The Cult of Champ Man: The Culture and Pleasures of Championship Manager/Football Manager Gamers

Publication Type  Journal Article
Year of Publication  2006
Authors  Crawford, Garry
Journal Title  Information, Communication and Society
Volume  9
Issue  4
Pagination  496-514
Key Words  Digital games; everyday life; football; performativity; sport
Abstract  

This paper considers the popularity and social significance of the gaming series Championship Manager/Football Manager. Sport-related games continue to be one of the most popular forms of digital gaming, and the series has proved to be one of the most successful of all time. Drawing on 32 interviews with game players and developers of this series, this paper argues that this series has proved particularly popular due to its 'intertextual' links to the sport of football, which allows this game to be drawn on as a resource in conversations and social networks. In particular, this paper argues that aspects of gaming, such as performativity and control, extend and cross-cut with wider social formations. Hence, the author argues that it is crucial that considerations of digital games seek to locate these within wider social and cultural patterns.

URL  http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a755296191~db=all~order=page
DOI  10.1080/13691180600858721

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