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FIFA/FM's Influence on Judgement:
Back in the good old days, players & teams were judged by the naked eye & some basic stats.
But with FIFA/FM, every fan got a chance to play manager & the way we judge players, teams & transfers fundamentally changed.
Let me explain:
FIFA/FM's Influence on Judgement:
Back in the good old days, players & teams were judged by the naked eye & some basic stats.
But with FIFA/FM, every fan got a chance to play manager & the way we judge players, teams & transfers fundamentally changed.
Let me explain:
Judging Players:
FIFA/FM gave players ratings & attributes. A 90 rated player is better than a 75 rated one, while one with 18 passing passes better than one with 12. Although there is a degree of accuracy to this, it ignores the most important aspect of a player: the human side
FIFA/FM gave players ratings & attributes. A 90 rated player is better than a 75 rated one, while one with 18 passing passes better than one with 12. Although there is a degree of accuracy to this, it ignores the most important aspect of a player: the human side
Everytime a player gets the ball he has a few microseconds to decide what to do. It's a decision which is not just influenced by what his passing or first touch rating is, but also: the news he heard on the tv, the fight he started with his family or even the bad breakfast he had
FIFA/FM has made us forget that footballers are also human beings with insecurities, fears, hopes & dreams like the rest of us. When they play, doesn't matter what their rating is, every single experience that they've had in their lives up to that point is going to influence them
How it influences them is down to the individual, some can only perform when they're happy, some can turn adversity in their personal lives into fantastic performances. But on FIFA/FM, complex human being have been generalized & simplified into a bunch of arbitrary numbers
Judging Teams:
FIFA makes you believe a team of 11 90 rated players is always better than 11 75 rated ones. Anyone who follows national teams knows this isn't true. Their personalities, languages, egos, beliefs, politics & philosophies dictate if they can be a good team or not.
FIFA makes you believe a team of 11 90 rated players is always better than 11 75 rated ones. Anyone who follows national teams knows this isn't true. Their personalities, languages, egos, beliefs, politics & philosophies dictate if they can be a good team or not.
A team of 11 great players who are all timid & shy might be great in bits but might get bullied & lose. A team of 11 great players who are all born leaders might have some great individual performances but might rarely play as one & could end up with infighting & loss of harmony.
Judging Transfers:
On FM/FIFA you pay a fee, negotiate a contract & the player is yours. In real life, a players asks himself:
- do I like the city I'm moving to
- do I like the weather
- are there good schools for my kids
- will my wife find a job she likes
Among many others.
On FM/FIFA you pay a fee, negotiate a contract & the player is yours. In real life, a players asks himself:
- do I like the city I'm moving to
- do I like the weather
- are there good schools for my kids
- will my wife find a job she likes
Among many others.
When a player transfers, he's uprooting his entire life from one city to another: his home, friends, family & belongings. Anyone who's ever moved cities knows how difficult it is, now imagine moving to a new city & instantly you're expected to impress 50k new people in a stadium.
Please don't say FM has a 'personality trait' & 'team cohesion', I know, I've played it for years and you've completely missed the point. The idea isn't to say these games are bad, absolutely not. They're fantastic fun, they teach you a lot abt the game & I play them a lot too!
But at the end of the day you press a button at the right time with the joystick in the right angle & you get a goal. You pick the right team & click on the right tactics and your team wins.
No matter how realistic you may think that is, at the end of the day, it's just a game.
No matter how realistic you may think that is, at the end of the day, it's just a game.
So next time you wonder why a player didn't come, maybe his kids didn't like the schools or why your fav player didn't score, maybe he's feeling guilty for fighting with his wife, or why your team isn't winning with so many good players, maybe they just don't like each other.
