chance.
I have stumbled on three exhilarating, at-home group dating games that help to nurture the playful lovey-dovey in all of us.
Now, if you have never played Truth or Dare, then you missed out certain rites of passage from your adolescence.
This game is usually when your ace of a best friend dares your crush to kiss you or your enemy to lick the dog or suffer the consequences.
As adults, surely we’ve matured past such silly antics, but the urge to back down from a dare is still hard for some of us to shake.
Introducing TRUTH OR DARE: COUPLE’S EDITION from whilehewasnapping.com. The rules are simple, one player draws a card and asks the other player “truth or dare?” The other player chooses if they would like to answer a question in total honesty or perform a dare, and the remaining couples are there to instigate or cheer until it’s their turn.
One word of advice is to go through the deck and eliminate the questions that would make the room too excited, if you know what I mean, and ensure the comfortability of all participants.
The second game is for couples who have been together for a while and know how to handle the rough patches like pros.
The Not-So-Newlywed Game on thedatingdivas.com website is ideal for a group of 3-4 couples, but it can also work well for a single couple on date night.
Other than what’s supplied with the printable game set, scissor, markers, a laminating machine, and a dry eraser is also necessary.
The game includes over 50 questions that are either humorous or quizzical, a score board, invite cards, and colorful design.
My final suggestion is the newest product from the self -love ambassador of social media, Derrick Jaxn, and it is dating the dating world by storm.
Mentally Simulate Me is truly a sapiosensual’s playground because it allows engaging, thought provoking questions to lay the foundation for debate and contemplation within an establishing romance.
The original card set contains 96 multiple choice question cards and 24 answer choice cards, while the Grown and Copulationy Expansion pack features 30 multiple choice cards, and is recommended for ages 18 and up.
Group date nights can be a tool that exclusive couples use to open up their relationship to new possibilities and hear about what other couples are doing to help keep together and thriving.
Not to mention they’re fun! So go ahead and invite over a few pals, get ready to answer some questions, and see which one of your friend still knows how to woo the love of their life. You might even learn a thing or two from the dating game.
Photo Credit: [wikipedia.org, msmcardgame.myshopify.com, whilehewasnapping.com]