OK, the explanation above could be too crude to describe a mere computer game, but the basics are there and peoples experiences playing the game and following their team in real life are far too similar to ignore. In the opinion of many, including myself, Football Manager, or FM as it is commonly known, is one of the most addictive 'drugs' of all. Some may scoff at that comment, but just think about it. At the end of the day, FM is a game, there is no prize for winning the A-League without losing a game, and you don't get 3 A-Levels by getting Falkirk to the Champions League Final, so there is no incentive to play, is there? I think it's gone far beyond a hobby, something we do in our spare time, it is now an institution, October wouldn't be October without a brand new shiny copy of the latest instalment coming through your door would it? Since the early days of the first Championship Manager, released in 1992, the game has gradually become more and more like real life and is probably now the most realistic football game on the planet. This is why some people like the game so much, it brings them as close as they are ever going to get to calling the shots at their favourite club and of course, it is the realism which gets people hooked. In 2006, one person even went as far as applying for the Middlesborough job after the departure of Steve McLaren, sending in a CV listing his numerous successes in charge of Northwich Victoria! Needless to say, he didn't get the job. It is lunatics (if that's the word!) like this which gives the game the cult status it has today. People who rack up 5 days of playing time (half of it trying to get their tactics and training right, more often than not having to change back again in anger!) are, in my opinion, not saddos, just 'victims', who have caught the FM 'bug'. Dedicated victims though. In conclusion, I don't think that Sports Interactive should be blamed, or in any way held responsible, for 'ruining' many peoples relationships and social lives, because they have caught the essence of the sport of football perfectly. Bill Shankly isn't around anymore, but if he was, it would be interesting to see his reaction to the game. He would most probably have dismissed it as a mere waste of time, and told you to get outside and play some proper football, but it is more comforting to think that he may have taken to the game, due to his determined, never say die attitude, which many FM gamers possess. 'There are only two games worth playing on this planet, football and Football Manager'. I'm sure thousands, maybe millions, around the globe would echo that statement.