Eric Smith

Perfect for geeks of all ages, this hilarious dating guide, filled with 8-bit illustrations, reveals the perils and pitfalls of meeting women, going on dates, getting serious, breaking up and establishing a successful lifelong relationship that does not involve Star Wars bed sheets.

The Geek's Guide to Dating

Ken Gagne

Dating is hard, no matter what your demographic, but geeks have some negative stereotypes to overcome. I picked up Eric Smith's book to see what advice he might have.

For those of you seeking your Player Two, Smith breaks down the game into seven stages, including getting your life in order, asking her out, preparing for the first date, and having the first date, as well as end-stage games such as moving in together or breaking up. Little of the material is groundbreaking, such as "Stand up straight" and "Be confident", or where to meet potential partners, including not only traditional outlets like comic book shops and arcades (do those still exist?), but also Facebook, OKCupid.com, and MMORPGs. Most of the advice is stuff I've intuited, though maybe if someone had given me this book a decade or two ago, it would've saved me some grief.

Smith may not be offering original advice, but he does try wrapping it in a unique context. There are so many cloying video game references, so many of them unnecessary to the dialogue, that it was originally difficult to see past how clever the author was trying to be. His demonstrations of geekdom work best when serving as metaphor, such as by giving examples of fictional characters to emulate or not.

One thing to keep in mind is that the book is steadfastly heteronormative: it's written for straight men looking to meet and engage straight women in a traditional, monogamous relationship. Although Smith acknowledges early on that some of the advice can be applied to women looking to meet men, there is no acknowledgement of the existence of other lifestyles. Smith is also exceedingly optimistic that every woman a geek meets is single and available, and that if you play your cards right, you can score a date — there's no advice for determining if the other party is available, which at my age I find they're often not.

To be clear, this is not a "pick-up artist" book. Smith advocates against practices such as negging and instead encourages readers to be chivalrous but not sexist.

I did enjoy the book: despite a few typos, it's easy to read, and the pixel art is a fun complement. But since I've read no other dating books, I have nothing to compare it to. At the least, I hoped reading this book on public transit might pique some other geek's interest into initiating a conversation — but no such luck was to be had.

Melissa Railey

Sofia Collodel

You keep your action figures in their original packaging. Your closets are full of officially licensedStar Wars merchandise. You’re hooked on Elder Scrolls and Metal Gear but now you’ve discovered an even bigger obsession: the new girl who just moved in down the hall. What’s a geek to do? Take some tips from The Geek’s Guide to Dating. This hilarious primer is jam-packed with cheat codes, walkthroughs, and power-ups for navigating the perils and pitfalls of your love life with ease. Geeks of all ages will find answers to the ultimate questions of life, the universe, and everything romantic, from First Contact to The Fellowship of the Ring and beyond. Full of whimsical 8-bit illustrations, The Geek’s Guide to Dating will teach fanboys everywhere to love long and prosper.

The Geek's Guide to Dating

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