DATING Web site users typically get acquainted online, then decide whether to meet in person, but the sites are increasingly helping to forgo that first step by hosting gatherings.

Last May, for example, Match.com, the 18-year-old Web site, introduced Stir, an events program, and has since held more than 2,850 mixers that more than 225,000 singles attended, according to the company.

Now Match.com has itself found a partner, the board game industry, to liven up events. On Tuesday, the company began holding what it is calling Stir game nights, where singles gather at bars and restaurants to play games like Bananagrams, a word game, and Spontuneous, a music game. The company will present 30 events through the fall in its top 25 most popular markets.

Luke Zaientz, vice president for events at Match.com, said that among attendees of events over the last year, 50 percent reported meeting someone they would like to date.