by Catherine
It is that time of year again when flowers, roses in particular, do exceptionally well in sales even if they cost triple the price: Valentine’s Day. V-day is just a little over a week away so what have you planned for your other half? Are you going with the classic but cliché route of a bouquet of blood-red roses and a romantic dinner with a breathtaking view, or are you cooking up a magnificent storm of a meal to whet their appetite and melt their heart?
Like many other aspects of our lives, love has also evolved and adapted with the advancement of technology aka the metaverse and Web3. Traditional date ideas might not work as well as they used to and people want something new or different. And when COVID-19 struck, couples as well as a plethora of organisations were put to the test: everyone had to find alternative ways to maintain connections or establish new ones, because people could not interact nor socialise like they used to and traditional forms of entertainment and socialisation were entirely out of bounds.
Then when dating apps and the likes discovered the vast possibilities of the metaverse, love was taken to a whole new level. You can gift your significant other (SO) an NFT, have a virtual date in the country of your choice thanks to virtual reality (VR), build a room digitally and invite your partner over, and so much more. It opened up a brand new world for singles and couples alike. To know more about some of these dating apps and what they can do, you can refer to this article.
One such platform is Planet Theta, an upcoming metaverse dating app with dating and social engagement reimagined. The platform is set to launch on V-day and offers a deeply immersive experience ─ invite your date on virtual walks through an enchanted forest, catch a movie together, or hang out in a bar for a drink. With a variety of virtual settings to choose from, you will definitely be spoilt for choice. It may be just VR for now but a desktop version is in development for later release. Also, the platform is planning to include live comedy shows as well as other virtual events, so be sure to keep an eye out.
The waterfall located within the Enchanted Forest as seen above, is a beautiful VR landscape to surprise your date with
Nature not for you and your date? Hang out at a couples-only bar and have a chill-out date
Although Decentraland, another popular metaverse platform, is not yet VR-enabled, you and your bae can still schedule a date to hang out there in your respective avatars. Dance the night away from the comforts of your room with your SO in Amnesia Ibiza, impress your date with a visit to an art gallery like the Crypto Valley Art Gallery and the SuperRare museum, check out games and exhibitions held at MetaGamiMall with your other half, and so on. Unsure of what to do? Check the notice board in the Genesis Plaza to see the list of all ongoing and upcoming events with dates, times, and locations.
Next comes Bondee, a new social networking platform developed by Singapore-based tech firm Metadream that officially launched on January 17. It took Asia by storm within a week of its official launch, topping app store charts in numerous countries.
Bondee, positioned as the next generation social app, features cutesy 3D-animated avatars that are customisable and virtual rooms that can be personalised. Although marketed as a “live with your friends” platform, you can go on dates with your SO as well.
After you have created your account, set up your avatar and decorate your room the way you like, simply send a link (can be found on the top right of the app under “Add Friends”) to your date so they can add you to their list (provided they have an account as well). From there, you can chat with them and have your avatars take part in virtual activities like dancing, chilling round a campfire, having a picnic, and more. Find it boring to type out a reply? There are quite a number of reactions you can respond with that is so much better than a typical emoji. Or perhaps, pay a visit to your SO’s room and leave a heartfelt note on their wall (for all to see) to let them know how much they mean to you.
This V-day on Bondee, you can invite your bae to hang out on the sofa with you for a quiet time (like the above) or bust a move together under the disco ball.
Another way you can show them how much you love them is to customise the posters in your room with your own images or decorate the room with notes in the shape of a heart. The space is limited so do plan your room’s layout well.
To sidetrack a little, just last week, screenshots circulated on social media alleging that Bondee was a “scam”, claiming that credit card details of users were leaked and unauthorised bank transfers were made. It turned out to be false as Metadream issued a statement stating that the app does not collect credit card information or any other financial details. I, being a Bondee user, naturally can attest to that since I did not need to enter any financial information during the sign-up process nor during any moments when I am using Bondee.
There you have it, these are just some virtual date ideas that might come in handy this V-day. Of course there are more virtual ideas like dinner in the metaverse, gifting of an NFT, playing a co-op game in VR with a headset, etc, so do not be afraid to get creative. After all, bringing your date into the metaverse offers a different kind of immersive and unique experience that is impossible physically.
Dating.com, part of Dating Group, a global social discovery platform enabling people from around the world to connect through the power of shared interests and mutual benefits, revealed last week in a new data study they conducted that 40% of people in relationships claimed they are opting out of typical V-day rituals this year. Of those who plan to opt out, 50% said that amid inflation, the traditional dinner, drinks, and gifts have lost their value.
Since dating in real life (IRL) is not on people’s mind for 2023’s V-day, how about bringing your IRL partner into the metaverse to celebrate love the Web3 way? So what do you have planned for Valentine’s day this year?