What is playing too much FM, your life, its purpose, and other tales

Whenever I see people here saying that friends, family members, or both tell them they are playing too much FM and that it is a ridiculous game, it kind of makes me think of what is too much and what's not compared to the rest of things you do with your life.

I mean, after all we are all here for a limited amount of time. If FM makes you happy (and as long as it does not reach the point of an addiction that could leave you alone with no one else to interact with) I think FM is as healthy as playing football, reading, going to the movies, or watching TV. Just because computer games are frowned upon ever since the stereotype nerd would play them and not get out of his room, playing videogames is always "a waste of time"...since when is it worse to play a video game starring you as a manager, a game where you definitely cannot just go through the motions like with TV, a game where you have to use your brains lots more than with a TV or a going to the movies?

In terms of reading, it is simply more glamorous because it is more traditional, more simple; it is what "smart" people do. If you get past that cliche, I enjoy a video game where I am the star and I make my own story just as much as reading the story about someone else doing something else. But yeah, it is pretty elegant to sit on your couch with a glass of wine and read a book.

The bottom line is, times are changing; and just because a person likes to enjoy his or her free time with a video game, creating a story of his career as a manager, where he pulls all the strings to make it enjoyable and uses his brains, does not mean that he should "turn off that thing and go read a book, or watch a documentary, or go take a walk". Those are the things people did when they did not have all this technology; now that we have it, things have shifted towards a more use of the brain and less playing with marbles or anything like that.

Like I said at the beginning of my writing, it all depends in what you want to do and what makes you happy when you do that thing. In 100 years we'll all be dead; don't waste time doing things you don't like to do and simply be happy doing what you like. If that's FM, among other things, then by all means do it.

I agree that people should do things in life that make themselves happy and rewarding. 'I think FM is as healthy as playing football, reading, going to the movies, or watching TV.' This however I do not agree with. As I do myself, playing FM hours on end is not great for the mind and I would say that reading a book is better stimulation for the mind in terms of being beneficial. Sometimes when I've being playing FM for ages my brain feels frazzled and I get a head ache and my eyes feel a bit funny, so for my general health I would say this is not too good. Having said that I always play for hours on end because I love the game so much! And will continue to do so.

If you tell me that you play the game for hours and your brain feels frazzled with headache and funny eyes...then you're obviously playing it too much.

If you read a book for 8 hours straight, your eyes will probably hurt and you'll find yourself skipping parts because you lack the concentration to read without comprehending what you are reading.

If you watch TV for 8 hours straight, you'll end up sick of it and with "funny eyes", most likely a headache too.

Of course everything is bad if you have too much of it. My point is that it is as fair to do that as to do something you like with your free time (i.e., play FM). I don't think you understood my point.

In one game magazine, I read a review about FM (I think it was 07 or 08) and as a general thougt, they praised the game in almost every segment (which is absolutely true! ), but they said that it really makes you an addict! Because it keeps you interested in game hour by hour...

They don't say for nothing that Golden Middle is the best for evertything.

Certainly it depends on what else is going on in your life. At the moment I'm in a serious relationship so time on FM has to be balanced against that a bit, also studying for a Masters whilst in full time employment so again, those things have to take priority.

When I was at school + uni, CM/FM took complete priority, regardless of what else was going on in my life. My string of B grades and the 2:1 I got will go down as testament to the amount of time I spent playing FM and the subsequent waste of academic talent that it engendered.

From a more psychological point of view, I have noticed that if my team are in an upward trend I am happier in the rest of my life than vice versa. I havent played my save for a few days now but when I last left it I was doing pretty well (probably won 90% in that stint) so whenever I think of it I feel quite contented. When I was playing FML for a few months it was far more pronounced and was genuinely rather worrying. It was one of the reasons I stopped playing it, if I had a run of 3 or 4 losses, the propensity for me to be in a bad mood was far greater. That game was shockingly addictive too. I feel like I can walk away from FM now without missing it too badly!

I suppose the bottom line is be sensible. Be selfish when circumstances allow but dont let it adversely affect the people around you. The other night I was at the girlfriend's house and I played for an hour whilst she was watching Strictly Come Dancing - everyone wins in that situation. There will be times in your life when you can dedicate serious amounts of time to computer games and times when it isn't appropriate to do so.

If you tell me that you play the game for hours and your brain feels frazzled with headache and funny eyes...then you're obviously playing it too much.

If you read a book for 8 hours straight, your eyes will probably hurt and you'll find yourself skipping parts because you lack the concentration to read without comprehending what you are reading.

If you watch TV for 8 hours straight, you'll end up sick of it and with "funny eyes", most likely a headache too.

Of course everything is bad if you have too much of it. My point is that it is as fair to do that as to do something you like with your free time (i.e., play FM). I don't think you understood my point.

I understand that your post is about doing what you want to do in your free time and the enjoyment that that brings to different people. I agree but I did not agree with your comment quote' I think FM is as healthy as playing football, reading, going to the movies, or watching TV. I'm sorry but how can playing FM be as healthy as playing football or reading a book. For me I completely disagree. Ok maybe going to the movies and watching TV are similar to FM but how can you say that reading and playing football (atively playing a sport) are as 'healthly as playing FM - for me thats a ridiculous statment.

Ok I don't get a frazzled brain all of the time, but when FM10 comes out I will have a long session and it will be in the early hours of the morning and I'll be like ok time for bed I've had enough because like you said I wont be able to concentrate for such periods and I will become emotionally tried. And yes if you doing anything for long periods you said TV then funny eyes and headache etc will occur. I'm not complaining about these things because I make them happen through my choice to play FM for long periods and I accept this.

My initial point was that I did not agree with your point 'I think FM is as healthy as playing football, reading, going to the movies, or watching TV.'

Work + Social Life + Girlfriend = no time for FM.

I'm single at the moment so when i'm not working or socialising i'm FM'ing, when I meet a girl I want a relationship with she will take priority over FM, if we split up, I will FM.

It's getting hard to play it now though because I really don't have the time but like someone allready said, it's pointless and doesn't reward you with any tangible product... but then neither do women, unless you consider ejaculation a tangible product.

*Just to clarify, I understand females are not jizz creation utilities*

Nev147, I guess I should have specified that when I meant healthier I did not mean it in a phyisical way. I thought it would be pretty obvious that playing football is more healthy than FM when it comes to ...health, but I guess that was my fault.

So it is better to read a book than to play FM? Do you care to explain why? Why is reading a fiction book about a fake story someone wrote better than playing and making your own story as a manager? Is it because books are a better format than computers? More intellectual? You can go to Starbucks and show people you have a book? I don't get it.

Nev147, I guess I should have specified that when I meant healthier I did not mean it in a phyisical way. I thought it would be pretty obvious that playing football is more healthy than FM when it comes to ...health, but I guess that was my fault.

No worries it seems it was a misunderstanding on both parts.

I mean, after all we are all here for a limited amount of time. If FM makes you happy (and as long as it does not reach the point of an addiction that could leave you alone with no one else to interact with) I think FM is as healthy as playing football, reading, going to the movies, or watching TV. Just because computer games are frowned upon ever since the stereotype nerd would play them and not get out of his room, playing videogames is always "a waste of time"...since when is it worse to play a video game starring you as a manager, a game where you definitely cannot just go through the motions like with TV, a game where you have to use your brains lots more than with a TV or a going to the movies?

In terms of reading, it is simply more glamorous because it is more traditional, more simple; it is what "smart" people do. If you get past that cliche, I enjoy a video game where I am the star and I make my own story just as much as reading the story about someone else doing something else. But yeah, it is pretty elegant to sit on your couch with a glass of wine and read a book.

Well compared to watching a movie or television off course you can argue that a game is more active and beneficial for the person involved, but when you go for a walk outside or watch a documentary, you're confronting yourself to reality and not to a fantasy world where all your efforts and a lot of what you learn is useless and unproductive outside of the game itself.

Compared to reading it's less clear-cut, but reading is also an active hobby (you imagine things, have to understand words..) and usually the reading referred to when people criticise games is more litterary works or non-fiction books, basically challenging books or books that teach you something about the world.

(i more or less agree with you, just wanted to point out some counter-arguments)

So it is better to read a book than to play FM? Do you care to explain why? Why is reading a fiction book about a fake story someone wrote better than playing and making your own story as a manager? Is it because books are a better format than computers? More intellectual? You can go to Starbucks and show people you have a book? I don't get it.

I do appreciate your point of view and do agree in some instances. I don't think that reading a book is 'better' than playing FM, I just believe that in a 'general' way (speaking from myself and other people will have opposing experiences) I gain more from my time in reading a book than in playing FM. In terms of yes ive played FM become a good manager and can talk to my friends about it and really enjoy it, but thats where it ends in its own world.

I don't believe that FM can help you in every day life where I believe reading a book can in tems of improving your intellegence in the form of mental aptitude, verbal speaking, writing, increasing knowledge content (non-fiction). I just think that it has the greater benefits in these ways, and believe that reading is underrated. I used to think that reading was boring and just a waste of my time untill a few years ago I started to read books and really enjoyed it. I just think theres just a negative attitude toward books especially in young people, and once I'm into a book that I'm enjoying I can't wait to pick it up again. Its a different sense of satisfaction that I don't believe that I can get from FM.

To be honest with you, that idea kids these days have to not read is because of people talking about how they need to read, read, read. It is supposed to be this mind blowing experiencie, but it is not. It does help shaping your character, making you more open minded, improving skills you'll need down the line, yes; but it people put it as something amazingly incredible and when kids start reading a book and expect that and don't get it (because they are not putting the experience of reading a book in the necessary perspective), then they get disappointed and stop reading. f something, I believe reading books is overrated. It should be seen as something you can do if you want to do. Try it. Most kids would LOVE books if they were just told to "read if they feel like, give it a try someday". Not mandatory reading.

Anyway, I do understand all those points of view; I do believe that FM and other new era passtimes are just as valid and healthy (in the mental way) than any others that are older (hence with more glamour). Everything with moderation and keeping your priorities straight, of course.

Certainly it depends on what else is going on in your life. At the moment I'm in a serious relationship so time on FM has to be balanced against that a bit, also studying for a Masters whilst in full time employment so again, those things have to take priority.

When I was at school + uni, CM/FM took complete priority, regardless of what else was going on in my life. My string of B grades and the 2:1 I got will go down as testament to the amount of time I spent playing FM and the subsequent waste of academic talent that it engendered.

From a more psychological point of view, I have noticed that if my team are in an upward trend I am happier in the rest of my life than vice versa. I havent played my save for a few days now but when I last left it I was doing pretty well (probably won 90% in that stint) so whenever I think of it I feel quite contented. When I was playing FML for a few months it was far more pronounced and was genuinely rather worrying. It was one of the reasons I stopped playing it, if I had a run of 3 or 4 losses, the propensity for me to be in a bad mood was far greater. That game was shockingly addictive too. I feel like I can walk away from FM now without missing it too badly!

I suppose the bottom line is be sensible. Be selfish when circumstances allow but dont let it adversely affect the people around you. The other night I was at the girlfriend's house and I played for an hour whilst she was watching Strictly Come Dancing - everyone wins in that situation. There will be times in your life when you can dedicate serious amounts of time to computer games and times when it isn't appropriate to do so.

That's eerily close to my own situation (although I've finished my MSc now), and sums it up very well.

Reading IS mindblowing in my opinion. Nothing has shaped my vocabulary, my writing style, my views on the world, my understanding of people, my interests, my friendships, my relationships, my daily interaction with everything quite like reading has.

I know that sounds rather grandiose but I have no doubt at all that it is true. If I couldn't read then I wouldn't want to be alive. TV, Radio, Computer games I could all live without.

To be honest with you, that idea kids these days have to not read is because of people talking about how they need to read, read, read. It is supposed to be this mind blowing experiencie, but it is not. It does help shaping your character, making you more open minded, improving skills you'll need down the line, yes; but it people put it as something amazingly incredible and when kids start reading a book and expect that and don't get it (because they are not putting the experience of reading a book in the necessary perspective), then they get disappointed and stop reading. It should be seen as something you can do if you want to do. Try it. Most kids would LOVE books if they were just told to "read if they feel like, give it a try someday". Not mandatory reading.

Absolutely. I could not agree more.

Lol you agree with me probably because we are both from Barcelona (although I live in the States)

Sorry but my location is very misleading. I did not have a location but as many people had funny locations as jokes, I put Catalonia as I love FC Barcelona! Apologies......

No worries, I did think your English was way too good for you to be a Spaniard

I could say your English is very good if it is not your native tounge!

Next time mum says 'get off that game (fm)' i'll say 'well stop watching coronation street because fm uses a brain unlike corrie'

Next time mum says 'get off that game (fm)' i'll say 'well stop watching coronation street because fm uses a brain unlike corrie'

Yeah true. But the come back could be ' ok I can have 3o minutes of Corrie and you can have 30 minutes of FM.' Then what would you say?

Lock my bedroom and continue to play FM on my laptop

My 'problem' is that i stay up late on FM and don't get enough sleep due to it.

I'm in my early 30's and have a job and a daughter to look after so the only time i get to play FM is after she's gone to bed. I usually end up playing late into the night and am knackered all the next day! This goes on for months...

Well compared to watching a movie or television off course you can argue that a game is more active and beneficial for the person involved, but when you go for a walk outside or watch a documentary, you're confronting yourself to reality and not to a fantasy world where all your efforts and a lot of what you learn is useless and unproductive outside of the game itself.

Compared to reading it's less clear-cut, but reading is also an active hobby (you imagine things, have to understand words..) and usually the reading referred to when people criticise games is more litterary works or non-fiction books, basically challenging books or books that teach you something about the world.

(i more or less agree with you, just wanted to point out some counter-arguments)

I agree with you

don't really understand the point of this thread. is the thread starter trying to justify himself or something?? just do what you want

I actually think it’s a very interesting topic, and something I find myself thinking about quite a lot. I myself am married and have a young family. I work full time in a job that requires me to deal with people all day, and is quite emotionally draining. I find that I spend a large proportion of my ‘down time’ playing FM. I really enjoy it, and find it both relaxing and challenging. But sometimes I do wonder about the merits of dedicating so much time to a computer game. My wife mostly tolerates it, though occasionally she does make an issue about how much time I play it.

Since getting into FM in 07, I have actually re-ignited my interest in ‘real’ soccer and begun both playing and youth coaching after many years of not being involved in the sport. I still enjoy reading the odd book or watching a movie, but I do think that Fm is just as good a use of my spare time as that. Like several other posters have said, it is really about balance, and depending on what other commitments/interests you have in your life, then I think playing FM is just as ‘useful’ as any other hobby.

Point 1. I buy FM once a year and play nothing else. It prevents me from going out to the pub more often and spending money on other passtimes. In other words, FM SAVES me a fortune every year and I would never begrudge the price of the disk.

Point 2. Whereas I can't rate playing FM over the stimulation of reading quality literature, I do think it is far more mentally stimulating than passively watching TV or sitting around engaging in prattle and pointless gossip.

Point 3. FM can take up more of your life than is healthy, and since I've become steeped in the game I have had WAGS complain about how much attention it was getting compared to them - before leaving me. On the one hand, I could say that FM is responsible for the termination of my relationships, but in retrospect they were selfish nasty types anyway and if anything, FM saved me from them. At the very least, FM has always been there for me over the years and has never let me down, unlike those ex-es.

In short, FM is pretty much the major love of my life and has kept me pleasantly distracted from the stresses of life for years. If it hadn't been for the hours I've devoted to FM, I'm sure my life would be very different, but whether different in a better or worse way, I will never know. I'm very happy with my relationship with FM and hope that it is fruitful for many years to come.

What a brilliant thread people

If I'm being honest, FM (and in the past CM, since the beginning - 90ish?) takes up too much of my time, and I'd probably be classed as being addicted. It doesn't affect my relationship, but probably my health and stops me doing other more pressing RL things.

It's definately not as good for your well-being as reading, interacting (in the real world, MSN doesn't count), or outdoor activity; I'd say even watching tv is 'better' for you.

I think for many FM is a form of escapism, and if you need a brief bit of that because of other stresses then fair enough. But you shouldn't do it for too long, like I do.

My 'problem' is that i stay up late on FM and don't get enough sleep due to it.

I'm in my early 30's and have a job and a daughter to look after so the only time i get to play FM is after she's gone to bed. I usually end up playing late into the night and am knackered all the next day! This goes on for months...

Snap! (Without the daughter bit).

I normally play after my girlfriend has gone to bed, as I want to spend the evenings with her, which means I'm always playing waaay too late and am knackered the next day at work.

Re the debate of whether FM is 'better' than other pastimes, it's all about balance.

I love reading, and as I have a daily commute of 1 hr 15 mins, I manage to get a couple of hours in each day.

I love watching quality TV (particularly comedy or documentaries) and always watch programmes I fancy.

I love sport, and play hockey on saturday and training one night a week.

I love getting drunk with my mates, and do this regularly.

I love spending time with my girlfriend.

Each of those things provides me with different benefits and enjoyment, but the reality is that gf; sport; and mates take priority over TV;reading; and FM.

There's no way I'd miss out on any of the former to do any of the latter simply because all of the latter group are 'passive' in the sense they can be done at any time without missing out on the enjoyment.

I think for many FM is a form of escapism, and if you need a brief bit of that because of other stresses then fair enough. But you shouldn't do it for too long, like I do.

I like this and it probably sums up mine and many others' situations.

This is a cracking topic and I can identify with so many of the posts above.

I started playing when at school in the cm2 days so obviosly had loads of time to play. Following that, being a student and then full time employment limited the time I could play as did the whole relationship / marrage thing. Still, with doing shift work I could get loads of spare time in while she was working.

I too have done the late night / early hours that make you knackered the next day but through all this time I have been as likely to be reading a good book or watching the latest series of Lost, 24, prison break etc on DVD box setas playing FM, all depends what I fancied doing at the time.

Like one of the guys said earlier, at no time would I let any of the this get in the way of wife / family / work / real sport / mates. As long as your priorities are right, there is nothing wrong with playing FM in your spare time, whether it is the odd hour or a full on marathon like when 2010 released!!

The biggest thing that limited my time for doing anything was when the kids came along. It's safe to say they are more addictive, fun and time consuming than any game, book or DVD.

Still, when I win the league title I feel the same as I did as a 15 yr ol kid!!

It's getting hard to play it now though because I really don't have the time but like someone allready said, it's pointless and doesn't reward you with any tangible product... but then neither do women, unless you consider ejaculation a tangible product.

*Just to clarify, I understand females are not jizz creation utilities*

classic post

for me fm is pretty high up on priorites as i am a teenager, who lives with his two brothers. Its almost like a competition between us on FM. If is see one of my brothers doing well with a particular team, i have to drop everything i am doing (including coursework) and start a game with the same club, to try and prove to him that i can do even better then him. I think once i am older and live by myself or with a future partner, that competitiveness will obviously go, and it would be harder to carry on FM without it.

Saying this doesnt mean i dont have a social life, or dont enjoy reading or documentaries, becuase i do all of these things. It just means that sometimes i enjoy fm more than these things.

as for the 'healthiness of fm', i owe alot to it! at the moment i am studying triple science, which as many of you may know is a complete nightmare. This mixed with coursework and revision for my other 8 GCSE's makes me constantly stressed. For me Fm is the perfect way of just relaxing and getting away from the work and the ability to be able to completely detach yourself from the world for a few hours every week is actually very healthy for me. On a friday when i have double maths at the end of the day and spend two hours working out the algebraic equation for perpendicular lines in various graphs, it is great to be able to come home and conquer the world with FC United

I used to love playing FM, discussing it on MSN or at School the next day with my mates, don't play it as much now, probably will get it on release day and give it a go but not the same as 3/4 years ago for me.

Alot of other things come first. Things I didn't do when I was a little younger.