My name is Rob Turner, and I used to be a Football Manager addict.
Having been through a period of horrific addiction, I now no longer have Football Manager or any other football management simulation games on my computer.
For those of you playing while following Norwich City I have to tell you- Football is not Football Manager.
The game
My experience with these types of games go all the way back to Premier Manager on the Mega Drive. While more rudimentary compared to the recent equivalents it still had that “just one more go” feel.
The problem is that when you play it can be easy to think that life can follow rules in the same way as a simulation. It doesn’t.
Real Life
Real life transfers are messy and complicated. Player interactions are not as simple as picking from one of three dialogue trees.
There is no bug in the game where you put Vincent Kompany in the hole behind two strikers and he scores 100 goals a season.
Just to be clear this is not to have a go at the games. Quite the opposite, I think they’re too good. They are so immersive that you can find hours disappear.
If you are on a hot streak you don’t want to stop and if you are losing you want to keep going until you win.
Managing
It is also fair to say that there have been some real life benefits to the game as some professionals have used the Football Manager’s extensive database as a research tool.
The problem is that data can only be one part of the solution. It is not just about the stats but how you read them and which ones you choose to apply.
For example, if you saw a player score 20 goals in the third tier of German football, you’d think, “Oh, we should sign them”
But then that same player could also have a terrible injury record, a poor attitude or simply doesn’t particularly fancy moving to England.
In short please remember to play Football Manager responsibly and remember playing it does not make you the next Igor Tudor.
I know people make jokes about “Maybe go outside,” but I’d stress it with this game.
Remember to put it away sometimes and enjoy real life for a bit too!
