In this blog post, I will take a deep look at whether the time spent immersed in games ends up being nothing but regret or could be an unexpected learning experience, based on my own experiences.
There’s a saying about the “three devilish games.” These are three games that are so addictive they can have a serious negative impact on daily life, regardless of how fun they are. Once you start playing, it’s hard to stop, and before you know it, hours have passed. Some people even call these games “time-wasters.”
While evaluations of these three games may vary by individual, two that are universally recognized as part of the “Three Devilish Games” are the ‘Civilization’ series and the “Football Manager (FM)” series. I too began my journey into “FM” in the summer of 2021, and thus my time-traveling adventure began.
First, let’s clarify what ‘FM’ is. This game is not a simple football match but a simulation game where the player becomes a football manager and directly manages a football team. While other football games typically involve directly controlling players within a single match, “FM” operates a season in a way that feels real, incorporating complex elements such as club management based on actual data, player recruitment, coach management, and strategic planning for matches. Additionally, the game seamlessly transitions to the next season once the current one ends, making it easy to lose track of time. This is why it’s often described as a game that blurs the sense of time.
After finishing my second-year spring semester, I had no major plans for the break. I had no travel plans, no girlfriend, and no thoughts about the future. I spent my time drinking with friends or alone at home surfing the internet. One day, while feeling aimless, I suddenly felt the need for something fun. That’s how I discovered “FM” and eventually installed it on my laptop.
As soon as I started the game, I chose Manchester City FC from the English Premier League. Thanks to the financial support of Mansour, the owner of the club and a Middle Eastern oil tycoon and member of the UAE royal family, I could sign players without worrying about money, and the game’s difficulty level became very easy. As I kept winning and building up my reputation, I started to blur the line between reality and the virtual world. The simple controls—just pressing the space bar to advance the game—made it easy to play without getting tired, and my days started to flow more and more into the game.
Despite maintaining a regular routine of going to the gym and meeting friends every day, “FM” remained at the center of my daily life. A few weeks passed, and when I looked at the calendar, it was already mid-July. A momentary sense of crisis arose, but I ignored it and immersed myself even more in the game. While satisfied with my achievements in the game, my real-life self was growing increasingly deteriorated.
My parents called me a “loser,” and even I began to agree with them. By early August, I started to feel that I needed to change. After spending over a month immersed in the game, strategizing and managing players as a soccer coach, I finally decided it was time to stop. I gradually reduced my gaming time and managed to regain my composure before the new school year began in September.
I thought I would have to delete the game from my computer to quit completely, but I gained enough self-control to stop playing without deleting it.
Even after I quit, scenes of the players running around would pop into my head. However, I didn’t feel excessive regret. That’s because I had achieved almost everything I wanted to in the game, so I didn’t have many regrets. As time passed, I realized many things through this experience.
First, I realized how easy it is to waste time. While I was immersed in the game, I was wasting precious time in reality, but at the time, it didn’t seem like a problem. However, through this experience, I learned how dangerous it is not to prepare for the future. The regret I feel for the time I spent during the vacation still remains, but on the other hand, the lessons I learned from that time were also significant.
Now, as I am busy preparing for graduation, those memories have become precious to me. I sometimes miss the leisure and irresponsibility of those days, which I can never return to. However, at the same time, I believe that those experiences have allowed me to cherish the present and live my life to the fullest. People inevitably spend some time aimlessly, but I have come to realize that this is not necessarily a bad thing.
Nevertheless, I have no intention of reinstalling “FM.” Although the game brought me much joy and valuable lessons, it also caused me to waste a significant amount of time. Perhaps I should be grateful to the game for giving me this perspective.
