I met my wife of tinder lol. But I don't look back on the swiping with any kind of fondness. I actually had already stopped swiping to preserve my mental health and my now wife messaged me out of the blue after I swiped on her long before she did me.

When it goes well its nice to look back and say its not too bad but I had so many weird, uncomfortable situations before I met my wife. I had a girl try to aggressively to set me up with gay friend because I had a "gay vibe" Or another girl who pretty much opened with a story of her sexual assault. Its out there.

Not to mention my wife and I matched during the pandemic which what when everyone, even "normal" people were on Tinder.

This is relatable and unfortunately there aren't any gaming cafes in Maine that I know of. Keep games as the #1 but start branching out real slowly. Are you a big nerd? Theres a huge LARP group called Mystwood that meets regularly and they are some amazing people. It'll get you out in a nature and definitely meet some people.

Dating apps are horrible, especially in Maine.

Its advice I'm sure you've heard a million time but just keep doing what you're already doing. Make an effort to hang out with people who share the same interests as you, don't make the primary goal to meet someone, just enjoy yourself with people you like hanging with.