Swipe Left on Games: Why Leaving Him on Read Isn’t a Power Move

Image Credit, Niek Verlaan

Picture this: you swipe right, it’s a match, and the guy is actually decent. Not “posing-with-a-fish” decent but genuinely funny, cute, and knows how to use punctuation. A miracle. You’re striking up a conversation, and everything is going great… for about five seconds. Then you decide to pull the classic leave him on read for days move.

When he finally musters up the courage to ask, “Hey, why the long gaps between replies?” you hit him with:
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder. I just want you to appreciate me more and work for my affection.”

Hello, 🚩🚩! Did we time-travel to the 1800s? Should he be writing you letters from the front lines of the Napoleonic Wars? What’s next—sending carrier pigeons to earn your love?

Listen, sis, I get it. Playing hard-to-get can seem like the ultimate power move. But let’s be real: there’s a difference between “mysterious” and “outright ghostly.” You’re not building anticipation here; you’re just making him wonder if you’ve been abducted by aliens.

And here’s the kicker: while you’re making him “work for your affection,” he’s probably finding someone else who isn’t treating him like a contestant on The Bachelor. Spoiler alert: that someone else is responding to his messages promptly, sharing memes, and laughing at his dad jokes. While you’re crafting your red-flag-filled master plan, she’s walking off with the guy who actually texts back.

Let me tell you what men really think when you’re doing this:

1. She’s not that interested.
2. She’s already juggling other matches.
3. She’s forgotten about me, and honestly, I’ve forgotten about her too.

If you’re on a dating app to actually connect with someone, ditch the whole “I want him to pine for me” act. It’s not 1940, and nobody’s lining up to “earn” your affection through prolonged silences. People want to talk, vibe, and feel like they matter. Leaving him on read isn’t making you look like a catch; it’s making you look like you don’t care.

Bottom line: if you’re serious about dating, respond in a timely manner. If you’re only here to play games, go ahead and buy yourself a Nintendo Switch, because that’s the only place games belong.