The Gamer CEO Trying to Level Up Dating Apps
Match Group MTCH -0.91%decrease; red down pointing triangle Chief Executive Bernard Kim—“BK” as he’s known to friends and family, and “GamerBK” on social media—once admitted to spending $50,000 in three months in the popular mobile game “Clash of Clans” so he could have “an amazing wall” to protect his virtual village.
Years earlier, Kim’s conversations to take a job as president of a gaming giant kicked off in the chat function of the Scrabble-like Words With Friends app.
The 48-year-old has spent his career in mobile gaming, apps and entertainment. Now he’s trying to convince users that dating apps are effective and that paying more for premium experiences in those apps will help them “win” by finding love. It is a new puzzle for the gamer with a competitive streak: As opposed to most mobile games vying to keep users hooked, dating apps are “designed to be deleted,” as the company’s own Hinge app motto goes.
