TY - CHAP
T1 - Chapter 10: Swipe, Reward, Repeat: Gamification, Intimacy, and Emotional Labor in Digital Dating
AU - Taylor, Emma
PY - 2026/9/22
Y1 - 2026/9/22
N2 - The rise of online dating platforms has transformed how individuals approach romantic relationships, with many users increasingly engaging in these spaces for entertainment as well as connection. Central to this shift is the phenomenon of gamification – the integration of game-like mechanics into non-game contexts, which has redefined user behaviors, shaped romantic choices, and influenced relationship outcomes. This chapter critically examines the gamification of online dating, exploring how swiping, match notifications, rankings, and rewards reframe intimacy as entertainment, alter decision-making, and marketize romantic engagement. Drawing on psychoanalytical and ultra-realist frameworks, and using original qualitative data from interviews, the analysis reveals three core themes: affective immediacy, marketized intimacy, and dating-as-entertainment. Findings suggest that while gamification can enhance engagement and identity play, it also encourages superficiality, fosters addictive behaviors, and embeds dating within consumerist logics that commodify desire. This chapter concludes with implications for design, user well-being, and policy in an era where romance increasingly operates as a form of digital leisure.
AB - The rise of online dating platforms has transformed how individuals approach romantic relationships, with many users increasingly engaging in these spaces for entertainment as well as connection. Central to this shift is the phenomenon of gamification – the integration of game-like mechanics into non-game contexts, which has redefined user behaviors, shaped romantic choices, and influenced relationship outcomes. This chapter critically examines the gamification of online dating, exploring how swiping, match notifications, rankings, and rewards reframe intimacy as entertainment, alter decision-making, and marketize romantic engagement. Drawing on psychoanalytical and ultra-realist frameworks, and using original qualitative data from interviews, the analysis reveals three core themes: affective immediacy, marketized intimacy, and dating-as-entertainment. Findings suggest that while gamification can enhance engagement and identity play, it also encourages superficiality, fosters addictive behaviors, and embeds dating within consumerist logics that commodify desire. This chapter concludes with implications for design, user well-being, and policy in an era where romance increasingly operates as a form of digital leisure.
U2 - 10.1108/S1530-353520260000038010
DO - 10.1108/S1530-353520260000038010
M3 - Chapter
SN - 978-1-80686-874-2
T3 - Contemporary Perspectives in Family Research
SP - 211
EP - 229
BT - An Examination of Mate Selection in the Online Realm: Dating, Sex, and Marriage
PB - Emerald Publishing
ER -