Wednesday 1 July 2000
It had been a week since the release of ZAGE's June titles—Kamen Rider Grand Prix for ZEPS 3, along with Football Manager and Theme Hospital for PC. All of them were selling well, gaining steady attention from players. However, Football Manager was causing a bit of discussion. Not exactly a "problem," but something that divided players more than expected.
Seta Maroki was a high school student who loved football with everything he had. It wasn't just a casual interest—it was part of his daily life. He played regularly as a member of his school's football team, spent time studying matches, and followed players closely. At the same time, he was also a gamer, especially fond of ZAGE's Winning Eleven series, which he played almost every day. So when he heard about a new game called "Football Manager," he didn't hesitate for even a second.
On the very first day, Seta quickly charged his Steam Wallet and bought the game digitally without thinking twice. To him, it felt like the perfect combination—his love for football and gaming coming together in one experience. He expected something similar to what he already enjoyed, but deeper, maybe more strategic, something that would let him feel like he was truly in control of a team.
At that moment, he had no idea just how different the experience would actually be.
But it was completely different from what he expected. The game wasn't just detailed, it was ridiculously detailed. There were countless tactics, different player types, personality traits, morale systems, even pitch conditions that could affect performance. Then there was negotiation, salaries, scouting… Everything was complex. Way too complex. This was nothing like ZAGE's Winning Eleven "Master League." That one made him feel smart. This one made him feel unemployed.
Seta was completely overwhelmed. Still, he tried to learn. He really did. But the result?
He was terrible.
His team couldn't win anything. Not even by accident.
Now, exactly one week later, Seta slumped in his chair and groaned. "Damn… this game is insane… It's like you actually become a coach…"
And just like a real coach, everything was falling apart.
His players were complaining nonstop. One wanted more playing time, another demanded a higher salary, and one even complained about a "lack of tactical clarity," which Seta didn't even understand himself. "What clarity!? I don't even know what I'm doing!" he muttered in frustration, clicking through menus like that would somehow fix everything. As if that wasn't enough, a couple of players started hinting they might request transfers if things didn't improve, and his assistant coach kept sending passive-aggressive messages suggesting "minor adjustments" that sounded like a full tactical overhaul.
To make things worse, he couldn't understand the tactics system at all. Every time he adjusted something, things somehow got worse, like the game was punishing him for trying. He would move one slider and suddenly his team forgot how to pass. He would change formation and somehow his defense disappeared entirely. At one point, he accidentally made his striker play like a defender and his defender run forward like a striker. The result? Chaos. Absolute chaos. His team looked less like professional players and more like confused tourists running in random directions.
So he gave up on thinking and just started clicking random tactics. That somehow made it even worse. Right now, his team was sitting proudly… at 18th place in Serie C. Dead last. Seta stared at the screen in silence.
"…Maybe football manager just isn't for me."
Seta let out a long, defeated sigh and leaned back in his chair. "Yeah… I'm done. I'm retiring. Early retirement at 17." He closed the game like a man who had just been tactically destroyed by life itself. After a moment of staring at the ceiling, he grabbed his mouse again and decided to browse the ZAGE forum instead. Maybe… just maybe… he wasn't the only one suffering.
As he scrolled, he noticed there were already tons of threads about Football Manager. Complaints, confusion, memes, people crying, people bragging… it was chaos. But one thread caught his attention immediately. The title was way too confident.
"Football Manager is a Complex Beautiful Game."
The user name: "RGR80."
"…This guy already sounds annoying," Seta muttered, but curiosity won. He clicked it anyway.
The thread began:
"Hey, first of all, I'm currently a football coach in England. I've been a ZAGE fan for a few years now, and I really enjoy complex strategy games like Civilization and Age of Empire. Recently, ZAGE released two new PC games—Theme Hospital and Football Manager—and today I want to talk about Football Manager. As an Englishman, I naturally love football, and I understand it at a professional level. So when I played Football Manager… I was completely amazed."
Seta squinted at the screen.
"…Of course he's a real coach," he muttered. "Of course." Seta Groaned "Then teach your damn team why you are playing a game "Coach!?"
"The game is incredibly complex. There are so many player types, tactical systems, and situational conditions that determine whether your team wins or loses. You have to manage training, scouting, player morale—everything. It's not just a game; you actually have to think and work like a real football manager. And honestly, that's what impressed me the most. Many of the tactics here are very advanced—on the level of what professional, world-class coaches would actually consider during real matches. It's almost like playing chess, where every move matters and every decision has consequences.
You can't rely on having 'superstar' players alone. Talent helps, but without proper tactics, it means nothing. Your opponents can read your approach, adapt to it, and completely shut you down if you don't adjust in time. That's why you constantly need to refine your strategy, change formations, tweak roles, and respond to what's happening on the pitch. If you don't, you will lose—no matter how strong your squad looks on paper. Even a team full of stars can fall apart without proper management. That level of depth is what makes this game so unique and, in my opinion, so rewarding."
"But yeah, I do understand. Even my friends—and some of my own players—tried this game, and honestly, they couldn't fully enjoy it because of how complex it is. It's not something you can just pick up casually and expect instant results. It asks you to think, to observe, to learn step by step rather than rush toward results. But for someone like me, who genuinely enjoys deep and complex systems, this is easily a 10/10 experience, because every small improvement actually feels earned.
That said, I don't blame people who don't like it at all. Not every game is made for everyone, and that's perfectly fine. Sometimes it's just a matter of preference… or maybe the game simply demands a bit more patience, focus, and understanding than some people are used to. And of course, if you're not that into football itself, it's even harder to appreciate what this game is trying to do.
I would say, though, that calling it "too much" or "unnecessary" might be missing the point a little. The depth is the experience. It's not there to make things harder for no reason, but to simulate the real complexity of managing a team. If you approach it expecting something simple, then yes, it will feel overwhelming. But if you give it time, you might start to see why others enjoy it so much.
Of course… if after that you still don't like it, then maybe this kind of game just isn't for you—and that's completely okay.
So yeah, it's completely fine if you don't enjoy it. It just means this kind of experience might not be your style… hehehe."
The comments were mixed. For example, a user called "Do_DoB" wrote, "Honestly, I'm really enjoying this. I love football tactics, and after just one week my team is already at the top of the England League. I even made it to the UEFA Champions League final, though I lost." He even attached a screenshot showing his team proudly sitting at the top of the table.
Naturally, that kind of comment didn't help people like Seta at all. In fact, it made things worse. Some users started praising him, calling him "talented" or "built for this kind of game," while others jokingly accused him of lying. A few even asked him to share his tactics, hoping to copy his success, only to realize they couldn't even understand his explanation.
For players who were already struggling, comments like this felt less like encouragement and more like quiet pressure. It was the kind of post that sounded positive on the surface, but somehow made you question your own ability. Seta stared at the screenshot for a few seconds, his expression slowly turning blank.
"…One week…?" he muttered under his breath.
That single sentence somehow hurt more than any insult.
There were also comments like one from a user named "Buster Sword777": "Hey! I can't understand jacksh*t in this game! I want to play a game, not work with damn statistics! It's too complex!" His frustration felt loud, almost like he was shouting through the screen, and judging from the replies, a lot of people agreed with him.
Then there were plenty of other comments, some genuinely funny, others painfully relatable. "I don't get paid enough to play this game," one user wrote. Another added, "I opened the game and immediately felt like I needed a degree." Someone else even said, "This game made me question my life choices after 10 minutes."
Of course, there were also the less helpful ones like, "You're all just too stupid to like this game," which only made things worse and instantly started arguments in the replies.
The comment section slowly turned into complete chaos. Some players tried to help by writing long explanations about tactics, but somehow those explanations just made everything sound even more complicated. Others argued endlessly, each convinced they were the smartest person in the thread. And then there were those who gave up entirely and just made jokes to cope with their suffering.
Seta read through all of it, scrolling slowly. At first, it was just irritation. Then it became annoyance. Then frustration.
And then…
His blood started to boil.
Seta groaned as he read it. "F*ck these guys… acting all high and mighty just because he's good at Football Manager!? Who does he think he is? And he even has the nerve to talk like that…!" He leaned back in his chair, clearly annoyed, but the more he thought about it, the more it started to hit his pride.
"…No… that's not it…" Seta muttered, narrowing his eyes. "That's it. Yeah… that's definitely it." His grip on the mouse tightened slightly as something shifted inside him.
"I'll learn this game. Slowly… but I'll definitely figure it out. There's no way I'm losing to some random 'Coach' on a forum."
He leaned forward again, his earlier frustration turning into determination. "First step… Seta F.C becomes champion of Serie C. Then… I'll bring them all the way to Serie A." He paused, then smirked slightly. "And when that happens… I'm coming back to that thread."
The thought alone gave him a weird sense of motivation.
Without hesitation, Seta logged back into Steam and launched the game again. This time, his face looked completely different. Not confused. Not overwhelmed. Just focused… with a bit of stubborn anger.
He loaded his custom team, "SETA FC," currently struggling in the Italian league, and stared at the screen for a moment.
"…Alright," he muttered. "Round two."
Then, after a short pause…
"…First, how do I even stop my defender from becoming a striker again?"
Many players were divided, much like Seta and RGR80. Some fell completely in love with the game, drawn in by its depth, realism, and the satisfaction of mastering something genuinely challenging. For them, every small improvement felt rewarding, every win felt earned, and even losses became part of the learning process. On the other hand, there were players who simply couldn't enjoy it at all. The complexity felt overwhelming, the systems too demanding, and the lack of immediate results frustrating. Instead of feeling challenged, they felt lost. In the end, Football Manager became one of those rare games that didn't try to please everyone—it naturally separated players based on how much patience, interest, and dedication they were willing to invest.
To be continue
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