The Geek's Guide to Dating

by Eric Smith

Overview

You keep your action figures in their original packaging. Your closets are full of officially licensed Star 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781594746437
Publisher:	Quirk Publishing
Publication date:	12/03/2013
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.54(w) x 7.30(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Eric Smith is the cofounder of Geekadelphia, a popular blog covering all-that-is-geek in the City of Brotherly Love, as well as the Philadelphia Geek Awards, an annual awards show held at the Academy of Natural Sciences. He’s written for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Weekly, and Philly.com.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. HI, HAVE YOU MET ME? Beginner Geek Dating
SELECTING YOUR CHARACTER: What Kind of Geek Are You?
I CHOO CHOO CHOOSE YOU: What Kind of Geek Do You Want to Date?
 
Chapter 2. ENGAGE!: Meeting People, Managing Expectations
AVOIDING IRL HELL: Setting Goals for Your Dating Experience
GREETINGS, PROGRAMS!: Online and Virtual Dating
ONE OF US!: Where to Meet Geeks
THE FORBIDDEN ZONE: Where NOT to Meet Geeks
 
Chapter 3. RELEASE THE KRAKEN! Setting Up the Date
DO OR DO NOT, THERE IS NO TRY: How to Ask Someone Out
NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO, THERE YOU ARE: Where to Take Your Date          
HOLY HELPER, BATMAN! How to Deploy Your Wingman
 
Chapter 4. READY, PLAYER ONE? Preparing for Your Date
THE KOLINAHR: Emotional Preparation
THE PON FARR: Physical Preparation
THE KOBAYASHI MARU: Social Preparation
 
Chapter 5. MAKING FIRST CONTACT: The Date
THE PREQUEL: Before the Date
THE QUICKENING: During the Date
THE VOYAGE HOME: After the Date
 
Chapter 6. BEYOND THUNDERDOME: The Aftermath of a Date
GET READY FOR A SURPRISE!: The Next Day
GAME OF THRONES: Casual Dating
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING: Exclusive Dating
DEALING WITH OUTWORLDERS: Introducing your Significant Other to Your Friends
 
Chapter 7. BOSS LEVEL: Advanced Geek Dating
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER: Getting Serious
I’VE GOT A BAD FEELING ABOUT THIS: Breaking Up
A NEW HOPE: When to Start Dating Again

Editorial Reviews

09/16/2013
Brimming with references to Star Trek, Firefly, and Pokemon, this dating guide by popular blogger Smith is aimed at an ever-growing population of self-described male “geeks” . Smith, who addresses the reader as “Player One,” provides tips on how to “hack” online dating profiles, the proper etiquette for approaching women on Facebook and Twitter, and the best locations for meeting like-minded women in real life. He walks readers through a first date simulation, outlining effective conversation strategies and topics to avoid. Smith does a great service for both sexes by disabusing men of the concepts of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl and “the friendzone,” while also discouraging “idiosyncratic ‘trademark’ wardrobe items” such as fedoras. He does, however, explain how you can achieve Han Solo’s “roguish but classy” style without attracting “unwanted attention in a cantina.” Smith further contends that the Cylons of Battlestar Galactica make good dating role models and that a Magic: The Gathering deck is a perfect metaphor for compromise in a relationship. He also covers moving in together, meeting her family, and proper break-up techniques, with Futurama’s Bender providing an example of what not to do. With Smith stressing understanding and respect for women, this is a welcome alternative to the “pick-up artist” phenomenon courting this same demographic. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

...sincere in helping dweebs discover that love is really the final frontier.”—Den of Geeks
 
“...a solid manual.” —Official Xbox Magazine
 
“The Geek’s Guide to Dating could be the answer to a single geek’s prayers.”—Suvudu
 
“Eric Smith's The Geek's Guide to Dating sets out to aid geeky guys everywhere with humorous instructions on finding the Princess Peach to their Mario.”—Pop Sugar

“...this is a welcome alternative to the 'pick-up artist' phenomenon courting this same demographic.”—Publishers Weekly

“[The Geek’s Guide to Dating] offers serious advice for getting a girl and knowing how to keep her…a perfect stocking stuffer!”—Anna Jedrziewski, Retailing Insight
 
“If dating seems more like a dismal game of Frogger instead of a fun Zelda adventure, you need to read "The Geek's Guide to Dating" by Eric Smith! Learn how to meet people in the real world and connect off-line for a change. You may even level up to a romance worthy of an RPG!”—Bonnie Burton, author of The Star Wars Craft Book & host of Geek DIY

“For the right person, this book is the Marauder's Map, the Konami code, the Gray's Sports Almanac of the opposite sex. It's dangerous to date alone: take this.”–Jeff Ryan, author of Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America

“The Geek’s Guide to Dating is a must-have for anyone who feels like they’re foundering in a dating galaxy far, far away.”—Carrie Tucker, author of I Love Geeks: The Official Handbook

“Single geeks, plunk down your quarters for this book!”—Tara Bennett, co-author of Fringe: September's Notebook and LOST Encyclopedia

From the Publisher