Date Like A Nerd

Unlock Your Player 2!

Podcast

The High School Reunion

by

the Nerd Love Story of Pete and Ariana

📆 High school crushes don’t have to end with the academic year. Sometimes, relationships may benefit from a respawn much later. After gaining more XP, both players gain new ways to play together. What used to be two solo players may turn into a Co-Op game 💍

In this episode, Pete “Belmont” shares how he lost contact with his high school crush, only to meet again 10 years later at their high school reunion 🧑‍🏫 Though still platonic, that encounter later developed into a close friendship that naturally grew into a romantic relationship.

👻 For many couples, friendship is just the stepping stone towards a fulfilling relationship. Rather than fearing the Friend Zone, Pete shares how it was a natural transition for them. He finds that communicating your wants and needs is key. It’s all about showing yourself to the world, including your interests and hobbies 🧩

🤓 Both Pete and Ariana were nerds, though with slightly different tastes. But because neither of them hid it, and they accepted each other, many of their interests now overlap. To the point that she now watches more anime than he! 🖥️

If you want a Player 2 who joins your nerd Quests (including a Hobbit banquet with a LotR marathon), this is the episode for you! 🍖

🎧 Press Start to go on an adventure… for two! ⛰️

❤️ FREE GUIDE: 🎮
Where (and How) to Meet Your Player 2 Organically

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Pete’s Links:

Timestamps for lazy nerds:

  • 00:00:00 Intro
  • 00:41:20 What Makes Pete a Nerd
  • 00:02:38 The High School Crush
  • 00:05:00 Escalating from Friends to Lovers
  • 00:06:12 Discovering a Fellow Nerd
  • 00:09:55 Friends to Lovers Transition
  • 00:11:03 The Friend Zone
  • 00:16:08 Being Confident in Your Nerd Self
  • 00:21:19 Closing

Hobbit Hike

by

Where to Meet Nerds, with Sompi Harmetz

🧝‍♀️ Wish you could find your Fellowship without having to roll a Nat 20 on charisma? Many shy, introverted nerds want to touch grass and be more sociable… without having to join extrovert quests! If that’s you, Hobbit Hike could be the perfect solution! 🙌

In this episode, Sompi invites us to join “Hobbit Hike”, a magical, costume-friendly adventure where nerds, geeks, and gamers gather to touch grass, twirl swords, and unlock their social tree ⚔️ Whether you’re a veteran cosplayer, a D&D dice goblin, or just someone who’d rather sit on a rock in the forest than shout over a hentai lounge, this episode will show you a new way to build your party.

🤯 Hobbit Hike exploded from a handful of cosplay friends to a 70+ member stronghold, all while keeping things introvert-friendly and low-pressure. Sompi’s “assigned extroverts” and buddy systems make sure even the quietest newcomers find their people. With a mix of easy hikes and whimsical costumes, you’ll find that the best connections happen when you’re not racing to the finish line 🏁

Ever worried you’ll feel awkward or make others feel awkward? 😬 Sompi shares her OP-level tips for reading social cues, handling awkwardness, and keeping everyone safe (even if someone shows up with a functional axe!). You’ll learn how to find your niche, when to give space, and how to ask for help if you ever feel uncomfortable. Because every good party has an S-tier healer ⛑️

🖥️ Plus, find out how the community keeps bonding all month long with online movie nights, crafty side quests, and a Discord server that spans the globe. If you’ve ever wished you could just “whimsymax” with people who get your references, this is your invitation to join the campaign 🪧

🎧 Ready to level up your social life and unlock the Tolkien branch of your social tree? Press start and let’s go on an adventure! 🧙‍♂️

❤️ FREE GUIDE: 🎮
Where (and How) to Meet Your Player 2 Organically

FREE DOWNLOAD

About Sompi

Sompi is the founder of Healthbar Fitness, where she helps nerds, geeks, and gamers level up their health without abandoning the hobbies they love. Her journey began with personal struggles with negative body image and extreme dieting, including a stint in competitive bodybuilding that left her trapped in unhealthy cycles.

Discovering cosplay reconnected Sompi to her geek roots, but the real transformation came when she developed sustainable fitness habits that prioritized well-being over restriction. This approach changed everything—she felt healthier, more energized, and could fully enjoy her hobbies again.

Now, Sompi is on a mission to help other nerds achieve similar transformations. Beyond online coaching, she organizes Hobbit Hike in Las Vegas, where people hike in Renaissance festival outfits, and runs a vibrant Discord community with book clubs, movie nights, and craft sessions.
At Healthbar Fitness, Sompi understands that true health includes community and personal growth—it’s about building a balanced character sheet for real life while still having fun with the things you love.

Sompi’s Links:

Related Episodes:

Timestamps for lazy nerds:

  • 00:00:00 Intro
  • 00:01:22 What’s Hobbit Hike
  • 00:02:47 Who Joins Hobbit Hike
  • 00:04:10 Fitness Level Required
  • 00:06:34 A Different Hike
  • 00:07:46 Helping Introverts Fit In
  • 00:14:56 Checkin In On Attendees
  • 00:17:08 Reading Signs of Interest
  • 00:19:21 Keeping Everyone Safe
  • 00:24:08 Connecting Outside Hobbit Hike
  • 00:27:06 Start Your Own!
  • 00:27:48 Contact Info

The Twitch Streamer on Discord

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the Nerd Love Story of Luna and Jason

💬 Finding love on Discord is possible. Even if your Player 2 is the streamer who created the server. That said, there are some things you should keep in mind and that you want to avoid. After all, you can’t meet anyone in person if you get banned! 📵

In this episode, GamerMomLuna and Jason share how they went from a Twitch chat NPC to streamer relationship to a co-op campaign building a life under the same roof 🏡 It wasn’t an overnight evolution, and it wasn’t planned, either.

🖥️ Jason had been watching Luna’s streams and participating in the chat for a while before deciding to join her Discord. There, he was just another member joining random conversations. One day, a single thread turned into an epic-long dialogue. The rest of the server wasn’t invested, but they’d rolled a natural 20 on connection. It was time to move to a private conversation 🤫

☝️ They are the perfect example of how to transition from regular chat to DM. It’s not about finding an excuse good enough to slide into someone’s DMs. After all, they can block you, report you, or ghost you. It’s about knowing that they want to hear from you as much as you want to hear from them 🙂‍↕️

Once there, the usual conversation rules apply. Talk about your shared passions, and get to know the person behind the screen. Eventually, the curiosity might kick in, and you can go on a date, hang out, or even invite them to your next TTRPG session! 🎲

🧱 Leveling up a relationship through Discord may be slightly different, but in the end… we’re all just humans looking for our Player 2 🕹️

❤️ FREE GUIDE: 🎮
Where (and How) to Meet Your Player 2 Organically

FREE DOWNLOAD

Donate to Extra Life:

https://www.extra-life.org/participant/GamerMom-Luna

Luna’s Links:

Related Blog Posts:

Timestamps for lazy nerds:

  • 00:00:00 Intro
  • 00:00:43 What Makes Them Nerds
  • 00:02:01 Twitch Streamer’s Discord
  • 00:06:16 Transitioning to DMs
  • 00:10:11 More Than Friends
  • 00:13:41 First Date
  • 00:19:23 Making it Official
  • 00:21:54 Avoiding The Friend Zone
  • 00:26:48 From Discord to DMs
  • 00:28:20 Extra Life

Find Love Through Online Games

by

with Kaylee Lopez

👾 How do people find a partner who plays online video games? It often feels like you’re damned if you join a community looking for a relationship, and you’re damned if you don’t (because how else can you meet someone outside dating apps?!) 🤨

🎮 In this episode, I talk to Kaylee Lopez, an anthropologist who writes about gaming and game communities. We explore the ways you can integrate yourself into communities, unlock the gamer branch of your Social Tree, and find your Player 2. Literally! 🕹️

⌨️ Meeting gamers has its own set of challenges that are different from meeting people IRL 🖥️ On the one hand, most people don’t play video games to find their soulmate (just like with most communities). So even if you’re brave enough to approach NPCs, most people don’t want to be hit on immediately 🙅

💬 On top of that, if you do start talking to someone and hitting it off with them… you know absolutely nothing about them. And even if you did and had some interaction, whether you’d get along in person remains uncertain.

And to top it off, even if all of that does work out… they may live too far away from you! ✈️ So even if you manage to find your soulmate, they may exist all the way across the world with neither of you wanting to move 🌎

So with all of these odds against you, could it ever happen? The answer is YES.

🎧 Press Start to learn how to find your Player 2! 🧑‍💻️

❤️ FREE GUIDE: 🎮
Where (and How) to Meet Your Player 2 Organically

FREE DOWNLOAD

About Kaylee Lopez

Kaylee is an anthropologist that writes about gaming and game communities. She’s also a certified therapeutic game master, game writer, and game editor.

Kaylee’s Links:

Related Episodes:

Timestamps for lazy nerds:

  • 00:00:00 Intro
  • 00:00:58 Finding Love Within Online Games
  • 00:04:56 Joining With Honesty
  • 00:07:47 IRL vs Online Chemistry
  • 00:09:56 Find Gamers In Your Area
  • 00:14:16 Expanding Your Social Tree
  • 00:18:05 Breakups Within Communities
  • 00:20:11 Contact Info

Tolkien meets Star Wars

by

the Nerd Love Story of Kaia and Celania

👀 Can your Tolkien hyperfixation get in the way of your Love at First Sight? Love at first sight is rare. But if it happened, what would you do? Would you talk to them or text them first? What if they don’t like you? What if you don’t know what to talk about? What if you have nothing in common? Or worse, what if you overwhelm them with your hyperfixation about Tolkien? There’s only one way to find out. 👇

In this episode, Kaia shares how she managed to date her now-fianceé… with a little help from her boss. 👨🏻‍💼 Because Kaia knew she wanted to marry Celania as soon as they met. But her social anxiety blocked her from a conversation in person or even via text! 😫

🧝‍♀️ One of Kaia’s fears was related to her passion for Tolkien’s work. The same hyperfixation that led her to become a Tolkien-centered content creator didn’t help her when relating to others. She knew she would often overshare information about the Lord of the Rings. Way more often (and longer) than most people enjoyed. 🥱

And she was right. However, she didn’t know Celania was into Star Wars and LEGO 🪐 Not LotR. Fantasy and sci-fi can be considered opposite fandoms. But they’re still close enough that they’ll understand each other better than most. Over time, however, they became interested in each other’s passions, which built more trust and security and strengthened their relationship.

🙅‍♀️ Sometimes, people won’t share your interests or humor. And that’s ok. But if you take small steps and test for their interest slowly, you might find someone who’ll want to spend their life with you 💍

🎧 Listen to this episode to find a partner who enjoys your hyperfixation! 💪

❤️ FREE GUIDE: 🎮
Where (and How) to Meet Your Player 2 Organically

FREE DOWNLOAD

Kaia Kay’s Links:

Related Episode:

Related Blog Posts:

Timestamps for lazy nerds:

  • 00:00:00 Intro
  • 00:00:36 What Makes Kaia a Nerd
  • 00:02:15 Love at First Sight
  • 00:04:01 Fear of Rejection
  • 00:05:12 Info-Dumping
  • 00:05:59 Afraid to Text Your Crush
  • 00:10:07 Testing for Compatibility with Humor
  • 00:15:03 Forced First Date
  • 00:19:05 Disclosing Your Sexuality
  • 00:23:51 Signs of a Good Date
  • 00:24:59 Second Date
  • 00:26:27 Unprepared for Conversation
  • 00:28:47 Avoiding Info-Dumping
  • 00:36:15 Dealing with Opposing Fandoms
  • 00:40:18 Kaia’s Contacts

The Nice Guy vs the Kind Man

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with April

😇 The alternative to being a Nice Guy is often considered to be a Bad Boy 👨‍🎤 Because many people think that the problem is being a good person. And, sure, some people might be attracted to that… in the short term. But if you’re looking to build a healthy and loving relationship, you may want to look into becoming a Kind Person instead 😌

🖤 In this episode, April returns to share what made her fall for her husband Scott. It wasn’t his wealth (he lived in an RV), or being a nerd (he watched Star Trek and played video games), or his physique (we’ll just believe her with that). It was him being “the kindest man she’d ever known.” 😍

🤔 What sometimes goes wrong with Nice Guys is giving with unspoken (and not agreed upon) expectations (a.k.a. manipulation) and a lack of boundaries. Some examples are giving gifts or doing favors for someone you don’t have a close relationship with, often at your own expense, hoping for them to like you or do something for/with you 🎁

❌ If you feel like you’ve been rejected for being a Nice Guy and you have to turn into a Bad Boy to find a partner, give this episode a listen. You’ll find many ways to become more attractive as a kind, good, and generous person 💪

🎧 Listen now and trade the Nice Guy for the Kind Person!

❤️ FREE GUIDE: 🎮
Where (and How) to Meet Your Player 2 Organically

FREE DOWNLOAD

April’s Links:

Related Episode:

Related Blog Posts:

Timestamps for lazy nerds:

  • 00:00:00 Intro
  • 00:00:41 Being a Nice Guy
  • 00:04:52 Kind-Person Behaviors
  • 00:09:07 Working on Your Mental Health
  • 00:13:31 Weird Acts of Kindness
  • 00:17:18 Boundary Problems with Nice Guys