Here’s a book that will most probably end up on the tables at Urban Outfitters: a nonfiction book about how gay social networking app Grindr is changing the lives of gay men.
It’s called Gaming Grindr: How One App Changed the Way We Connect, and author Jaime Woo is using the fundraising website Indiegogo to garner donations. The book’s purpose is to take a game theory approach to the app and figure out why people have such a strong attachment toward it.
“It’s worth examining how the location-based service works and doesn’t work,” wrote Toronto-based Woo on the fundraising page. “This book will be an interesting look at how geolocation services like Grindr are shaping the we live.”
Woo promises an in-depth look at the app, even if no one asked for it. He said the book will essentially serve as a “Grindr for Dummies” guide.
“As long as you’ve played a few games of tag or Monopoly, you’ll be fine. I’ll take you through the rules of Grindr, the different definitions of ‘winning,’ and some ways users can get more enjoyment out of playing,” he wrote. Woo told Queerty that his book will confirm what gay guys have known all along: looking for love on Grindr is a waste of time, even though it has 4 million registered users.
“I examine ideas like why trying to find love on Grindr is a waste of time, why it’s true that people on Grindr are indeed meaner, and how having too many men can be worse than you’d hope,” Woo said.
The book is currently about 100 dollars shy of its $3,000 goal, with fundraising scheduled to end Friday. The $3,000 will go toward hiring a graphic designer, publishing costs and marketing.
We’re not sure why you would want to read a book about Grindr when you could just suffer the humiliation yourself, but one advantage the book has it won’t crash upon opening.
Photo via Jaime Woo/Vimeo
