Date Better With This Deck (Win!)

Let’s face it—dates can be awkward, stiff and a little uncomfortable. Tired of feeling like they were wasting precious time and energy, Reza Houshmand and Savannah Golding decided it was high time to find a fresh approach. Enter SwoonCards: a modern, special card game that not only encourages people to go digital-free for the next date night, but also aims to create a culture around being open and real in romantic relationships. We chatted with these co-founders about how their dating deck can help transform our love lives. —Noa Nichol

When and why did you launch SwoonCards? What niche were you aiming to fill?

It started with wanting to solve our own problem. We are a couple of romantics who believe life is better when you’re in love. We were struggling to find the real thing within dating app culture. We were looking for depth and commitment, and got tired of feeling like we were wasting our time and energy on the wrong people. So we decided it was time we found a fresh approach to modern dating. Our goal was to create a game that would enhance our own dating lives, help other people find love, and create a culture around being real and open in romantic relationships. In terms of why, let’s face it: dating can be awkward, stiff and a little uncomfortable. Facing our own frustrations with modern dating, we wanted to create a game to get players away from their digital devices and connect with the person in front of them. Our inspiration was fuelled by our own experiences and feedback we received from our friends who played Swoon on their dates. It made us realize we stumbled on something powerful that can really help people who are looking for a real connection. We liked the idea of designing a non-digital product which was easily transportable; so we worked with the idea of a deck of cards. We started playing Swoon on our own dates and found the magic in them quickly: Just bring them out on your next date and flip a card every time there is a lul in conversation. By the end of the game you will know if your person is sitting in front of you or not. Our cards are designed for those who love love as much as we do. While our cards were initially designed for those actively dating, we find our cards are a powerful tool used in all stages of relationships. Whether you’re going on dates, in a new relationship or in an advanced relationship, our cards contain questions which promote the importance of communication, checking-in and feeling connected.

Tell us about the cards and how they work.

Each of our decks contains 52 question cards designed to encourage being present on dates, help people find love and create a culture around being open and real in romantic relationships. With four categories of questions, players can choose their own adventure and spice up the standard dating script.

Who are SwoonCards for?

SwoonCards were designed for the modern romantic. Whether you’re dating, in a new relationship or long-term relationship, our cards are curated to enhance communication and normalise vulnerability.

Of the four SwoonCards categories, which does of each of you like/enjoy most, and why? Or, do you have a favourite card in the deck of 52? What’s your answer to that card?!

Each category was designed to serve a different purpose: Fire Starter is ideal for first dates to gauge interest, Feels helps reveal what’s important, Thoughts ensures values are aligned, and Spicy asks the important questions that rarely come up in organic conversation. With each category touching on a different goal, we don’t necessarily have a favourite category as we appreciate how they each complement one another in the process of playing the game and getting to know one another. Regarding our favourite card however, we have a few:

• What are some small things that make your day better?
• What are your love languages?
• We believe to have a mutual understanding in relationships, it’s important to know how your partner shows and feels love. Knowing that your partner receives love in a different way than you, can help a couple feel more connected and develop stronger communication so that you’re building your relationship on a solid foundation. It’s such an important topic to discuss in the early stages.

How do you think the pandemic has changed dating, and what does dating look like moving forward?

Dating is now different; We believe that COVID has changed modern dating for the better. It’s shifted our focus onto quality time and being selective of who we invite in our “bubble”. It’s forced us to be honest with ourselves and our feelings so that we’re making clearer decisions. Without elaborate date activities, dating has boiled down to conversation, connection and compatibility; it’s about building relationships with stronger foundations. And that’s what Swoon is all about. We hope to see the future of dating reflect these conceptions around quality and purpose. Life is short and time is valuable. Investing in people takes energy and we hope to see our cards used to sort through lemons to find your main squeeze!

Is there any card (question) you feel is missing from the current deck?!

We spent a lot of time picking questions to reflect a variety of topics. We hoped that a single deck could reveal vulnerability, values and perspectives. While we don’t believe there’s any particular card missing from the current deck, we do believe there’s room for expansion decks in the future which can focus on certain topics. For example, expansion packs touching on attitudes toward sex, family values and/or religion are some topics which we know there are additional questions we could add to dig deeper in.

swooncards.com

Win! 1 Of 3 Decks Of Swoon Cards!

Congrats Amber Y. of Hamilton, ON, Vanessa R. of Saskatoon, SK, and Tara R. of Swan Hills, AB, who will each receive a deck of Swoon Cards! Please note: if you are the winner, you will receive a DM (direct message) in Instagram directly from @vitadaily.ca. Please be wary of fake accounts, which often use similar handles with an extra or missing letter, number or symbol. We will never ask for a payment or for your credit card number, and we will never ask you to click through a link. If you are unsure whether you have been contacted, via Instagram, by us or a fake account, email us before responding.