Sure, when the first version of Championship Manager came out back in 1992, games like Premier Manager and The Manager were a lot more popular, with various limitations with respect to programming and features, and the simple fact that it was a brand new game that no one had really heard of not putting Championship Manager at the same level as either of these games. Now, in terms of popularity, I think it is safe to say that initially, Championship Manager was the end-all, be-all of existence (of manager games related to football) for anyone in my generation. Sure, even the best manager games aren’t going to recreate the real-life experience of being a manager completely, but I have no qualms in saying that they do a better job than FIFA’s Manager Mode. There is a simple response to those who believe that FIFA’s “Manager Mode” is worthy of being called a good simulation of what it is like to be the manager – it’s not. This is in reference to what is probably the single most common reason people who love FIFA, cannot handle manager games – they cannot understand why people would only want to be the manager and not play the games themselves, as the players on the team, and actually control your team’s fate by scoring goals and keeping your opponents at bay. I’ve seen people who (in their prime) have played these games for over 10 hours a day with absolutely no breaks in between, and while this seems absurd, I think it is safe to say that this is a common phenomenon amongst people who enjoy “just being the manager”.

At this point, either you’ve understood that I’m talking about games that allow you to become the manager of pretty much any popular football club there is out there, or you’re incredibly daft (I’m going to take it that the latter is less likely) – but nevertheless, manager games, while nowhere as popular as either Electronic Arts’ FIFA or Konami’s PES series, once played and experienced, can be incredibly addictive.

Championship manager 2007 editor