"Then you don’t have to invest so much time, effort and money getting ready for a date that might be game over before you begin," Gandhi said. She says video dates provide a safe way to meet new people, and it saves you time and money. Today, there’s no reason to have to go out with a complete stranger that you’ve never seen before or maybe only seen five photos or 200 characters on a profile," said Bela Gandhi, founder of Smart Dating Academy in Chicago. "One of the silver linings to come out of Covid was the addition of video dating to all of the major sites and apps. Thanks to the pandemic, we've added another layer of technology.