My latest Catholic Match post suggests a few different long-distance dating ideas:

4. Video-Game Date

If you can’t meet in real life, set up a multiplayer server just for two and meet in the digital world.

Like the previous entries, this gives you a chance to share something you enjoy with the person you’re interested in, and it has the further advantage of giving you a clear, common goal to work together towards (e.g. “Collect all the stars,” or “Conquer Sweden”).

This is often much more useful for getting to know someone than just talking about nothing in particular, and especially when it comes to creating shared memories and experiences to look back on and laugh over (“Wow, we died horribly that time!”).

What is more, video games, where you have avatars and space to run around in, can allow you to interact much more naturally (ironically enough) than you otherwise would be able to using the phone or computer. It’s easier to be spontaneous and actively involved when you can move about and gesticulate than when you’re more or less tied to sitting in front of your computer.