Sparks flew with this Seattle couple that turned board sport inventors

Welcome to the Seattle dating scene with readers’ thoughts and stories about what Seattle is like today.

For our next feature, follow this prompt: Is there an anniversary this month? Tell us in less than 500 words how you met your significant other and send us your story and a photo.

Please email your submissions to dating@seattletimes.com by Thursday October 8th or send them to @dating_in_seattle via Instagram direct message and they will be ready for printing in a future issue of The Mix.

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Ask Marina

In this special issue of Ask Marina, dating columnist Marina Resto highlights a Seattle couple who found an interesting way to spend their time in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On October 7, 2018, Jane and Michael matched up on the dating app Hinge and went on their first date that same day. They exchanged vows this January, just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and spent most of their married life locking up the coronavirus. As many couples have found, lockdowns put a strain on relationships. It’s hard to work in a shared space at home and never have time to yourself. Jane is a project manager in engineering; Michael is a former math teacher and now a graduate student at the University of Washington. While some of us were baking sourdough bread or enjoying Netflix, Jane and Michael put together their very own fun: inventing their own board game.

Before going into the specifics of the board game, I asked Jane and Michael Cunetta to tell their dating story from each perspective.

“When Michael and I first matched up at Hinge, I liked his joke about math and his cute picture with a golden retriever. Hinge recommended his profile to me as my most compatible match that day, and his opening speech was, ‘Hi Jane, do you agree with Hinge that we might be compatible?’ That made me laugh. So later that day we met for a beer in a neighborhood restaurant. (Actually, I only had half a beer, and Michael offered to finish it because I was drinking too slowly.) We spent the evening strolling the neighborhood and discussing the best places in town. The next day he called me and invited me to play pickleball and have dinner with him. ”

– Jane

“This golden retriever wasn’t mine, but I thought the dog photo would improve my chances of dating. When I asked Jane if she was okay with Hinge about our compatibility, she said she would bet her life on the Gale-Shapley algorithm (apparently definitely Hinge “most compatible”). Fortunately, I had a paper on the same algorithm in college, so I sent Jane a PDF to prove I was smart. When we met, I found Jane fun, wise, and easy-going. I later discovered that Jane is loved by her friends and also an accomplished businesswoman. Impressive. All my wiping was finally worth it! After a week of getting to know each other, I tried to get Jane home from Golden Gardens, but my ’97 Subaru wouldn’t start. We ordered Five Guys delivery to the parking lot and ate in the car while we waited for AAA. ”

– Michael

Fast forward to January when Michael invited some close friends to a surprise birthday party for Jane. When her friends shouted “Surprise!” they turned the surprise back on the guests. Jane and Michael announced, “We’re getting married! A close friend immediately led their wedding. Their plans to celebrate with the family at a Mariners game afterwards failed due to the pandemic, so they instead took an exotic trip to their living room for a movie night “Honeymoon”. They spent almost their entire marriage “staying at home” while working from home, walking around their neighborhood and trying various hobbies. Website called “Tinder meets Monopoly”.

The game inspiration came from their dating history, friends who met their partners online, and singles through apps. People love to talk and joke about online dating, and there are lots of tropes and stereotypes in dating apps that are easy to make fun of. The experience of swiping, matching, and messaging feels a bit like a game, with the goal of hanging out with someone special in real life.

In matches, all players start unemployed, without a car, out of shape and live with their parents. Much of the game is spent dating less desirable matches and accumulating “lifestyle attributes” in order to hit a series of “dates” in order to win the game. But gamers can sabotage each other with real-life dating battles, such as dating. B. 1% battery on your phone or stains on your pants. It combines humor and strategy in the game and perfectly simulates the ups and downs of online dating.

“During the quarantine, Jane and I played the game over and over for hours and adjusted the rules over time,” Michael said.

This fun quarantine project quickly turned into a Kickstarter campaign to produce their gamewho has raised more than $ 2,800 in pledges.

The Cunettas intend to produce the game themselves and donate the profits to Planned Parenthood. As Jane puts it, “Our game makes fun of the dating experience, but what we really care about is helping an organization that gives people access to information and services related to their sexual and reproductive health. Donating the profits here was an obvious decision. “

Although it started as a lockdown hobby, the newlyweds stick with their newfound gaming skills and I look forward to the future board games they have in the works.

Marina Resto
Marina Resto is a freelance writer for the Seattle Times and a side-hustle cupid. Slip into your Instagram DMs here: @dating_in_seattle.