Sup, so I've been checking out the online dating scene (aka, okcupid) for a bit in the last few weeks and I've noticed that compared to that last times I seriously attempted using it in 2009 and 2007ish, things are going poorly; or rather, not going at all.
I've been trying to figure out the reason behind this and I've narrowed it down to a few things:
1. I've lost my game - This may be possible, but I never thought I particularly had super game before and I feel like my normal game is the same weird unique style of game as it's always been.
2. The competition has toughened - back in 2007, barely anyone used online dating, so maybe you were competing against a few dozen guys in the local area. By 2009 it was probably more like 100, now? Online dating is off the hook and everyone has an okcupid account like they do a facebook. A girl goes online and she has several hundred dudes to pick from.
3. I don't have the time - Another possible answer. Back in the earlier times I'd be on a break and have time to sit around at night and e-mail girls back and forth or chat through aim. To talk on the phone on the weekends, etc...etc...it was like high school socializing. Now that I'm actually working I log on for maybe 5 mins every few nights and send out an e-mail or two either to someone or in reply.
4. I got old - The majority of girls on a dating site tend to be in the 20-24 range. Those girls put their dating ranges at ~22-26 year old guys. When I was 24/25 online dating, it was the cool range and people we're down to reply and chat. When I was 27 it was a little more scarce but people were still sorta ok with replying. At 29 going on 30 this year, it seems I've entered the "old and creepy" stage where even girls who were 25-27 are feeling you're at the end of their age limit. I feel like I've entered anime where once you hit 30 you're the "old man" and you're going to die within the first 13eps after teaching the main character some divine knowledge.
5. Message styling changes with age - This combines #1 & #4. When I was 24 and sending messages to 20 year olds, I could be my goofy fun high-school/college-persona self. Talking about bowling and pizza, mini-golf and zombie invasions was good times and women would have fun replying back and getting into rolling dialogues about fun silly stuff. Now, at 29 messaging girls who are 25+, bowling and pizza and zombie invasion messages seem to be met with the stonewall. No one wants to have silly fun and otoh I don't want to be total serious early on. I think subconciously I am filtering women to find ones that I could have fun with. If they reply back to odd-the-wall messages with their own, then hey, this person could be someone I could get along with and have fun together with. But while that worked at 24 or barely at 27, at going on 30 I think it limits the pool to the point that the pool has eroded into a skateboard park.
So yeah, I think some combination of those is going on and either I'm going to need to change or grow younger, because whatever it is, is making it not work this time around. I thought growing hotter and having an actual job instead of being a poor student would increase appeal and make things easier; but yeaaaah, not happening. I think I'm getting too old :X I need to switch bodies with Green Man.
