Will the Radiohead experiment work on gamers?

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

Like several other members of the PC Pro editorial team, I pretty much drop all pretence of working/eating/sleeping/human contact for a month or so at the same point each year: when Football Manager is released for the PC. This year will be no different, as I bravely attempt to carry local minnows Bromley from the Blue Square South to the Champions League, ducking and diving in the transfer market and abusing my fellow managers in the press.

But, for the first time in its short lifetime, I am genuinely considering opting against Football Manager. Actually, that’s a barefaced lie – i fully intend to buy FM2010, but this year I’m also going to buy its big rival, Championship Manager.

Not because I think it will have improved to a level at which it genuinely competes with Sports Interactive’s record-smashing masterpiece – although early reports suggest it’s giving it a hell of a go – but because Eidos is doing something a bit different with the CM2010 launch. (more…)

Sport and Twitter isn’t always a disaster

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

Twitter has been in and out of the mainstream press headlines over the last few month for a number of sport-related reasons. Some stemmed from ill-judged comments, others from a lack of understanding of how Twitter actually works, and the media seems to have pounced on the fact that an interesting tweet can make for a very cheap story.

Two jump out above the rest. In football, then-Spurs striker Darren Bent grew frustrated during protracted negotiations over his move to Sunderland and vented a series of irate tweets in the direction of club chairman Daniel Levy – not a great idea with the transfer still very much in the balance.

“Do I wanna go Hull City NO. Do I wanna go stoke NO do I wanna go sunderland YES so stop f****** around levy”

Spelling and punctuation issues aside, the papers jumped at the chance to write a story that contained both controversy and that newfangled web thing the kids are all talking about, so Twitter became the tool that earned Bent the move he wanted. (more…)

Every sporting event in the world – for free

Thursday, August 28th, 2008

I’m currently sat in the office churning through a Labs, but concentration has never been my strongest point. I’ve just watched the Champions League group stage draw via BBC live text (surely this generation’s Teletext) and now I’m following Andy Murray’s progress in the third round of the US Open. He’s winning.

But it’s how I’m doing it that I love most:

(more…)

Anyone for Monopoly?

Tuesday, May 20th, 2008

Watching the Cup Final on Saturday – first, for five excruciating minutes on BBC, then the rest on Sky – I had a bit of an argument with some friends. The beer may have contributed slightly, but I also felt strongly about the matter: that forcing the breakup of a monopoly is not always good for consumers.

The Premiership was the case in point, but the Cup Final gave me my ammunition: the BBC/Sky choice was just that – a choice, as both were doing their best to win over viewers to the same spectacle simultaneously.

(more…)