Ask HN: A service for dating through escape rooms with strangers?

6•amichail•2h ago

What if you could meet potential dates by teaming up with strangers in an escape room challenge?

You’d get thrown into a fun, high-pressure puzzle scenario with 4–6 other singles. You’d see how people actually think, communicate, and cooperate. This is way more revealing than a typical first date.

After the escape room, everyone fills out a private questionnaire about whom they’d like to go on a date with (if anyone). Only mutual matches are notified afterward. No awkward “asking out” moments, no pressure.

It’s kind of a blend between speed dating and team-based problem solving, but more memorable and revealing than either.

Do you think this would be a good idea?

Comments

CaptWillard•2h ago

The comedic/horrific possibilities as presented are compelling, if comedy and horror are the goals.

Maybe better as a second date.

muzani•1h ago

Maybe a haunted house might be better.

Schachter-Singer theory was formed from on the idea that people will feel emotions based on their physiology and context. A person who is scared will have their hearts pound faster. They meet a person. They find that person attractive because their hearts are pounding quickly. It applies to things like road rage too - fear and anger are physiologically very similar and the body will combine the two. Anxiety is also excitement, and so on.

Things that create fear and anger could possibly improve arousal rates as well.

I'm also thinking team synergy like who's protecting who, who takes lead, who tries to save themselves.

JohnFen•1h ago

It sounds like a way of enabling people to continue to avoid developing social skills. Wouldn't it be better to find a way to help people develop those skills instead?

Jeremy1026•54m ago

Have you ever done an escape room, especially with a group? Communication is super important. The only thing this does to avoid developing social skills is to remove fear of rejection by making matchmaking anonymous.

JohnFen•22m ago

Yes, I've done many of them. They're great.

> The only thing this does to avoid developing social skills is to remove fear of rejection by making matchmaking anonymous.

Right, that's what I was talking about. This is a critically important social skill to be learned, not to be avoided. Learning how to deal with the fear of (and actual) rejection is a critical life skill, both in dating and otherwise. Avoiding it seems harmful to me.

hshdhdhehd•53m ago

Sounds pretty social to me. Escape room then likey you end up chatting after and going somewhere else if you get along. Maybe as a group.

hshdhdhehd•50m ago

Yes. But possibly make it more "make friends" oriented. Although there could be singles and up for a date versions if you want and more "i definitely just want to make friends only" versions. But I think the evaluation at the end is not needed. Just encourage people to exchange details if they want to.

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