Date Like A Nerd

Unlock Your Player 2!

Alex

Dungeons and Dragons + TTRPGs: Where to Meet Nerds

by

with Sean (aka MrShickadance)

🎲 Want to find love but hate loud bars and clubs? Tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) could be your perfect anti-social social quest. But here’s the catch: you can’t just show up, roll a charisma check, and expect to find your Player 2. You need to actually make friends with the people behind the characters! 🧙‍♂️

🎮 In this episode, Sean (aka Mr. Shickadance), a Dungeon Master and content creator, breaks down exactly where to find TTRPG groups and how to use them to unlock your social tree. Whether you’re brand new to DnD or a veteran player stuck in the same campaign for years, you’ll discover how to expand your social network beyond that small party. 🗺️

🎲 Because if you only ever meet for game nights, you’ll never get to meet the players behind the characters. After all, what you do outside of the table is what turns your party members into real friends. And from there, you never know who you could meet. That’s where the real magic happens. 📝

📜 You’ll also learn the rules of etiquette before you even show up to your first session, so that you can maximize your chances of people looking forward to seeing you again. But what if you don’t want to see some of those new party members again? 🧟 You don’t have to make friends with anyone you don’t want. We explain the strategies you can use to make sure you surround yourself with people you like and who like you 🙂‍↕️

🔓 That’s what unlocking your social tree is all about: finding out those you get along with and then meeting their friends. No cold approaches. No loud bars or clubs. And no endless swiping only to get ghosted 👻

🎧 Ready to roll for initiative on your social life? Press Start now and start building your IRL party! 🗡️

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❤️ FREE GUIDE: 🎮
Where do nerds REALLY meet their Player 2?

I asked hundreds of nerds and made a guide based on those results.
Are you going to keep grinding without finding out the truth?

FREE DOWNLOAD

Sean’s Links:

Related Episodes:

Timestamps for lazy nerds:

  • 00:00:00 Intro
  • 00:01:01 What are TTRPGs
  • 00:03:35 Joining A New Group
  • 00:07:45 Choosing Your Friends
  • 00:13:01 Taking Your Friends Out Of The Container
  • 00:15:57 TTRPGs Are Social Games
  • 00:20:19 Dating Between Players
  • 00:23:19 Be Open to Trying New Things
  • 00:27:08 Your First Character
  • 00:28:22 Where to Find A D&D Group
  • 00:35:41 Where to Find Sean

How to Leave the Friend Zone: The Master Plan

by

the Nerd Love Story of Nicole & David

💔 Is it possible to escape the Friend Zone? Or are you worried that if you stay friends too long, you’ll miss your shot? 🎯 Most dating advice screams: “Make a move within 3 dates, or you’re done!” But what if you’re shy? What if they’re not ready? What if rushing things actually ruins your best chance at love? 😰

🗺️ Nicole’s “master plan” wasn’t about pickup lines or manufactured scarcity. It was about creating genuine opportunities to spend time with someone she liked. Through D&D sessions and texts about Nicholas Cage, she built a friendship so solid that when romance finally happened, it led straight to marriage 💍

⚠️ But here’s the tricky part: How do you know if you’re “being patient” or just wasting your time? How do you create romantic possibilities without being manipulative? And if most couples start as friends… why does everyone tell you to avoid it? 🤨

⏳ If you’ve ever been stuck wondering whether to confess your feelings or wait it out, worried about “ruining the friendship,” or felt like you’re doing everything wrong because you’re not moving fast enough… this episode will completely reframe how you think about dating 🧠

🎧 Press play to learn the real strategy behind going from friends to forever! 🚀

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❤️ FREE GUIDE: 🎮
Where do nerds REALLY meet their Player 2?

I asked hundreds of nerds and created a guide based on their responses.
Are you going to keep grinding without finding out the truth?

FREE DOWNLOAD

Nicole’s Links::

Related Episodes:

Timestamps for lazy nerds:

  • 00:00:00 Intro
  • 00:00:55 What Makes Them Nerds
  • 00:01:36 The First Approach
  • 00:05:14 “She Has a Boyfriend”
  • 00:08:53 Not Reading The Signs
  • 00:12:11 Clarifying Misunderstandings
  • 00:13:19 Maintaining the Long-Distance Connection
  • 00:14:45 Friendship and Attraction
  • 00:18:18 Planning the First Date
  • 00:21:09 The First Date
  • 00:27:59 The Second Date
  • 00:32:00 Keeping Online Connections Alive
  • 00:36:47 Couples from Conventions
  • 00:38:38 How to Meet Cosplayers

Why You’re Still Single Even If You’re Going to Meetups

by

with Single Player George

🎯 Going to meetups every week, showing up to events over and over again, hitting nerd conventions annually, and still single? You’re not alone. George is a 47-year-old Marvel and Star Wars fan who attends events regularly, has female friends, and can dance without drinking. So why hasn’t he found his Player 2? 🤔

🔒 The problem isn’t the meetups. It’s staying stuck in the container. George would meet women he liked, exchange Instagrams, but never unlock his social tree. He’d only connect 1-on-1 with women he was attracted to, then disappear if they wanted to be “just friends.” Why? He believed women decide whether you’re dateable within 30 seconds, so friendship = game over 👾

📊 According to my surveys, 70% of nerd couples who didn’t meet on dating apps started as friends (usually for 6 months to a year!). Even 20% of the couples who met on dating apps started as friends first! That “women decide in 30 seconds” rule? Debunked. The friend zone fear? Actually blocking him from the exact path most nerds take to find their Player 2 🎲

🧩 So what’s the missing piece? How do you turn meetup connections into actual dating opportunities? 🍷

🎧 Press Start to find out how to unlock 2-player mode! 🎮 🎮

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❤️ FREE GUIDE: 🎮
Where do nerds REALLY meet their Player 2?

I asked hundreds of nerds and made a guide based on those results.
Are you going to keep grinding without finding out the truth?

FREE DOWNLOAD

Related Content:

Timestamps for lazy nerds:

  • 00:00:00 Intro
  • 00:00:38 What Makes George A Nerd
  • 00:01:10 Going to Meetups
  • 00:04:16 Starting Out As Friends
  • 00:07:42 The Friends Next Door
  • 00:10:39 How Many Relationships Start As Friendships
  • 00:12:55 The Benefits of Friendships
  • 00:17:33 Meeting People At Meetups
  • 00:20:33 Scheduling Problems
  • 00:23:41 Choosing The Right Friends
  • 00:29:14 Being Vulnerable
  • 00:37:17 The Awkward Friend
  • 00:46:18 Final Thoughts

Cold Approaches Failed. One Night With New Friends Worked.

by

Mrinal’s Nerd Dating Transformation

🤔 What if months of cold approaching strangers kept you single and frustrated, but making new friends got you numbers? That’s exactly what happened to Mrinal, a past client of mine 🤓 He’s a nerd who plays D&D, learned Japanese to watch anime without subtitles, and spent months following mainstream dating advice that made him feel uncomfortable and inauthentic 💀

Mrinal was stuck in a loop: work, gym, home, repeat 🔁 He tried what the internet told him to do (dating apps and cold approaches). And yes, he was brave enough to step out of his comfort zone. But something felt off. He never felt comfortable being himself. He was hiding his personality and felt ashamed of being a nerd, worried he’d be mistaken for an incel 💊

🌐 When we started working together, the first breakthrough was realizing that “real life is NOT a subreddit.” While online spaces amplified his fears and made him think everyone would judge him, the real world was completely different. He joined an improv group’s WhatsApp chat (terrified his first message would be ignored), went contra dancing, and discovered board game nights just minutes from his home. Places he’d convinced himself didn’t exist or weren’t for him 🎲

💃 On his first night trying salsa dancing, Mrinal met someone. His new friends literally pushed him to ask for her number. When they met, he didn’t feel “cringe.” No more censoring what he said or did. No more feeling locked in a cage. He was finally just… himself 🙌

But here’s the real transformation: Mrinal went from isolated and desperate to getting invited to 4 Halloween parties within only a couple of months of us working together 🎃 He’s no longer afraid to left-swipe on dating apps for fear of missing out on a match. He’s not desperately trying to get “whatever he can get.” And most importantly? He stopped waiting for the “perfect fit” and just started showing up. Because those “imperfect” activities led him to the right people 🎯

💤 If you’re tired of feeling like dating advice is keeping you single, or if you’ve been brave enough to try everything but nothing feels right, listen to Mrinal’s story. Because sometimes the world is so much bigger than you think! 🌍

🎧 Press Start and learn what’s possible when you Date Like A Nerd! 🤓

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Related Episodes:

Timestamps for lazy nerds:

  • 00:00:00 Intro
  • 00:35:12 What Makes Him a Nerd
  • 00:01:34 Life Before Coaching
  • 00:06:04 Ashamed of Being a Nerd
  • 00:08:34 Why Coaching
  • 00:12:17 What Coaching Was Like
  • 00:16:34 Starting to Socialize
  • 00:20:40 Real Life Isn’t a Subreddit
  • 00:25:40 Dating Achievements
  • 00:30:46 Socializing as an Introvert
  • 00:37:28 Having Dating Standards
  • 00:43:08 Stop Waiting For Perfection

Level Up Your Social Skills Using Online Gaming Communities

by

with Kaylee Lopez

🫣 Meeting new people can be scary. That’s why online gaming communities are a great way to start if you have Level 1 Social Skills and want to gain some XP! 👾

In this episode, I bring back Kaylee Lopez, an anthropologist who writes about gaming and game communities. We discussed why communities are important and how you can use them to level up your social skills IRL 💬

🏰 From self-esteem to safety, communities can serve many different purposes. Fortunately, whether they’re online or in-person doesn’t dramatically change the impact they can have on you. Having a group of people who want to be with you and support you can help you become more secure in yourself and with others 😎

🖥️ You can use online social spaces to try new social skills that you’re too afraid to test in the real world. By giving your avatar the behaviours you’d like to have yourself, you can safely test what it would feel like to be someone different 🦸 Someone you want to be 🫅

You’ll even get to see how people react, and how you can react to those reactions (and so on) 🤩 After rinsing and repeating, you’ll start incorporating those characteristics into your real life. There are forms of therapy (including TTRPGs) that are based on this model. The fact that it’s not “the real you” is irrelevant. You’ll still grow and develop into the person you want to become 🙌

As time goes by and you start feeling more confident both in your skills and with the people in your community, you can go from text-based interactions to audio, video, and maybe even in-person meetings! 🤗

🫡 So what are you waiting for? Are you going to accept this new Quest? 🙂‍↕️

🎧 Listen now and start leveling up your social skills online! 🦾

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❤️ FREE GUIDE: 🎮
Where do nerds REALLY meet their Player 2?

I asked hundreds of nerds and created a guide based on their responses.
Are you going to keep grinding without finding out the truth?

FREE DOWNLOAD

Kaylee’s Links:

Related Episodes:

Timestamps for lazy nerds:

  • 00:00:00 Intro
  • 00:01:19 The Value Of Communities
  • 00:03:46 Becoming Secure Through Communities
  • 00:06:09 IRL vs Online Communities
  • 00:08:09 How to Meet People in Online Games
  • 00:10:35 Developing Social Skills
  • 00:13:19 Who You Want To Be
  • 00:15:00 Staying Safe
  • 00:21:05 Contact

From Cosplay Competition to Long Distance Love

by

A Convention Crush Love Story with Bimini and Riv

🧐 How can you find a partner at a convention? The Date Like A Nerd surveys showed that conventions are one of the top places to meet nerds, and that real relationships do come out of those connections. In fact, Bimini and Riv’s story proves that a convention crush can turn into something real, even when you think they’re already taken, even across long distance, and even after starting out as friends 🤝

🎭 Bimini and Riv interacted briefly during a Hazbin Hotel cosplay sing-along. Riv had impressed Bimini with his cosplay and theatrical skills, so when she found out he would be attending the next day, Bimini bought a ticket just to see him again. But when she showed up… Riv mistook her male friend for a boyfriend! Both were disappointed after seeing the other’s reaction 😱

📱 After the event, they stayed in touch as long-distance friends, unclear as to the others’ feelings 🤨 This is a story of how misunderstandings can create unnecessary challenges, and how good communication can be the Special Skill to beat that Boss!

💕 If you’ve ever had a convention crush, worried about misreading signals, or wondered if you can be friends without getting friend-zoned, this episode is for you! Because sometimes a crush at a convention stays just that: a fun memory. But other times, if you’re brave enough to take action, it can turn into something real 💘

🎧 Press Play and learn how nerd couples can form at conventions! 🦸‍♂️

YouTube Logo
Apple Podcasts Logo
Spotify Logo

❤️ FREE GUIDE: 🎮
Where do nerds REALLY meet their Player 2?

I asked hundreds of nerds and created a guide based on their responses.
Are you going to keep grinding without finding out the truth?

FREE DOWNLOAD

Links:

Related Episodes:

Timestamps for lazy nerds:

  • 00:00:00 Intro
  • 00:00:55 What Makes Them Nerds
  • 00:01:36 The First Approach
  • 00:05:14 “She Has a Boyfriend”
  • 00:08:53 Not Reading The Signs
  • 00:12:11 Clarifying Misunderstandings
  • 00:13:19 Maintaining the Long-Distance Connection
  • 00:14:45 Friendship and Attraction
  • 00:18:18 Planning the First Date
  • 00:21:09 The First Date
  • 00:27:59 The Second Date
  • 00:32:00 Keeping Online Connections Alive
  • 00:36:47 Couples from Conventions
  • 00:38:38 How to Meet Cosplayers