Dating is a stressful game.

Trying to find a compatible person, get their phone number and convince them to join you for a date can be taxing and impractical in today's fast-pace world.

Luckily, speed dating has come along and soon will debut in Duluth.

Duluth's first speed dating event will be at 7:15 p.m. Sept. 16 at Grandma's Sports Garden, allowing local residents to try out this national trend of paying to go on several short dates in one evening and then deciding if you're compatible with any of your dates.

For $30 to $40, speed daters have a set number of "dates" throughout an evening. Depending on the company sponsoring the event, the dates can last anywhere from three to 10 minutes long.

After each date, participants mark on a score card whether or not they would like to see the person again. Speed daters are given the contact information for people they matched after a computer generates the results.

The appeal of speed dating stems from the face-to-face contact participants receive without any commitment or risk -- contact lacking in other popular dating services, like Internet sites and newspaper advertisements.

"The nice thing about it is that you can have a normal conversation with anybody for eight minutes. It's not pressure," said Amy Wollenberg, 28, an account manager for a moving company in the Twin Cities who participated in two speed dating events before attending Thursday's 8-Minute Dating event at Major's Sports Cafe in Bloomington.

"It's hard to meet people, and this actually takes away a lot of the pretense," she said.

Friends Heather Johnson, 26, Tori Carlson, 26, and Nicole Miller, 25, sat at a table littered with empty drink glasses before Thursday's event. The trio giggled as they brainstormed questions to ask their dates.

"I'm gonna ask how many people they've brutally murdered," Miller said with a laugh. "That'd be good to know."

On a more serious note, the group decided that men who had been married before or had kids would be out of the question because they didn't want men with "extra baggage."

There are several different theories among speed dating companies about the optimal amount of time to spend on a speed date.

Either way, the repeat customers generated by the services are a testament to its popularity, whether or not people find a match at every event.

Robb Akerson, 26, has attended five speed dating events since January. He initially said he had only been to two speed dating events, but a friend revealed his fib right away.

"There are limited (dating) options for people that are busy," Akerson said, so he keeps going back.

The 1999 University of Minnesota Duluth graduate likes to ask his dates about the worst job they've ever had.

If his date complains about the job and how miserable it was, Akerson will write them off. But if they somehow put a positive spin on it they're more appealing to him.

Like any dating service, speed dating has to overcome the stigma associated with organized dates and social events.

"A lot of people are hesitant and very nervous to come," said Deanna Sandstrom, Twin Cities coordinator for 8-Minute Dating. "After the first date or so, they really relax -- you can just see it," she said.

Most speed dating participants leave the events pleasantly surprised with their experience.

"I had a bad attitude going in, but now I have a good attitude," Carlson said. "The guys were better than I expected."

She marked two men on her card as datable, and said she thought she had "pretty decent dates" and eight minutes was a good amount of time to spend with each one.

"You may need to drink though," she warned with a wink.

Her eyes lit up and grew very large as she talked about one of the men she chose.

"He was really hot," she whispered.