If you’ve been a part of the dating world within the last ten years, you’ll know that it can be pretty difficult to form meaningful connections. Despite dating apps and social media making it easier than ever to meet potential partners, hookup culture is running rampant and many refrain from settling down because of the endless swiping opportunities. But, in spite of these challenges, one millennial has made it her mission to inspire others to connect and she’s doing so in a way we’ve never seen before.
Koreen Odiney was working as a model and photographer when she became inspired to create a game to help people build connections. This game would become the We’re Not Really Strangers card game, which launched in 2018 and has become a sensation throughout the 2020 quarantine. The game can be played with 2-6 players and can help friends, family members, as well as lovers, get to know each other. The game is split into three parts: perception, connection and reflection, which are designed to help you strengthen existing relationships and build new ones through carefully crafted questions.
Although there are plenty of other question based games out there, Odiney designed WNRS to help people to dig deeper through each of the unique levels and wild cards. And through a hyper focus marketing plan, which includes an artistically tailored Instagram page to the minimalist packaging, the game has been enjoyed worldwide. We, of course ,cannot forget that many celebrities have endorsed and played the game on social media, including Hailey Bieber, Penn Badgley, Noah Centineo and even Dr. Phil.
Odiney’s company has grown in leaps and bounds from her days as a startup to now releasing a number of expansion packs. Following in the footsteps of other popular card game franchises such as Cards Against Humanity and What Do You Meme, WNRS offers expansion packs to keep the game going. The Honest Dating expansion pack is designed to help couples in the dating phase of their relationship, guiding them through first dates all the way up to the “What are we?” phase. WNRS also has a Relationship Expansion pack, that allows couples to reconnect, dig deeper and evolve as a team. And finally, Odiney has teamed up Red Table Talk (the Facebook Watch talk show starring Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris) to create an expansion pack that helps us connect with “the people in our lives that we think we know best.”
This year has really shifted the focus in our world and in times like these, connection with others is extremely important. And while we don’t typically condone playing mind games in dating, WNRS is a great way to get to know your partner and see if the love is there. But, as the game itself warns, be careful, because feelings can arise.
