To answer your question honestly: Because this is a freemium game, and it’s monetization model is based off of getting as much engagement with a little content as possible. The developers want to make you feel the slow crawl towards the finish line so that you’ll feel the pressure to purchase your way through the arbitrary time gates and just sort of hope you don’t notice that the content itself is barebones. Dating was an oft-request feature from the community, which meant the developers could do the absolute barest minimum and it would pay off for them in spades. To be short, the requirements are so steep because the community will play it anyway.