Could board games replace Tinder for people looking for love?

Article excerpt

Toria Papworth ditched a decade of dating apps, which she describes as "pretty pants", and found love through board games instead. A growing number of people are abandoning swipe-based apps for low-pressure social gatherings centered on games like Catan and Ticket to Ride, where conversation flows naturally from gameplay rather than curated profiles. The shift reflects broader frustration with algorithmic matching and the performative nature of online dating. Whether board game nights can genuinely compete with apps' scale and convenience remains an open question, though for some, the analog approach has proven far more effective at sparking real connections.