Social Networking sites are a massive thing at the moment, spanning right across the hobby range from mere mingling right through to obscure hobbies like fishing. Dating sites are part of the social networking sensation and whilst they are nothing new an innovative gamer has decided that his contribution to the 9.3 million strong World of Warcraft fan base shall be a dating site dedicated to their needs.
Datecraft.com launched on 10th November 2007. It presented itself as a site specifically orientated to World of Warcraft players wanting to meet the perfect WoW player from afar. The reception was mixed with some labelling it as, "pure win," and others labelling it as, "sad and pathetic," and so far, it has survived the initial storm and is going strong; getting stronger.
I sat down with Datecraft founder and WoW-Cupid, John, and talked to him about Datecraft then, now and in the future in the Worlds First interview with the dating site.
An Interview with Datecraft
TDQ: Firstly, who are the people behind Datecraft?
Datecraft: Interesting question. There are a number of people that I would probably include on that list: People who’ve helped me design / code it, people who’ve encouraged me to follow and pursue my creative need to make things out of nothing, and people who have influenced and inspired me to see the need for such a site. All those aside, on the day-to-day, there’s only 2, but we’re looking to build out our team: I do all the coding, design, implementation, management, and general administration, and I like to consult with my wife on the content I put up and marketing strategy (i.e. how much money I’m allowed to spend).
TDQ: Where did the idea come from?
Datecraft: In a nutshell, the idea came from a number of different personal experiences, and a little bit of entrepreneurial spirit.
I first got into MMO’s a couple of years back. In the fall of 2001, I was a college freshman trying to figure out how to spend my time between classes, DAoC (which launched October 10th), Xbox (Nov 15th), GameCube (Nov 18th), and a number of other distractions. It was DAoC that grabbed my attention, because it was unlike anything I had played before (and was the first game I was willing to pay a monthly subscription on!). My Uncle’s sister was an actual level/environ designer for Mythic, which made it all the more attractive. I was hooked and MMORPG’s became a steady favorite time-bandit for me. But, I began to wonder “who are these people I’m playing with?” Was that Midgard Dwarf really a short stubby 40-something year old in his mom’s basement? Or was it a really attractive young female that had some extra time on her hands? In any case, my curiosity led me to begin thinking about ways in which I would be able to meet, or at least “see”, my fellow guildmates (and the random PUG groups) on or offline. And, to be quite honest, the Elf from Hibernia, was she dateable?
Fast forward 3 or 4 years to November 24th, 2004. World of Warcraft hits the shelves and MMORPG fans rejoiced! My friend got me to sign up after he let me create a t00n on his account and that was it. I was addicted. Over time, I began hearing real life stories of people who had met in game, contacted each other in real life, met each other, dated, and then married! It was an amazing phenomenon, and one that I partly intrigued by and at the same time repulsed. But, it sure was fascinating. Graduating from college, I took my first job in what I would call the “bat cave”. I was managing Cisco routers for an collocation and ISP working graveyard shifts, and what’s so funny is that even during the day we kept the lights out. What was so interesting is that out of the 8 or 9 of my fellow cave-dwellers 7 of them were married, and of those 7, 6 of them had gotten married to people they met online (2 mail-order brides from Russia, 1 online from Thailand, and 3 stateside). Online dating was real. And more than that, it appeared to be working, as all of them “seemed” pretty satisfied with their marriages!
TDQ: How much time did it take for you to get the site up and running?
Datecraft: The site from conception to launch: 6 years. The actual development started on November 2nd. It was done and launched 8 days later on November 10th, 2007.
TDQ: Were there any major obstacles in the way of the idea or was it quite easy to go from idea to reality?
Datecraft: Not really. One of my blog posts mentions some of the numerous software platforms that we’re using to manage the site. What’s so amazing is that almost all of the ones mentioned (and more that I haven’t mentioned) are free of charge. Technology is pretty awesome these days and affords even the most lackluster entrepreneur the opportunity to make whatever they’ve got stuck up in their head a reality.
TDQ: Could you tell us about some of the features on Datecraft that members have access to?
Datecraft: Members have access to typical features and functionalities that a number of other “dating” websites have, such as pictures, profiles, and guestbooks. We also have the ability to share music and upload a small (15mb) video of themselves. You remember “Hot or Not”? We’ve got a photo rating feature too. In addition, we’ve got some odds and ends, like “winking” at another member, global and personal chatting / shoutbox, search, events, blogs, and a forum. Finally, we’ve got continual contests running, so our users can win fabulous prizes.
TDQ: What made you think that a dating site was what WoW players needed?
Datecraft: I’m not sure if it’s as much of a need as it is a satisfactory fulfillment of a simple curiosity: Who am I really playing with and what do they look like? I think the question “Are they single and ready to mingle” might be a final afterthought. But, in the context of knowing that a number of lonely WoW players have actually struck gold in finding a real life friend, partner, and spouse, I thought it would be fun to provide an official “medium” by which those relationships might occur.
TDQ: There have been WoW funerals, WoW weddings and a host of other WoW events that have attracted attention. Do you think that Datecraft is opening up the floor for serious internet relationships over World of Warcraft, including WoW dating and perhaps more WoW weddings and even honey moons?
Datecraft: I’d like to think so. But, who knows. The internet is a fickle place. Do something wrong and people won’t use it. Fulfill a need, they love you (until you do something wrong). It’s all about relative interpretation of use as well. What I mean by this is that a number of people have viewed Datecraft as a glorified MMO joke, while others see it the same way we see it: As a legitimate way to build relationships. Time will tell who wins, and really, we’re not in charge of that; the users are.
TDQ: There are a lot of sceptics out there who claim that this idea won't take off because, "80% of WoW players are men," and whilst 80% isn't an exact figure, do you think the larger male player base may hamper the site?
Datecraft: Could or “may” it hamper the growth of the site? Sure. Of course. But, I do believe (and studies show) that the adoption of video games by women is on the rise and there are more women playing MMO’s than ever before. Datecraft may be well before it’s time and it may be too early to be effective. We are a “World’s First” (from the perspective of being a niche-in-a-niche-in-a-niche website, catering to a specific video game, in a specific genre, in the online space).
TDQ: The site has been live now for 4 days and people have shown a genuine interest in the service you have presented. What has the initial reception been like from your perspective?
Datecraft: Mixed. I’ve read probably a 100+ blog posts (gogo http://blogsearch.google.com/) which have responses and reactions spanning the entire emotional spectrum of the human experience. Initial reception? Shock baby.
TDQ: World of Warcraft is just one game out of the many MMOGs that are out there. Do you plan to extend this new e-dating for gamers pitch to other titles such as Tabula Rasa or Guild Wars?
Datecraft:I’ve thought about it. My initial thought is that one should see if this first dive into the deep end here does well and is successful and then move forward with engaging with other games. “Success,” though, can mean a number of different things.
TDQ: Now that the site is live, what plans do you have for Datecraft? Are you working on any new features for the site? What can members look forward to?
Datecraft: We’re currently brainstorming and testing out some different features that some of the members have suggested. We’ve been extremely busy hacking the site to make it more user friendly and to meet the needs of the users. We’re pretty excited about the evolution of the site because we’re taking our member’s suggestions seriously; they are the ones that are going to really make it the best online relationship community! In addition, we’ve got some great Contests that we hope to our members will participate in, one of which I’m particularly excited about: Datecraft.com Homepage Banner Contest!
TDQ: Lastly and most importantly, do you yourself have a profile on Datecraft?
Datecraft: I do. But, I’m definitely not the most popular person… and that’s probably a good thing.
So there you have. Thank you John for a brilliant interview and I'm sure we'll be hearing loads more about Datecraft as the site grows!
Keep an eye out for more interviews on The Daily Quest coming soon!
