⏱️ 10min read
Be honest.
When was the last time date night accidentally became:
“What do you want to do?”
“I don't know. What do you want to do?”
“Should we watch something?”
“Okay.”
Forty-five minutes of scrolling later...
Romance is alive and well.
😂
Date night doesn't always need restaurant reservations, expensive cocktails or an elaborate weekend away.
Sometimes the easiest way to shake things up is ridiculously simple:
play a game.
A good couples game gives you something you don't normally have on an ordinary Tuesday night - a reason to put the phones down, laugh together, ask different questions, flirt a little harder and see where the evening goes.
And depending on the game you choose, date night can range from hilariously competitive to decidedly more interesting.
So grab your favourite snacks, pour something nice and choose your level.
We're having a game night.
Why Games Make Such Good Date Nights
When you've been together for a while, routines aren't necessarily bad.
They're comfortable.
But comfortable can occasionally become predictable.
Dinner happens.
Netflix happens.
Someone falls asleep.
End credits.
A game changes the rhythm because suddenly you're interacting rather than consuming something together.
You're answering.
Choosing.
Competing.
Teasing.
Laughing.
Learning things about each other.
And sometimes discovering that your apparently sweet partner becomes completely unrecognisable when victory is involved.
Interesting information for the relationship.
A couples game also takes away some of the pressure to manufacture romance.
You don't have to sit opposite each other thinking:
Right. Be romantic now.
The game provides the activity.
You provide the chemistry.
Date Night Level One: Just Have Fun
Not every date-night game needs to end in the bedroom.
Sometimes what a relationship needs most is a proper laugh.
Pick something silly.
Make ridiculous rules.
Create a terrible prize for the winner.
Or an even worse consequence for the loser.
This is where something like Swinging Dicks Swinging Ring Toss Drinking Game fits beautifully.
It's cheeky, ridiculous and absolutely not pretending to be sophisticated relationship therapy.
Sometimes that's precisely the point.
If alcohol is part of your night, keep it optional and sensible — you can just as easily play with mocktails, soft drinks or another agreed alternative.
The goal isn't getting smashed.
The goal is having fun together.
Date Night Level Two: Get Talking
Now we move from silly into something surprisingly valuable.
Conversation games.
When you've known somebody for years, it's easy to assume you've already discussed everything.
You haven't.
People change.
Opinions change.
Dreams change.
Preferences change.
And sometimes you discover something completely random like:
“Wait... THAT'S your dream holiday?”
A deck of questions or prompts can take you outside the usual conversations about groceries, work, bills and whose turn it is to empty the dishwasher.
You can even create your own.
Write questions on cards and throw them into a bowl.
Try things like:
What's something you'd love us to do this year?
What's one of your favourite memories of us?
Where would you take me tomorrow if money didn't matter?
What's something we haven't done together that you'd like to try?
What's one thing I do that always makes you laugh?
Now date night isn't just entertainment.
You're reconnecting.
Date Night Level Three: Add a Little Competition
Competition can be extremely entertaining between couples.
Provided nobody flips the board.
😂
This is where a proper couples board game can take over the evening.
Monogamy Adult Board Game is a great option when you want the game itself to structure the night rather than having to invent everything yourselves.
That's one of the advantages of having an actual game in your date-night kit.
You don't need a plan.
You don't need twelve Pinterest tabs.
Open the box.
Read the rules.
Start playing.
The game does the heavy lifting.
Date Night Level Four: Make It Flirty
This is where we begin turning the dial.
You can create an entirely different atmosphere simply by changing the rules of an ordinary game.
Playing cards?
The winner chooses the next song.
Dice?
Assign different challenges to different numbers.
Board game?
Create your own bonus rule.
You can also bring in something designed specifically for a more playful adults-only evening, such as the Sex Pop Popping Dice Game.
Dice games are particularly good if you're the sort of couple who doesn't want to sit through a 40-page rule book before anything happens.
Roll.
See what happens.
Continue.
Beautifully efficient.
Date Night Level Five: Let the Cards Decide
There's something rather freeing about letting a card take responsibility for the next suggestion.
Neither person has to introduce the idea.
The card did it.
😂
That's one reason card games can work particularly well for couples who want to flirt or explore but sometimes struggle with actually bringing things up.
Something like the Let's Get Naked Party Card Game can bring that cheekier energy into the night without requiring either partner to invent every prompt themselves.
But here's an important Lube Lady house rule:
A card is a suggestion, not a contract.
If either person doesn't want to do something?
Skip it.
Draw another.
Laugh about it.
Move on.
Consent doesn't disappear because a piece of cardboard told you to do something.
Turn One Evening Into a Whole Weekend
Now we're getting ambitious.
Perhaps you've actually managed to secure a weekend together.
No work.
No errands.
No relatives appeared unexpectedly.
Miracles do happen.
Rather than deciding what to do every few hours, you can make the kit itself the theme of the weekend.
The Behind Closed Doors Weekend in Bed Couples Kit Game is exactly the sort of product that works when you want something more involved than a quick card game.
And this is where I think the whole Bundles & Kits idea becomes particularly useful.
Instead of buying one isolated product, build the evening around it.
Game.
Favourite drinks.
Snacks.
Music.
Massage.
Lube.
A couple of toys if they're your thing.
Fresh sheets.
Phones somewhere other than directly between you.
Suddenly you've created an experience rather than just purchased a game.
The Massage Date Night
This deserves its own category because massage is criminally underrated as a date-night activity.
It slows everything down.
You don't have to be good at it.
You don't need a massage qualification.
And you certainly don't need to turn your bedroom into a five-star day spa.
Although warm towels would be showing off beautifully.
The Behind Closed Doors Weekend in Bed III Tantric Massage Game Kit gives you a ready-made theme to build around.
Dim the lights.
Put on music.
Get comfortable.
Take turns.
And don't rush to whatever you think is supposed to happen next.
Sometimes slowing everything down is the date.
Build a Mystery Date Jar
You don't even need to buy a game every time.
Grab a jar and write date ideas on little pieces of paper.
But here's the trick:
Colour-code them.
Pink - Stay Home
Movie night.
Cook something neither of you has made before.
Board-game night.
Backyard picnic.
Massage night.
Gold - Go Out
Dinner somewhere new.
Bowling.
Arcade.
Karaoke.
Dessert crawl.
Sunset picnic.
Black - Something Different
Take a class together.
Book a mystery activity.
Visit somewhere neither of you has been.
Let one person plan the entire night without telling the other.
Hot Pink - Adults Only
These are your private prompts.
Whatever that means for the two of you.
Now whenever you hit the inevitable:
“What should we do tonight?”
Pick one.
No negotiations.
Unless you've pulled karaoke.
Then negotiations are absolutely permitted.
Take Game Night Out of the House
Date-night games don't have to happen at home either.
If you're in Sydney or another larger city, interactive venues can make brilliant dates because they give you an activity without the formality of sitting opposite each other at dinner for three hours.
Think:
Bowling,
Arcades,
Karaoke,
Mini golf,
Darts,
Escape rooms,
Trivia,
Pool,
Or anything slightly competitive.
The advantage is the same as playing at home:
you're doing something together.
And here's my favourite combination:
Go Out + Come Home
Do the fun public date first.
Bowling.
Dinner.
Arcade.
Karaoke.
Whatever you're into.
Then have a second part of the date waiting at home.
Maybe that's Monogamy.
Maybe it's a card game.
Maybe it's a massage.
Maybe it's your Weekend in Bed kit.
The night gets a natural Part One and Part Two without requiring an elaborate itinerary.
Build a Lube Lady Date-Night Kit
Now we're going to do what we've been doing throughout this Bundles & Kits series:
build an actual kit around the experience.
Start with your main game.
For a longer couples night:
Monogamy Adult Board Game
For something silly:
Swinging Dicks Ring Toss
For something quick and cheeky:
Sex Pop Popping Dice
For cards:
Let's Get Naked
For a bigger experience:
Behind Closed Doors Weekend in Bed Couples Kit
For something slower:
Behind Closed Doors Tantric Massage Game Kit
Then add the extras.
Your favourite drink.
Something to eat.
A playlist.
Candles or softer lighting.
A lubricant if the evening might head in that direction.
Maybe a favourite toy.
And something comfortable for afterwards.
You don't need all of it.
The idea is simply to create a little box or basket that says:
Tonight we're actually doing something together.
Make Your Own Three-Level Date Night Game
Here's another idea you can steal completely free of charge.
Make three piles of cards.
Level One: FUN
These are silly.
Dance to the first song that appears on shuffle.
Do your best impression of each other.
Name the worst date you've ever been on.
The winner of rock-paper-scissors chooses dessert.
Level Two: CONNECTION
These are conversation prompts.
Tell me something you think we should do more often.
What's something about our relationship you're proud of?
What's one place you'd love us to visit?
What's something you'd like us to make more time for?
Level Three: SPICY
Keep these personal to your relationship.
Write down flirty challenges, things you'd like to explore together or ideas you've both previously agreed you're comfortable trying.
Shuffle each pile separately.
Start at Level One.
And see whether you ever make it to dessert.
What If One Person Is More Adventurous?
This is actually where games can be useful.
Couples aren't always equally adventurous.
One person might enthusiastically suggest trying six new things while the other is thinking:
Could we perhaps start with one?
Perfectly reasonable.
Before playing an intimate game, establish one simple rule:
Either person can skip anything.
No explanation required.
You can even add three choices:
YES - sounds fun.
MAYBE - let's talk about it.
PASS - next card.
Suddenly the game can become a low-pressure way of discovering what you're both curious about.
And sometimes the most interesting part isn't actually doing the challenge.
It's discovering:
“Oh! You're interested in that?”
Conversation unlocked.
Don't Try to Manufacture the Perfect Date
This might be the most important part.
Date night doesn't need to look like social media.
You don't need matching silk pyjamas.
You don't need champagne.
You don't need rose petals scattered across a suspiciously immaculate bedroom.
And you definitely don't need to photograph it.
Some of the best date nights are ridiculous.
You burn dinner.
Someone cheats at the game.
The playlist suddenly serves an utterly inappropriate song.
One of you laughs at exactly the wrong moment.
That's fine.
You're not producing an advertisement.
You're spending time with somebody you like.
The Lube Lady Date-Night Formula
If you want the extremely scientific formula we've developed here, it's this:
Choose a game.
Add something delicious.
Put the phones away.
Create a little atmosphere.
Laugh.
Flirt.
See where the evening goes.
And if absolutely nothing remotely spicy happens?
You still spent an evening talking, laughing and doing something together.
That's a pretty successful date.
But if the board game mysteriously gets abandoned halfway through?
Well...
We'll assume somebody won 💗
