Gayme of the Week: A Nice Date
Ah dating. You either love it or hate it, but because everyone says you should, you go on them anyway. In A Nice Date, you play as the athletic gay disaster called Yun who takes the plunge and asks their crush on a date to the local coffee shop.
We can all relate to how nerve-wracking dating can be, and A Nice Date really sells that by including the internal dialogue of Yun just absolutely losing their cool while their cute-but-clueless crush talks to them. To top it off, game developer Xed also includes the nice touch of a shaking hand that you can move around. If timed at the right moment, it can be a smooth move. If not? Well, now you just look like a creep.
What I really enjoy about A Nice Date is that it rewards empathy. One of the recurring ‘problems’ that your crush keeps mentioning is her mother, who she’s certain won’t approve of her spending so much time away with Yun. You get the option to say something akin to ‘you shouldn’t let your mom control you,’ or you can say that it’s fine, and that you’ll work around it. Neither answer is necessarily bad, but A Nice Date’s use of body language makes it mandatory that you pay attention.
Honesty is also key in this game. One of the first things you realize is that your poor crush doesn’t actually know that you’re on a date – they just think it’s a friendly coffee chat between friends. It’s awkward, but you can either confirm it straight off the bat, or try to play it off. Playing it off does eventually lead to you just getting straight to the point, but being honest straight away lets your crush know your intentions – even if they still are a little confused. There are other examples of honesty winning out too, such as you admitting straight up that you don’t like books, but are very athletic instead.
A Nice Date reminds me of my first date and all my feelings while on it: the butterflies, the sweaty palms, and the onslaught of thoughts of ‘oh my god I hope I smell good’ while trying to make sure you respect the other person’s personal space. It’s incredibly relatable, and during these difficult times, it’s the cutesy, lovey-dovey game that we all need right now.
You can play A Nice Date on itch.io.
Gayme of the Week is a weekly column by Aimee Hart about indie LGBT+ games that she’s played and what she loves about them. If you’ve got any recommendations, be sure to contact her on Twitter (@AimemeRights) or email (aimee@gaymingmag.com).
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