Three times this year, since February, I’ve gotten propositioned by random Words with Friends opponents. In each instance, it was a stranger, and the first time it caught me off guard. I was prepared when it happened subsequently.
The most recent occurrence was Friday. A woman claiming to be from Jacksonville, Florida initiated a game, and I saw no reason not to accept it. After the game began, I saw her profile photo more clearly, a scantily-clad busty woman. Then after a couple of plays, she began messaging me, with a lot of small talk. She wasted no time with the romantic dialogue. I told her I wasn’t interested. That’s when she said she wanted to be my “nice platonic” friend. I know what that means. I have seen it before. I surmised that she wasn’t even real. Looking at her photograph, it looked like one that might have been taken from a modeling website. Recalling the many episodes of the TV show Catfish I have seen, she’s as fake as fake can be.
Listen, I was born at night (well, 2:55 am) but not last night. I’ve seen it before. The quest to just be friends has led to people who try to convince me over time to be more than that. I told her that I just wanted to play the game and leave it at that. She made one more play and she ghosted herself. Which is fine by me.
This sheds light on something that one of my Facebook friends posted as his status message the other day. He said something to the effect that if you get unwanted, random people in your inbox, put some doggone clothes on and stop with all the provocative profile pictures and then the unwanted attention will stop. As you can imagine, that stirred lots of controversy and many who didn’t like the “blame the victim” idea he had presented.
The point is, I am living proof that your attire has nothing to do with how much attention you get. I never have used an excitatory, racy photograph as a profile picture, yet I still sometimes get unwanted attention, not just playing Words with Friends but I have also been propositioned while playing games on the Play Station Network online, though not recently. It has happened on Facebook and Instagram too. It doesn’t happen a lot, but it happens. People are good at trying to fool you.
With all the dating apps out there, why can’t thirsty people let gamers enjoy a little innocent fun without hitting on other players. Go get on Match.com or Tinder or Plenty of Fish.
Leave people alone.
The Mind's Eye - Musings of Will Saunders 
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