Let’s pick up the subject which Ignacy talked about yesterday. He showed us stereotypes aren’t always right. But are they true at all? Let’s pick one.
“Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win.”
This is what Gary Lineker said after England lost the semi final against Germany during the World Cup of 1990.
It became a very famous quote, and although there wasn’t any evidence to prove it, it became a well known fact. I believed in it as well. I was brought up with it.
I remember my father warning me as a boy: “Don’t cheer too early, they are Germans, you know!” But I can’t really remember a moment in which this really happened.. Did Gary Lineker create a myth by himself?
Now let’s do some science.
In 2019 scientists at the Ghent university analysed more than a 1000 games in recent history, played in the Champions League and Europa League. And what do you know? German teams don’t score more goals in the final minutes than clubs from other countries.
Spanish and French teams are less likely to concede a goal in the final minutes.
The same goes for English teams… but only if they have an English coach. Sometimes facts can be just as fun as stereotypes.
How does this work in Eleven? We believe that form and morale can be of a big influence on a game. We’ve implemented it in Eleven. If you have a team with a high morale, you are more likely to score in the dying seconds of the game. And if your team is fitter, you will be able to give more, and increase your chances of winning by activating different abilities of the players.
Earlier Dutch Research investigated national sides. Argentina, Italy ánd Germany are more likely to score in the dying seconds, but Germany is also more likely to concede any goals.
Therefore: Busted
So, let’s change that quote: “Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Italians or Argentines win.”
I guess now we know who’s gonna win the cup.
Yesterday’s game against Switzerland only confirmed it.
Thomas Jansen is the designer of Eleven: the football manager game. Ignacy Trzewiczek is the developer of the game. They both will share their thoughts about EuroCup 2021 and also talk about the design or development of Eleven. Be with them every day during Euro! If you like football and board games, please, share the news about Eleven!
You can learn more about Eleven HERE!
I strongly believe that good board game is the one that tells a good story. You play it and suddenly you are sucked into it, you feel chills on the skin. Emotions grow. In a moment you defend castle. You hear roar of warriors. You smell boiling oil. You are into it.
That's how I design my games. I always want to tell a good story. I want players to be into it. As deep as possible.
