Fancy a Virtual Date? Weopia adds virtual dates to the online search for love

Apparently, people find online dating a bit frustrating. Daters spend a lot of time searching profiles but alliances and flirtations formed online don’t always translate into to good dates in real life.

New site Weopia claims they bridge the gap between Instant Messaging and real life encounters – providing a virtual date space that your avatar can have a date in. Yeah, apparently that works better than just hooking up after a bit of an online chat.

Meet a guy/girl in a dating site, but before you go to Starbucks or the Millenium Wheel together, Weopia suggest you interact with them in a virtual space through an avatar..

Why did they come up with this idea of a virtual date?

– Becuase it works better they claim:

“Using avatars in a 3D world to engage with someone they’ve met at an online dating site allows users a better way to see if there is any chemistry, spark or compatibility before meeting in person.

“Spending just 20-30 minutes in Weopia can be the equivalent of messaging for a week or more at a dating site, yet more effective.”

They quote some research by a student at Harvard Business School which suggests that people have greater real life success rates after virtual dates.

Other upsides of virtual dates, from what I can discern, include being able to meet on tropical beaches, ravines, having bigger breasts, and the fact that you don’t have to dress up or spend any money. [Weopia is free for now].

I’m not utterly convinced that this will become an integral part of online dating, but it’s an interesting thought. Anyone got any thoughts/experiences they’d like to share?