Let’s face it, dating can be rough. Sometimes finding someone attractive (with a personality that doesn’t suck) seems impossible.

But every once in a while you find a rare spawn. You know the one I’m talking about. The girl that loves to spend as many hours as you do in front of a screen shooting, dodging, maiming and leveling her way up to digital glory. Gamer boys, beware. Although this rare spawn may look like she could drop some phat loots, that doesn’t mean she won’t drop your health points to nothing if she gets the chance.

Here’s some surefire ways to tell if that rare spawn is the Kerrigan of your heart or the Rikku you’ve been looking for:

Before you get in the game, slow down a little bit and see what she likes to play. It’s great if she likes to play “Pokemon” on her Nintendo DS, but will she join you in Azeroth or battling lanes in “League of Legends?” What kind of gamer girl are we talking about?

You may not think this is important, but what a girl plays says a lot about what kind of gamer girlfriend she’ll be. If she diddles only on the DS, she’s probably a casual, laid back gamer. This means that date night will not consist of raid parties and making out in between boss fights. Instead you may actually have to take this girl out on date or she’ll whine that you’re always playing video games.

Girls with a well-rounded video game arsenal are more likely to spend a date night surrounded with snack foods, tearing it up on Borderlands 2.

Now that we’ve established what kind of gamer girl she is, let’s talk about gaming etiquette.

If she gets mad that you co-op without her, she may have clingy tendencies. The girl should be comfortable with you grouping up with your homeboys without getting butt hurt about it. However, don’t always exclude her.

Gamer girls love gaming just as much as, and sometimes more than, you do. So make time to include your girl in your group gaming, because that surge of pride when she has a better kill death ratio than your friends cannot be beat.

A girl that can be versatile in a game shows a good balance of independence and teamwork. That means she can hold her lane in more than just support: she can also carry the team. A well-rounded gamer girl doesn’t always have to be the healer or support. On the other hand, a girl who is always a tank or a carry can be too aggressive and no one likes to be constantly harassed that she pwnd you so hard in that round.

If she plays stupid, like she didn’t mean to hit you even though she always does it, that means she’s manipulative.

Girls that use their gender to get free loot are gold diggers, sometimes literally.

A good gamer girlfriend can take what she dishes out. Teasing is just apart of the game. You want to be able to tell your gamer girl, “lol maybe you should qq and alt+F4 <3” without her rage-quitting on you. There’s nothing less romantic than a controller flying at your head.

The best way you can tell if a gamer girl (or any girl) is the right one for you and your kind of lifestyle is if she respects your game time. Listen up girls, sometimes your guy cannot pause his game. Sometimes you’re going to have to wait until the match ends.

If you think you’re being cute by going up to your guy and shaking him or covering his eyes while he’s playing, you’re not. Inside he’s getting frustrated. Especially if it’s been a frustrating match. That’s just how some guys unwind. Respect their relaxation time.

If your girl has all these qualities and then some then she may be a keeper.