Not since Mystery Date have relationships been featured so prominently in a parlour game (okay, maybe Girl Talk is a contender). Authenticity is the new dating board game designed to bring lovers emotionally closer, with a roll of the die prompting questions like “Your mate has gained a significant amount of weight. Would this bother you and if so, how would you address this issue?” and “Perform a cheer in front of your mate.” Game inventor Sheila Brown started working on the game before she met her husband, Milton Brown, who helped her market it. Suffice it to say, if you’re developing a board game and happen to meet someone named “Milton,” chances are the product is meant to be.
“We see the game as a way for dating couples to grow closer by gaining a deeper understanding of what matters to them and what they are looking for in a mate,” Sheila Brown says.
Fair enough, but at what stage of dating are you supposed to bust these questions out? Date three? Date seven? Even people who have been in relationships for years would most likely not feel okay doing a quick cheer in front of their partner…or ever. Plus, the game’s “cards” are divided into categories like “religion” and “finance.” No matter how conservative your position, these days, those topics are likely to incite game board–upending and early-date death. How unromantic!
Let’s just settle back into the faux golden glow of the 1960s teenage dating scene, shall we? Come, watch:
