Spotlight interview: Lise Keeney, Date Like Goblins
Date Like Goblins is a new, gamer-focused dating site that lets people go on dates in their favorite video games while voice chatting. We previously covered their Kickstarter launch, and while the Kickstarter wasn’t a success, its Founder, Lise Keeney, is excited for the future and has learned a lot from the experience.
Date Like Goblins is for the introverts, neurodivergent, and the perpetual third wheels who know their person is out there, they’re just having a hard time finding them. With traditional apps needing an average of 4,000 swipes to book 6 first dates, Date Like Goblins provides a refreshing alternative to the tired, homogenous swipe-match-message user experience.
If dating isn’t your thing, you can use the platform to find friends by activating the Game Like Goblins mode which provides you with a friend finder instead.
I sat down with the Founder, Lise Keeney, to talk more about her goblin origin story and the future of the platform.
Robin: Hey Lise, thanks for joining me, where did the idea come from for Date Like Goblins? What was the original eureka moment?
Lise: Hi Robin, great to chat! I’ve been in the dating space for the last 12 years, I was Hinge’s first publicist and have personally been on and off dating apps since then, as this sort of wide-eyed optimist.
It wasn’t until 2022 after my dad passed away that I had one of those existential reflections of “okay, professionally and personally, what was I put on this planet to do?” The latter came down to me always wanting to find my person. So after getting through the worst of grieving, I hopped back onto the apps and realized for the first time in my life, I just didn’t have the energy, spoons or fucks to continue navigating those traditional dating apps.
Messaging takes a lot of time, right? There’s a lot of energy required to show up on these first dates, and if they go poorly, that’s a lot of lost time and resources and that’s really frustrating and disappointing. After a couple of those dates, I thought to myself, how can I use the internet to connect with people in a low-pressure environment where I can have these screening conversations without needing to leave my house?
That’s when I thought, “well, what if I created a profile of who I am, what I’m looking for, and if this sounds like you, use my Calendly to pick a time to meet me in World of Warcraft?!” As I started to build out that idea, I realized that it’s more than just a potentially viral TikTok series, it’s something that I could see a lot of people doing. It’s been happening by accident over years and years through countless games, so what if we did it even more intentionally? The thought of that possible magic was really exciting to me.
I love that! So Date Like Goblins has been in Kickstarter for the last month or two, I know there’s some updates to that, what’s the state of play, what’s happening and what’s the route forward beyond the Kickstarter?
The Kickstarter gave us a strong launch moment with amazing press, but we overestimated the traffic those would drive. So while that experiment didn’t go quite as planned, it’s ok, sometimes Goblins are bad at science!
Over 50% of pledges have been for lifetime access, which indicates a massive need for what we’re building. We’ve gotten unbelievable enthusiasm and support from backers that have come in and it’s reinforced our commitment to what we’re building.
We’re giving all our backers access to the beta and free membership through 2026 for believing in the idea and being willing to pledge. We’re focusing on making that beta experience as best as we can for them, and then using that enthusiasm of engagement on the platform to go after more traditional start-up funding.
How do people date in a video game? What does the platform do to make that happen?
Just like a traditional dating app, you create a profile where you can write as much as you would like– think old school OkCupid. We’re really encouraging people to make their profiles their own and have fun prompts to help with that. Once that’s done, you can note your availability for when you’re available to game with other Goblins.
When ready, you can search for goblins you’d like to game with. Right now, we have basic search parameters– as we grow we’ll be adding more filtering and keyword searching too! It’s also worth noting you can use the platform to search for friends or one-off gaming sessions– we call that side of the platform Game Like Goblins.
Most importantly, there’s no sneaky, blocking algorithms. Unlike the mainstream apps where algorithms restrict or hide viable candidates, we’re allowing Goblins to search through everyone on the platform.
Currently in beta, when you find a Goblin you like, you can send them an invite to play a certain game during their set availability. The list of games will grow significantly over the coming weeks. When a Goblin accepts your invite, you’ll see each other’s Discord handles so you can connect and voice chat at the agreed upon time and game together.
We’re helping Goblins intentionally find people they want to connect with in the virtual spaces they love.
Tell me more about the match modes you offer.
Yes! So we implemented a few match modes to give Goblins ways to lessen the focus of physicality when connecting on the platform. Normal mode is the usual photos are always available on profiles. But then we also have Halfing Mode where photos are removed after you’ve expressed interest in gaming with another Goblin. Then for the purest of Goblin hearts we have 100% Goblin Mode where you see no photos and post no photos.
Building on that point about holding back the Discord handles until you match, how safe will the platform be?
We’re very safe in that we don’t ask for any identifying information, so folks put as little or as much about themselves as they’d like in their profiles. There’s no messaging on our platform so once matched, you’ll connect on Discord where we just recommend folks continue to use common sense with what they’re sharing.
The platform is described as neurodivergent and LGBTQ friendly. I can see how through some of these answers, but let’s just dig into that a bit more and how are you going to ensure this remains?
With our name being Date Like Goblins, we’re already seeing people self-selecting about whether they’d like to join our community or not. We’ve found that a lot of folks already self-identify as Goblins and more often than not, they’re ready for an alternative to the traditional dating apps.
As we develop the platform, we’re being very intentional in regard to accessibility functions, filter functions and learning about how people identify and how they want to make that known. Ultimately we’re creating an incredibly strong feedback loop to listen and ensure our product roadmap reflects the features our community needs and wants.
I love that willingness to listen and build what’s wanted. Evil goblins can slip into the nest occasionally, as it were, so what safeguards are going to be in place to guard against anyone who does slip through the net and cause problems?
There’s minimal communication until Goblins match, which we feel is important. Of course we have a very strong reporting and flagging system, so we’ll be able to address and investigate the nuances of each issue. We recognize that sometimes there might just need to be some behavioral education required instead of an outright ban. Once we’ve moved out of beta, we’ll have a membership model with a free trial period and we anticipate this will dissuade troublemakers.
Tell me more about your background and how it informed this moment?
It feels like my professional and personal journeys have serendipitously led me to creating Goblins.
From working and being on dating apps (yes, even Farmers Only) to attending gaming and comic conventions while leading PR at Shapeways, I’m just frustrated and qualified enough to introduce a much-needed alternative to the online dating space.
We live in a world of drone-delivered pizzas—why are we still stuck with such outdated ways of connecting? It’s time for that to change.
What one thing do you want to leave our readers with?
I’m just so excited to spend my weekends going to goblin weddings! That’s my focus, I want to get Goblins to a place where we’re making real, authentic relationships. While I want to ensure my team makes healthy salaries, my team is in agreement about wanting to prioritize people over profits.
I think with that vision, we’re going to build a platform that lets people meet and connect in healthy and organic ways. If, through that, we become the next big dating app, that’s awesome, I truly believe it’s possible. But we’re not going to be ruthlessly monetizing loneliness like some other apps. I want Goblins to be the place where you have unlimited, unfettered access to the Goblins on our platform, and you know that if your person is on there, you can find them.
Find out more about Date Like Goblins and sign up for the Beta at www.likegoblins.com/date
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