Chicago Meet & Geek for Single People November 13 @Geek Bar Beta

~ JenniferP

Hello Chicago!

This is an event co-hosted by the Chicago Game Lovers Meetup, Geek Bar Beta, and me. We are trying out a thing. Read on for more info.

Date: Thursday, November 13

Location: Geek Bar Beta, 1941 W. North Avenue, Chicago, IL 60622

Time: 6pm-11pm

Event name: Awkward Meet & Geek

Description: Put on a clean shirt and come out to play games and meet some new people at this low-key event for single people sponsored by Geek Bar Chicago and Chicago Game Lovers hosted by Captain Awkward. More details below!

Who can come to this event?

Anyone over the age of 21.

Is this speed dating?

Nope. We’ll have board games like Settlers of Catan, Battlestar Galactica, and King of Tokyo, some video games like Super Smash Bros. Melee and Pokemon Stadium, and some art supplies and coloring books so you’ll have something to talk about and do with your hands. We’ll also have little cards you can fill out with your contact information, like so:

“Hi, my name is ___________. I really liked _________________(playing x game/coloring/geeking out) with you and I’d love to hang out again sometime. If we did get together, I would like it to be a (check one) _______ DATE-date/_______ FRIEND-date. If you’d like to get in touch you can reach me at _____________@________________________.”

If you like someone, you can fill out a card and awkwardly hand it to them before you (or they) leave. They may email you. They may not – there is absolutely no obligation! The idea is to make a low-key and friendly event where everyone can meet some new people without any pressure or “hitting on” (please see Geek Bar’s anti-harassment policy) needing to take place.

Is this for straight people only?

Nope!

What if no one of my preferred gender or orientation shows up?

SOME nice people of some sort will show up, and you’ll play games with them, and it will be a pretty fun night out of your house.

What else should we know?

There’s a full bar serving both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and a menu of awesome food you can order. Also, you can sign up for a free 10-minute consult with Captain Awkward or Geek Bar’s Fleet Admiral David Zoltan. Discuss your dating hopes and woes, get some fresh eyes and perspectives on your online dating profile, or let us take a few recent, flattering photos of you.

I’m scared it will be awkward.

We are (wo)men of action, and lies do not become us: It will probably be awkward, for the first 5-10 minutes. Putting yourself out there as ‘I am single and actively looking’ is awkward and vulnerable. It’s also an incredibly brave and wonderful thing to do. If you come to this thing, you may not meet the R2 to your Threepio, but you won’t be alone.

Meetup Members can RSVP at the Meetup Event Page, you can RSVP in comments here, or you can decide to roll on in at the last minute – no worries. There’s no cover charge. I hope to see some of your smiling faces there to keep me company and play games.

22 thoughts on “Chicago Meet & Geek for Single People November 13 @Geek Bar Beta”

    1. Thanks! If I’m going to keep telling people to get out and meet people, I might as well help it along. 🙂

    1. Yay! The bar has a stash of games, so it’s not necessary to bring one, but if there’s something you want to play, do it!

  3. Pingback: Also Captain Awkward is now organizing awkward dating events | External Memory

  6. I would love to host something like this in my geography. Can that be a thing that I try? (With all appropriate credits to you, of course.)

    1. I don’t see why not. My recommendation is hook up with a venue, talk to a local Meetup that’s already running where you have some connections, and go.

  9. I won’t be there. I will just applaud and hope it goes well enough to inspire others at other times and places.

  10. I AM SO DOING THIS! (I’m assuming it’s okay that I don’t know a thing about playing any of these games.) But I am an excellent drinker and a great colorer.

    1. Fleet Admiral Zoltan here! In the many years that I’ve been running the Chicago Game Lovers meetup, my experience has been that gamers love to have new people to play with more often than not. A new person that can play the game you love makes future meetups more exciting, after all. That isn’t always the case, of course, and no one should ever be forced to be in a game with someone they don’t want to be around and can always politely decline to have a new player in the game they are organizing. But if anyone is nasty about it, please report them to the Geek Bar staff as per our Anti-Harassment Policy. The Captain and I do not take such things lightly for anything pertaining to the Awkward Army or Geek Bar’s Fleet.

  11. Is it okay to attend if you aren’t really a gamer? I have nothing against board games, I just haven’t played them that much. For what it’s worth, I’ve at least watched people play Settlers of Catan and generally know the rules! And I’d like to learn to play Battlestar Galactica because I love the TV show. But I don’t want to crash something that’s intended for gamers in particular.

    1. Fortunately there will be coloring books/art supplies, and you don’t have to already know how to play the games if you want to jump in and try them. You aren’t crashing, I promise.

  13. Ahhh this is so wonderful! You’re almost making me wish I lived in Chicago and was single!

    I think those cards are brilliant. You’re inspiring me to make contact/calling cards for myself.

  15. I LOVE THE CARDS IDEA SO MUCH. I’ve been invited a number of times on “not-dates” which turned out to be tricking me onto a date with a person. Ick, ick, ick. Something like that would restore my confidence that I’m not about to be ambushed with the other person’s expectations if I express that I’d like to hang out with a person.

    Genius idea from the pioneers of the event, and would love to see more of these worldwide!

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