The Carnival Game Psychology of Tinder
Why Tinder is the ring toss of dating apps
Growing up 10 miles away from Six Flags Magic Mountain was awesome. Every January we went to the theme park as a family to get our new season passes for the year.
Back then Magic Moutain was the place to be seen. Everyone spent a fortune trying to look cool wearing Oakly Blades with Croakies sunglass straps wrapped around mullet haircuts smoking Marlboro Reds stored in their fanny packs.
Nobody was cooler than the guy carrying a giant stuffed animal. All the kids would stare in awe at the man holding the 4-foot-long plush tie-in for whatever big blockbuster summer movie Warner Brothers was promoting.
I wanted to be that guy. The winner. Walking around 9 feet tall with everyone staring at me and my prize. Envious because they weren’t skilled enough to win a giant plush gopher from Caddyshack II.
Ring toss was the game with the prize. All it took was one. It’s the cheapest midway game with the biggest prize that looked the easiest to win. 10 rings for 2 dollars or a bucket of 50 for $4.
