Table Manners is not alone in this, but marketing is a very weird thing. It's something that can be brilliantly executed or poorly handled in equal measure. Whether it's Bethesda giving a lifetime supply of games to a family who named their kid "Dovahkiin" or Sony's very real goat sacrifice at the God of War 3 launch party in Greece...the possibility of the unexpected is high.

Table Manners, the physics-based dating sim by Curve Digital, adds itself to the list of left-field marketing campaigns. As part of the NHS Blood and Transplant 'What’s Your Type?' drive, Table Manners will feature in-game messaging to encourage blood donations. The campaign, which is being run as part of a Valentine's Day special, is aiming to bulk out stores of the rarer blood types of O negative, B negative, and A negative.

These blood types are in short supply, which can be dangerous for those that need them. Although all donors and blood types are welcome, the NHS is looking primarily for male donors as their blood "provide[s] life-saving products like plasma and platelets – [which] save victims of burns, car crashes and treat patients with cancer."

As well as the in-game messaging, those that sign up via the GiveBlood Twitter account can register to win one of 100 copies of Table Manners as part of the cross-promotion effort. This is the first time that NHSBT has partnered with a video game studio in a bid to reach a new audience. Nadine Eaton, Head of Blood Donor Recruitment, said:

“All our donors are amazing. But we need more than 68,000 men to start donating blood this year. This is not about recruiting as many donors as possible – it’s about getting the right gender mix. We’re thrilled that Table Manners' tongue-in-cheek gameplay will reach new audiences and inspire them to save lives.”

Dating and blood donation might not sound like a perfect fit (unless you're a vampire), but Curve Digital has got to be commended for signal-boosting a good cause. Just don't take this as a PSA and ask your next Tinder date their blood type over a steak tartare dinner.

Table Manners launches exclusively on Steam on February 14, 2020.  If you'd like to become a blood donor (and you are a UK resident), you can register to donate here.