Blog Archives - Coupling, the Game

Get Ready! The Calm Before Coupling

By Lan Rahne / May 7, 2021 May 9, 2021

Get Ready! We’re preparing something big for you! Firstly, a complete remodel of our digital look. Not just that, though! You’ll finally be able to see how Coupling, the Game looks like!

Just a few more weeks

After months of setbacks and issues, it’s finally just around the corner. You may have noticed that the style of pictures on our blogposts has been changing. There has been lots of visual development going on in the background for the last few months. The development was long, but we’re almost there now. We’re going to lay low for a while, so that we get the last touches right. Then, we’re coming out with major changes! Sit tight until then!

Are you missing a deeper connection with people?

By Lan Rahne / April 30, 2021 May 4, 2021

Has this ever happened to you?

You’re hanging out with a friend. You’re talking about various things, and there isn’t really anything wrong with the conversation itself. But, you find yourself wanting something more. You can’t quite put a finger on what it is. When the hangout is over, you feel a bit empty. As if what you actually wanted to get from socializing, wasn’t really there.

What’s really missing there?

Often, it’s very hard to describe what we’re feeling to others. To be honest, a lot of the time it’s hard to even understand what we feel ourselves. This can lead to a feeling of alienation that isn’t pleasant and we so often want to cover up by distracting ourselves. But distractions can only put it off for so long, and it’s much healthier to face it. So, what can you do to express yourself better?

Couple up, man!

When we manage to express ourselves to others, it’s rewarding for both parties involved. This expression is involved in making a deeper connection with the people around you. Getting to the right point in a conversation when it might feel possible to express yourself is hard, and it doesn’t always happen.

Here, Coupling can be really useful. We structured it like a game, but based it on real-life interaction. This means that you’ll be asking meaningful questions and sharing personal experiences in a relaxed and fun environment. There’s no pressure involved, and if you ever feel too uncomfortable to talk about something, you can always tone down your answers, but the opportunity is always there.

So, Couple up and express yourself! A deeper connection is within your reach.

Why are puzzle pieces the playing figures in Coupling?

By Lan Rahne / April 23, 2021 April 23, 2021

The jigsaw puzzle. It holds a special place in the hearts of millions of people around the world. There’s something relaxing and meditative about assembling those little pieces. About slowly and satisfyingly getting to a full picture. Even if so often at least a few pieces are missing!

But what do these pieces have to do with Coupling?

With Coupling, the connection with puzzles happened almost naturally. They’ve been with us since we’ve first assembled an alpha version of the game. Connecting and bonding with people seemed to us very similar to how puzzle pieces work. We can even see puzzle terminology when talking about whether we “clicked” with someone or not.

It was destined to be

So we went with it. But, we kept an open mind. We tried several different minifigure styles along the way:

We tried pieces that connect by putting one on top of the other. That made it feel like one of the two players had a leading role in the couple, which we didn’t like.
We looked at completely different designs, such as socks that connect with a bottom connector. It was way too hard to distinguish who was with who when there was a mess of (adorable looking, I might add!) socks on the playing board.
We tried abstract and more life-like faces that connect diagonally, making a single face together. Their abstract look made it for us to identify with them as our figures and again, they were hard to tell apart on the board.

We even made a survey to see if others got the same impressions as we did. And, the puzzle pieces beat the competition by a long shot! Every time, we got back to the puzzles.

And we can see why. They’re not complicated, everyone understands what they mean and they leave us a lot of free space for fun designs to make them easy to tell apart. They represent the essence of connection in the simplest of ways. It seems that they’re an inseparable part of Coupling now. That’s fine with us. We hope it’s fine with you, too.

Now for Activity… Do We Love it or Not?

By Lan Rahne / April 16, 2021 April 16, 2021

Activity is a German board game that is pretty popular throughout Europe. We remember playing it since we were teenagers. You play it in teams and try to get to the finish line first with your team. Along the way you have to compete in various challenges, from charades to describing a phrase given on a card.

What’s great about it?

It’s fast-paced. And pretty easy to learn. The rules are really not that strict. You can actually play the game without reading the rules and make them up yourself, and the game works. The challenges are funny and diverse. The concept is simple and it doesn’t take much effort to get into the game. When you do get into it, time flies by!

What’s not-so-great about it?

Well, it’s very non-personal. While you do have fun and quite a few laughs along the way, you don’t really have the opportunity to converse or bond with players in any other way than through the challenges, which are mostly non-verbal. When you’re done, you’re left with an aftertaste of nothingness. At least in the sense of communication and connection with other players. Of course, that might be due to the creators not focusing on that part of social interaction with the game.

We, on the other hand, think that connection is essential for a good party game. Just as connection is essential for a good party! Connecting, bonding with each other and having good conversations is what excites us and gives us a sense of fulfilment.

The verdict

The game is great and it really pushed the boundaries of European party games when it first came out. But it’s missing something, that special kick that you get when you have a good conversation with a friend. We still love Activity, but we think it’s time to upgrade party games to another level and bring them closer to human interaction.

Relax Your Mind And Go Outside

By Lan Rahne / April 9, 2021 April 16, 2021

We’ve been quarantined for quite a while now, and it hasn’t been the easiest. Less social interaction has left a mark on many of us in the last year. Let’s look at what we can do to combat this epidemy of loneliness.

Being alone ≠ being lonely

While being by ourselves might seem like the most dreadful thing in the world, it really isn’t all that bad. Only when we’re by ourselves we can really get to know ourselves. Take this time and try to understand your thoughts. Really get to know them. No judgement, don’t try to say “this thought is good, this thought is bad” or “I shouldn’t be thinking about this!”, just let your thoughts be. Realize that your thoughts are just that: thoughts, nothing more. You’ll soon find that being on your own isn’t half as bad as you thought it was.

Connect with the nature around you

Go outside! If you live in the city, go to a park. If you live on the countryside, go to the woods. And just experience nature in all of its purity. Studies show that going outside and experiencing nature has a range of impacts on our cognitive function and health. From better memory to improvements in attention, impulse inhibition, and overall mood. So why not use this to your advantage!

And then, connect with Coupling!

And, when we finally overcome the situation we’re currently in, connect with your friends. Connect with them in a pure, non-clinging way. Really listen to them and find out more about them and how they think and feel. And here, we can help. We’ve designed Coupling especially so that you can connect with your co-players in a fun and exciting way. When it comes to it (and when the game is finally out!), give it a shot and see for yourself!

Who Said You Need Couples To Play Coupling?

By Lan Rahne / April 2, 2021 April 3, 2021

Everyone can play Coupling, not just Couples!

Looking at its name, Coupling seems like a game made exclusively for couples. And if you look at the gameplay, it can still seem like it’s made for couples. And couples can very well enjoy the game, too! But the point of the game really isn’t just coupling in that sense of the word, though.

Play it with your neighbors, friends or family!

You might have a fun backyard party for a bunch of your friends or a small family get-together. Either way, you can be sure that Coupling will make the hangout seem almost effortless! Before you know it, your aunt Lucy will be bonding with your partner over their shared love of watching pimple popping videos on YouTube (and you’ll be asking yourself what have you gotten yourself into).

Or anyone, really!

Or, you might find yourself in a hostel with lots of new people you want to meet, or even at a company team-building party. Whip out that Coupling and you’ll soon find a way to bond with whoever you’re playing with! You can make the initial step of getting to know someone fun and completely casual.

Connection is essential.

What is essential to the whole Coupling experience, is connecting with your co-players. That can be on a romantic or a completely platonic level. It really doesn’t matter, in the end. What matters is that you get to know each other – and have lots of fun along the way!

Amazing results from the Coupling survey!

By Lan Rahne / March 26, 2021 March 26, 2021

The Coupling Survey Mashup of Game Beta Looks

So pretty recently, we’ve had a bunch of possible visual representations of Coupling. But, they were quite drastically different from each other! We couldn’t decide which look we liked the most, so we issued the Coupling visual survey! We wanted to see what the so-called outside perspective on the game was. And we were surprised to find that the results were similar to what we thought of the game, already!

The two main themes were:

The Puzzles Theme (the I Think I Know You version and the Best Evening Host version)

And The Funky Feet Theme

First, everyone created an impression of every visual concept by itself.

Not just in terms of how much they like them, but also in terms of what they remind them of. The I Think I Know You concept reminded most people of a game of getting to know each other (63% of interviewees). The Best Evening Host version seemed to most a game of entertaining people (68%), and more than a half of interviewees seemed to think of The Funky Feet Theme as a mainly funny game, with some of them noting that the concept reminded them of games such as Exploding Kittens.

Then, they decided in terms of the game itself.

After that, the survey attendees had the chance to read a short presentation of the game. Then they could decide which visual concept they think is the most suitable for the game by rating them from 1 to 5. And here, it became clear which concept we would go with in the end. I Think I Know You beat the competition by a long shot, with 65% of votes rating it 4 and 5. The Best Evening Host got 49% of votes in the same range, and The Funky Feet Theme 33%.

And so, the Coupling survey mostly decided the visual look of Coupling. Just now, we’re finishing the final look of the game, which will include what we think are the best bits of every concept. Stay tuned, some major visual news are coming very soon!

How To Start Your Night Right!

By Lan Rahne / March 19, 2021 March 22, 2021

Lorenzo starting his night right with his friends

So, a group of friends comes over to your place. You’re getting ready to celebrate something or just to hang out after a while. You bought some drinks, set the place up, and now you’re thinking of a fun way to start your night right.

How about Coupling?

It’s very easy to do that with Coupling! Just grab the game, get the drinks ready, and you’re all set. It works similarly to how social interactions usually work.

First, you all get to know a fun fact or story about each other. Based on whose answers or stories you liked or connected with the most, you pair up with two co-players and get to do all sorts of fun challenges with them. At this stage, you also get to know a bit about how your co-players think!

This prepares you for the last part of the game. There you’ll see if you actually understand your final co-player enough for you two to get to the finish line first!

But it’s not really about winning…

It’s about communicating and connecting with each other! If already at the first stage of the game, a great conversation is sparked, then Coupling’s job is done. Establishing a true connection in times like these, with senseless conflict all around us, is exactly what we all could wish for.

So, brace yourselves for the game that make sure you start your night right! Coming soon!

Cards Against Humanity? How About Cards For Humanity?

By Lan Rahne / March 12, 2021 March 22, 2021

We still have a laugh every time we play Cards Against Humanity (CAH). The way this game manages to pull hilariously offensive ideas out of players is still completely unmatched. It seems like it really is a party game for horrible people (it even says so on the box!).

Which got us thinking when we started making Coupling. We were deciding about the main direction of the game and were looking at other party games and their main goals. It turns out that our goal is not so different to CAH’s, though it might also be the complete opposite. Cards Against Humanity unites people by bringing out the worst in them. We want to do the same by bringing out the best in everyone playing!

But, how do you go about achieving that?

First, we made sure that the game gets personal enough. This is so that when you play you get a chance to express yourself and connect with your co-players. But, we had to not overdo it. If it’s too personal, it can quickly become a serious deep-talk game instead of a fun party game. So, we added the contest minigames to balance things out, and kept a degree of fun in the personal questions, too!

And that’s where the three stages of the game really start to shine.

The first stage involves questions for sharing fun, personal stories with your co-players. This is so that you get to know something new about the people you’re playing with (even if you know them already!). In the second stage, the party game aspect comes to the front. It’s a fun team-building competition, involving many fun minigames. Then, in the third stage, you get a chance to put yourself into your final partner’s shoes and try to think as they would!

But, how does it feel to play it?

It’s a dynamic system that feels very natural. That’s because Coupling uses social mechanisms that we use in our everyday lives. With that, it gives you an incredibly fun, natural experience of a party game that will make you want to play it again and again and again!

How To Start A Conversation

By Lan Rahne / March 5, 2021 May 9, 2021

So, I’ve been thinking: Coupling is a game of connecting with people, whether you’re already friends with them or not. And what’s the first step of making a connection with somebody? Starting a conversation, of course! And as we all know, that usually isn’t the easiest thing to do. So, we decided to share some of our insights with you.

Firstly, try to become genuinely interested in the person you’re communicating with. Often, we’re biased towards the people we’re talking to. Maybe we just decide in advance that they don’t interest us, or we think we’re just too different to connect with them at all. You won’t believe how often this prejudice turns out to be false. Every single person can teach you something new or enrich your worldview in a certain way.

But, to find that out, you need to suspend your judgement. At least for starters. Even if you fundamentally do not agree with the other person, you can still find a common ground. And in the meantime, learn why they think so differently to you. Did they experience a different upbringing to yours? A life-changing event? Whatever it is, when starting a conversation, try to perceive the other person as an innocent being, living and understanding life as well as they best know how. In the end, that’s exactly what all of us really are.

All of this might seem quite tough for starters. Luckily, Coupling (the Game) can be a bit of help to you here! Our fun party game was made to spark genuinely interesting and exciting conversations, while leaving prejudice behind! Made by good people (us) for good people (you!).

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