Οκ, εντάξει. Καλά τα πανηγύρια και τα χαϊδέματα στην πλάτη μετά τα προκριματικά. Πάμε τώρα στο "ψητό" της υπόθεσης, εκεί που έχει και το μεγαλύτερο ενδιαφέρον!
Κλήρωση Τσάμπιονς Λιγκ: με τη "γνωστή" Μπάγερν, την "άγνωστη" Τότεναμ και τα φιλόδοξα "αδέρφια" απ' τη Σερβία. Έχει πολύ ζουμί αυτός ο όμιλος, τόσο σε ότι αφορά τη δική μας εικόνα, όσο και στην ανάλυση των υπολοίπων.
Η Μπάγερν είναι το σούπερ φαβορί του ομίλου. Αυτό δεν τίθεται υπό καμία αμφισβήτηση. Δηλαδή και μόνο από τα ευρωπαϊκά που έχει κατακτήσει, αλλά και το μέγεθος του συλλόγου σε σχέση με τους υπολοίπους, όλοι οι άλλοι θα πρέπει να το αναγνωρίσουν αυτό ευθύς εξ' αρχής. Ναι, μπορεί ο Κόβατς να βρίσκεται σε κατάσταση... 24ωρης παρακολούθηησης από το προεδρείο μέχρι και τον τελευταίο οπαδό, αλλά αυτό και μόνο υποδεικνύει το μέγεθος του συλλόγου για τον οποίο μιλάμε: πέρσι πήρε το πρωτάθλημα, πήρε και το κύπελλο, κι επειδή "τόλμησε" να... αποκλειστεί στους '16' του Τσάμπιονς Λιγκ (από την μετέπειτα κάτοχο του τροπαίου, Λίβερπουλ), όλοι τον κοιτάνε με μισό μάτι! Προσθέστε βέβαια και το γεγονός της απόσυρσης της σίγουρης λύσης που ακούει στο όνομα Άριεν Ρόμπεν (ο άνθρωπος είχε καταντήσει να θεωρείται κάτι σαν Τζόρτζεβιτς για τους φίλους της βαυαρικής ομάδας, όσο ιεροσυλία κι αν είναι ένας τέτοιος παραλληλισμός), αλλά και τη φυγή του Φρανκ Ριμπερί και θα καταλάβετε πως η ομάδα περνάει αυτή τη περίοδο μια μεταβατική φάση, η οποία ωστόσο δεν φαίνεται να επηρεάζει την ταυτότητά της και πολύ. Όσο για την έλευση του Κουτίνιο, παραμένει άγνωστο το πόσο γρήγορα θα μπορέσει να προσαρμοστεί στο νέο του περιβάλλον και το τι θα προσφέρει. Άλλωστε η αποτυχία του στην Μπαρτσελόνα ήταν "κραχτή".
Σε ότι αφορά τώρα την Τότεναμ, περσινή φιναλίστ του Τσάμπιονς Λιγκ, τα πράγματα δεν είναι και τόσο απαγορευτικά. Φυσικά, μιλάμε πάντα για μια ομάδα απ' την Αγγλία, όπου το ποδόσφαιρο είναι απαιτητικό και ταχύτατο, ενώ οι παίκτες του Μαουρίσιο Ποκετίνο έφτασαν πέρσι μέχρι και τον τελικό του Wando Metropolitano, ωστόσο τερμάτισαν στην τέταρτη θέση στο πρωτάθλημα ενώ ήδη φετός έχουν κάνει την εμφάνισή τους οι πρώτοι "τριγμοί" στην ομάδα, με το θέμα της μεταγραφής του Κρίστιαν Έρικσεν να δημιουργεί προβλήματα εντός αποδυτηρίων. Χαρακτηριστική ήταν η εντός έδρας ήττα από την Νιούκαστλ. Οι νέοι παίκτες Λο Σέλσο και Ντομπελέ σίγουρα θα προσθέσουν ποιότητα στην ομάδα, ενώ και το επιθετικό "υπερόπλο" της εθνικής Αγγλίας που ακούει στο όνομα Χάρι Κέιν συνεχίζει να σκοράρει κατά ριπάς.
Στον όμιλο είναι και ο Ερυθρός Αστέρας του Μάρκο Μαρίν, ο οποίος μπορεί να πρωταγωνιστεί στο πρωτάθλημα Σερβίας, αλλά στα προκριματικά του Τσάμπιονς Λιγκ "ίδρωσε" για να αποκλείσει ομάδες όπως η Κοπεγχάγη του "δικού μας" Ζέκα και η Γιουνγκ Μπόις της Ελβετίας. Μάλιστα, η ομάδα του Βλάνταν Μιλόγεβιτς, από τον πρώτο προκριματικό γύρο από τον οποίο ξεκίνησε, έκανε μόλις δύο νίκες (με 2-1 κόντρα στη λιθουανική Σούντουβα στην πρώτη φάση και 2-0 κόντρα στην Ελσίνκι στη δεύτερη, και οι δύο εντός), φτάνοντας μέχρι τους ομίλους με τέσσερις σερί ισοπαλίες! Πέρα από τον Γερμανό, δεν υπάρχει κάποιος άλλος που να ξεχωρίζει από το ρόστερ τους. Όμως δεν πρέπει να ξεχαστεί το γεγονός πως πέρσι κατάφεραν να "γονατίσουν" ολόκληρη Λίβερπουλ στο Μαρακανά (όπως χαρακτηριστικά ονομάζεται η "καυτή" έδρα τους στο Βελιγράδι).
Και τέλος έχουμε και τον ίδιο τον Ολυμπιακό. Μια ομάδα που στα πρώτα παιχνίδια της σεζόν παρουσιάζει αξιοζήλευτη ομοιογένεια. Που ήδη έχει κάνει πορεία πρωταθλητισμού για να φτάσει μέχρι αυτό το σημείο κι όμως στοχεύει ακόμα υψηλότερα. Το γεγονός πως αναγκάστηκαν οι παίκτες να περάσουν από τη διαδικασία αυτών των έξι αγώνων (με Βικτόρια Πλζεν, Ισταντμπούλ Μπασακσεχίρ και Κράσνονταρ) μόνο προς όφελός τους μπορεί να λειτουργήσει, αφού αν και δεν έχει μπει καλά-καλά ο Σεπτέμβρης, ακόμα και ορισμένοι από τους νεοφερμένους παίκτες που δεν έχουν κλείσει ούτε τρίμηνο με τη φανέλα του συλλόγου, έχουν ήδη δεθεί με τα χρωματά του κι έχουν καταλάβει το ρόλο τους μέσα στην ομάδα. Φυσικά πρωτεργάτης αυτής της δουλειάς δεν είναι άλλος από τον Πέδρο Μαρτίνς που έχει δημιουργήσει ένα περιβάλλον οικογενειακό, μέσα απο το οποίο οι ποδοσφαιριστές έχουν πάψει να κυνηγούν μόνο την προσωπική τους ανάδειξη, αλλά επιθυμούν να παίζουν και ο ένας για τον άλλον. Αυτό σίγουρα μπορεί να αποτελέσει ένα από τα πιο δυνατά όπλα των Πειραιωτών, με το άλλο να είναι η εντυπωσιακή φυσική τους κατάσταση που έκανε ακόμα και ομάδα της Ρωσίας να... σκάσει! Το τέμπο που έχουν οι σύλλογοι των ανώτερων ποδοσφαιρικών χωρών είναι εξουθενωτικό για τις ομάδες των θεωρητικά πιο υπανάπτυκτων πρωταθλημάτων κι εκεί είναι που φαίνεται να έχει δώσει μεγάλη σημασία ο Πορτογάλος προπονητής, μη θέλοντας να αφήσει αυτό το πλεονέκτημα στους αντιπάλους του. Το να βλέπεις μια ελληνική ομάδα να κυκλοφορεί την μπάλα και να διατηρεί υψηλό ποσοστό κατοχής σε εκτός έδρας ματς μέχρι και τις καθυστερήσεις του αγώνα είναι κάτι ανήκουστο, τουλάχιστον τα τελευταία 10 χρόνια. Μπορεί να ακούγεται υπερβολικό, κι όμως η εικόνα που παρουσίασε η ομάδα του Μαρτίνς θύμισε περισσότερο Γερμανικό ή Ιταλικό σύλλογο, παρά κάποιον που πήγε να "κλέψει" αποτέλεσμα. Οι νέες προσθήκες των Μπενζιά, Λοβέρα και οποιουδήποτε άλλου θα αργήσουν να μπουν στους ρυθμούς του Μαρτίνς (εδώ καλά-καλά ο Ελ Αραμπί κι ο Σουντανί τώρα μπαίνουν), και το ίδιο θα μπορούσε να ειπωθεί για οποιονδήποτε άλλο ερχόταν στη θεση τους σε αυτό το χρονικό σημείο της σεζόν, ακόμα και ο ίδιος ο Μέσι να ήταν, και άρα θα πρέπει να περιμένουμε πριν τους κρίνουμε. Το σίγουρο είναι όμως πως για να ήρθαν, θα υπήρχε σοβαρός λόγος, αφού η ομάδα σκάουτινγκ των "ερυθρολεύκων" τα τελευταία χρόνια δείχνει να κάνει εξαιρετική δουλειά!
Τι μπορεί να κάνει ο Ολυμπιακός στον όμιλο; Τουλάχιστον να παραμείνει αήττητος στην έδρα του! Και με αυτό δεν εννοεί κανείς να κάνει το "3 στα 3", ακόμα κι αυτό σε τέτοιο όμιλο ίσως να είναι υπερβολικό. Ας πάρει έστω την ισοπαλία από την Μπάγερν. Καλή θα είναι. Θεωρείται όμως επιβεβλημένο πως θα πρέπει (όσο κι αν δεν μας αρέσει, 180 λεπτά είναι, θα περάσουνε) να κερδίσει εντός-εκτός τον Ερυθρό Αστέρα. Άλλωστε έχει δείξει ότι μπορεί. Ο... "τοίχος" του Ολυμπιακού ακούει στο όνομα Τότεναμ. Παραδοσιακά οι "ερυθρόλευκοι" όταν αντιμετωπίζουν στην πρεμιέρα την φιναλίστ της προηγούμενης σεζόν τα πάνε καλά (6-2 με Λεβερκούζεν, 3-2 με Ατλέτικο). Επίσης, ξαναλέω, τα "σπιρούνια" είναι η τέταρτη ομάδα της Αγγλίας. Αν παρατηρήσει κανείς την πορεία τους πέρσι μέχρι τον τελικό θα δει πως στη φάση των ομίλων ήρθαν δεύτεροι στην ισοβαθμία με την Ίντερ (με παθητικό 10 γκολ) έχοντας μόλις δύο νίκες, ενώ στη μετέπειτα πορεία τους απέκλεισαν Ντόρτμουντ, Σίτι και Άγιαξ. Δεν αντιμετώπισαν κάποιο μεγαθήριο. Το μοναδικό μεγάλο αποτέλεσμα που πέτυχαν ήταν ο αποκλεισμός της ομάδας του Γκουαρδιόλα, όλα τα άλλα θεωρούνται εντός λογικών πλαισίων. Φυσικά εντός λογικής θα είναι και το να νικήσουν δύο φορές το σύνολο του Μαρτίνς. Αλλά έχουν ευάλωτα σημεία. Μπορούν να ηττηθούν. Και είναι εντός των δυνατοτήτων της ομάδας που διέλυσε με 4-0 την Κράσνονταρ και την Πλζεν να καταφέρει κάτι τέτοιο.
Εδώ βέβαια έρχεται να παίξει το δικό του ρόλο κι ένας άλλος καθοριστικός παράγοντας: το πρόγραμμα. Μετά από τόσα χρόνια εμπειριών σε αυτή τη διοργάνωση (19η συμμετοχή, μη ξεχνιόμαστε!), μαθαίνεις πως δεν πρέπει μόνο να πανηγυρίζεις ή να στεναχωριέσαι για τον αντίπαλο αλλά και για τη σειρά των αγώνων. Ακόμα κι εδώ λοιπόν, ο Ολυμπιακός ήταν άτυχος. Αντί να του έρθει μια ωραία σειρά όπου θα ξεκινούσε με Τότεναμ, θα έπαιζε μετά με Μπάγερν εκτός, ύστερα θα έπαιζε τα δύο του ματς με τον Αστέρα, αφήνοντας την Μπάγερν να πάρει έξι βαθμούς από τους Άγγλους, κι ολοκληρώνοντας με μια όμορφη εντός έδρας αναμέτρηση με τους Βαυαρούς που θα'χουν ήδη προκριθεί και θα κατεβάσουν τα τρίτα, ο... υπολογιστής (διαφανέστατη διαδικασία!) της ΟΥΕΦΑ "μαγείρεψε" ένα ωραιότατο ματσάκι για τα "σπιρούνια" την τελευταία αγωνιστική με την Μπάγερν, αφήνοντάς τους να "καθαρίσουν" έξι βαθμούς με τον Αστέρα την τρίτη και την τέταρτη κι εμάς να παλεύουμε μήπως πάρουμε κανέναν βαθμό από τους Γερμανούς!
Έτσι όπως ήρθαν τα πράγματα, και 10 βαθμοί μπορεί να μην φτάσουν στους Πειραιώτες σε αυτόν τον όμιλο. Αλλά μετά από 19 χρόνια παρουσίας σε μια διοργάνωση, ίσως ήρθε ο καιρός να γίνει και μια υπέρβαση.
And so, with the conclusion of the playoffs and the group stage draw last Thursday night in Monte Carlo, we now stand at the precipice of yet another exciting season of UEFA Champions League action. Last season could be described as a little uneventful, despite many upsets and shocks (most of them by Ajax and Tottenham Hotspur), yet Liverpool's rise to glory was an easily predictable outcome, especially since they managed to overcome the obstacle known as Barcelona. This season many of the European greats such as the Catalans, Bayern Munich and Juventus will want to prove that they've returned to form, yet at the same time there's the sensation in the air that the constant expectation from the fans for continuous wins by the larger teams could leave them in a vulnerable position for an upset by some of the so-called smaller ones. Olympiacos' unbeaten run to reach the group stage all the way from the second qualifying round is definitely worth mentioning, while Salzburg, Leipzig, and Lille are all capable of great things. Inter Milan and Valencia also have their own point to prove after quite a few years of absence from the later stages of Europe's most prestigious tournament.
Let's take a look at the groups one by one to see for a more in-depth analysis of what we can expect:
In Group A there's the clear favorites of French champions Paris Saint-Germain and 13-time European champions Real Madrid, alongside Belgian giants Genk and Turkish club Galatasaray. The situation with Neymar seems to be a cause of upset within the French dressing rooms at the moment and the longer he remains, the more they'll be in turmoil. However it doesn't seem to be affecting them all that much on the pitch as Thomas Tychel's side will once again remain highly dependent on the inspirations of their offensive force of Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe. On the other hand, things aren't looking too good for Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid, with the club still searching for its identity after the departure of heavyweight Cristiano Ronaldo. In fact, there have been rumors regarding the French coach's future at the "Bernabeu" if the team's performances don't show significant improvement in the next few weeks. The "merengues" will be expecting a lot from new signing Eden Hazard. Club Brugge appear as the least threatening side of this group, with Galatasaray edging close to a deal with Colombian striker Radamel Falcao, after having already secured the services of Ryan Babel and Jean Michael Seri. There could be a few upsets in this group.
Group B might also be a source of unexpected results, as Bayern Munich and last season's finalists Tottenham Hotspur are joined by Greek casuals Olympiacos and Red Star Belgrade. The German giants are in a bit of a transitional phase, with the departure of their two wingers Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery and the arrival of Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona. Niko Kovac is under constant surveillance at the "Allianz" and any poor result (such as last weekend's 2-2 result at home against Hertha) could lead to sudden changes at the club. Tottenham seem to be in a similar situation. Despite having reached the final last season, manager Mauricio Pochettino has openly criticized his men for a lack of unity. Christian Eriksen could depart the team at any time and that seems to be creating friction inside the dressing rooms. Olympiacos on the other hand annihilated anyone who stood in their path to reach the group stage and showed that they are prepared to punish those who underestimate them. Although they have lost their captain Kostas Fortounis for quite a while, former French international Mathieu Valbuena showed he's more than capable of taking his place, while a solid back line comprised of many experienced players will not be easy to break down. Red Star may lack that experience but they too showed what they're capable of in their home ground last season by beating eventual title-holders Liverpool 2-0. This group may get complicated.
In Group C, things seem a little more fleshed out. Manchester City are the clear favorites, then there's a match up of Shakhtar Donetsk, Dinamo Zagreb and Atalanta. The Ukrainians are a highly competitive side that have been dominating their league for the past few seasons, while their squad is a mixture of local players and high-quality Brazilians from overseas. Dinamo Zagreb had a lot of issues reaching this point from the qualifying stages and showed a lot of weaknesses in defense and it's doubtful if they can remain competitive on a higher level, while Atalanta are a team that like to put the pressure on their opponents and strike on the counter attack, an ideal style for an Italian side. Personal prediction is that second place will be played between Atalanta and Shakhtar. Dinamo will not be able to hold them off.
Usually in these types of draws there's a group full of highly competitive sides that gains the moniker "the group of death". That title undoubtedly belongs to Group D. Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and Lokomotiv Moscow are all incredibly strong clubs that anyone would hope to avoid and they've been pitted against each other. Of course, such a group could serve as a perfect trial for newly-appointed coach Maurizio Sarri's "Vecchia Signiora", who made several signings in the recent transfer period (Matthijs De Ligt, Aaron Ramsey, Adrien Rabiot) and have now set their sights on the trophy. Of course, Diego Simeone's Atletico can also be considered a strong contender to top the group, especially after they gave a significant amount to acquire the services of Benfica's top scorer, Joao Felix, while Bayer Leverkusen are enjoying a return to form under manager Peter Bosz. Lokomotiv are one of the traditional powerhouses of Russian football and besides their strong team, anyone who goes to face them in their home ground will also have the harsh weather conditions to deal with. A very interesting group!
In Group E we have the European champions themselves, as Liverpool take on a renewed Napoli, an always dangerous Salzburg and the unpredictable Genk. Jurgen Klopp's squad has started the season right where they left off, with the players looking like they enjoy their football and the "Anfield" loving every minute of it. But three-time Champions League winner Carlo Ancelotti's arrival in Naples could be the start of something great for the "partenopei", as he has brought with him Roma's defensive powerhouse Kostas Manolas to tighten that back line. Salzburg however are a constant threat on the European side, going on to reach even the semi-finals of the Europa League a couple of years ago and will definitely be making their presence felt throughout the group stage, especially to those travelling to Austria. Genk will also be looking to take a few points for themselves in an attempt to at least seal that third spot that will see their European journey continue beyond the end of the year.
Group F contains three title-holders and one rookie. Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan will all duke it out to see who qualifies, while logic dictates that Slavia Prague will try to take whatever points they can get out of such a difficult group. Ernesto Valverde and his men will hope to go that extra mile this season and secure the trophy, which is the reason why they've acquired the services of Atletico Madrid and French international powerhouse Antoine Griezmann. With him, Suarez and Lionel Messi in their frontline, it's hard to imagine any defense being able to cope. Yet Dortmund have their own goals to achieve, such as repeating the triumph of 2013, which is why they've acquired players such as Thorgan Hazard, Julian Brandt and the return of their captain, Mats Hummels. 2010 champions Inter are also looking to make their own presence felt, as they've being one of the most active clubs during this transfer window, bolstering their squad with the talents of Manchester United duo Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanches plus former Atletico Madrid captain Diego Godin. Slavia performed admirably in the qualifiers to get to this stage but sadly, against these sort of football titans, there doesn't seem to be much they can do. A lot of entertaining encounters coming out of this one!
Group G could perhaps be described as the most balanced group in the competition. Zenit of St. Petersburg are joined by two-time European champions Benfica, Olympique Lyonnais and Leipzig. There really isn't much separating these four teams, as the Russian champions are nothing like the team of the past (that was only capable of reaching the round of 16 a few times, even at their best), while Benfica and Lyon are both enjoying a type of "renaissance" within their individual leagues and Europe. Under Bruno Lage, the "eagles" were able to de-throne FC Porto, while newly-appointed manager Sylvinho doesn't seem to be making a lot of changes, depending heavily on French international Moussa Dembele and his ability to cause trouble for opposing defenses. Julian Nagelsmann's Leipzig are an outfit that is constantly featured within the top three teams of the Bundesliga, relying not on any single individual players but on the team's efforts and thus should not be taken lightly. It wouldn't come as a shock if by the end of day six, this group was turned upside down (with Leipzig first and Zenit right down the bottom).
Finally, Group H could be described as the ultimate riddle. There's Europa League winners Chelsea, who pose as the favorites, but then there's last season's semi-finalists Ajax (who didn't play very convincingly in either of their qualifying rounds, especially against the Greek champions PAOK), a renewed Valencia and a strong ROSC Lille. Chelsea are under new management, with Frank Lampard coming in to try and turn things around a little. Yet, considering this is his first job as manager of anything, he could have chosen a less demanding role to gain some experience first. The fact that he's willing to dive right into the deep end could prove to have catastrophic effects for the Londoners, something the other clubs in this group will be sure to take advantage of. The "blues" have also lost much of their attacking force after the departure of Eden Hazard to Real Madrid, so that's one more thing to worry about. On the other hand, Ajax have had departures of their own (Matthijs De Ligt and Frenkie De Jong being the most notable among them), yet they still maintain their identity and could create trouble for many clubs throughout the season. But it remains doubtful if they can repeat last season's journey. Marcelino leads a very disciplined Valencia side, with his team looking to break the stronghold of Barca, Real and Atletico in Spain but also make it as far as they can in Europe. Perhaps they don't possess the squad depth they had back in 2000 when they reached the final, but still, their unity makes them a threat for anyone visiting the "Mestalla" and with an attacking force spearheaded by the likes of Kevin Gameiro, they're not going to make it easy on anyone. Lille are also a side not to be trifled with, despite losing last season's Ligue Une top scorer Pepe to Arsenal, as they have already begun the year on the right foot and will look to make their name heard. Second only to Lyon in France, they have a lot of experience in top-level football. All in all, this one's a tough nut to crack and could really go any which side. It wouldn't be surprising.
And that's the beauty of Champions League football. The high level of competitiveness, some teams fearing a disgraceful early end to their season while others looking at it as an opportunity to prove themselves to the entire world, all this creates the ideal stage for many upsets, a lot of fantastic stories and some great football! Let's see what this season has in store for us!
Having listened to so many people within and even outside the gaming industry voice their opinion regarding US President Donald Trump's recent statements on video games and how he believes they affect people's psyches, I thought I would put in my own two cents on the matter. This is not based on any scientific research, nor is it formed by the views of the industry as a whole. It's just what I personally think of the issue.
There are a lot of games out there that portray elements of violence. And, unfortunately, even though there is a rating system in place, not many parents are choosing to take it into consideration when buying a new game for their child(ren), rather they just seem to go to the store and pick up whatever the new trend is. Or even worse, nowadays kids can simply purchase whatever they want online using their parents credit card, without them even understanding what it is they bought. Sure, there are filters and parental locks available, but who has the time to put all those in?
Thankfully, in my opinion at least, games have started doing a much better job on at least explaining all that violence and giving it the gravity and importance that it should have, rather than just putting it out there as a reward for your efforts. The medium has done leaps and bounds from the days when avatars would randomly blast each other's heads off at the sound of some very spiteful 10-year-old's.
Yet, even in those dark days, you would never hear of anyone getting hurt over a video game. Sure, the sentiment of losing repeatedly and not being able to progress any further might make players temporarily furious, maybe even to the point of what some people would describe as "abnormal behavior", but the cases of them actually becoming violent towards others are too few to count. And also, this has nothing to do with what the game was showing to them. Even a casual round of Super Mario would be enough to bring on this sort of reaction.
To condemn video games (or "Nintendos", as my and I assume many other player's parents still call them) as "the glorification of all violence" seems ignorant, at the very least. Those words sound like they're coming from the mouth of a person who's frame of mind remains stuck in the 90's, when the medium was still considered a completely foreign element to most of the world. Those don't sound like the words of a leader of one of the world's greatest nations, but from someone who's isolated in
his own little world, not knowing what goes on in the outside. Wake up Mr President: today almost everyone has at least one "Nintendo" on their smartphone. In fact, I'm willing to bet you do as well.
But video games are not a source of violence, in fact it's exactly the opposite. For many people they have been a refuge to escape their difficult daily lives with their magnificent worlds and stories that gave them the opportunity to forget about their troubles. Having lived (for a very short time, thankfully) in the pre-video game era, I can personally attest that it is very important to be able to have such a thing. If you got into an argument or you had a bad day at school or things at work didn't go the way you wanted them or if you're having a hard time with your significant other, all this can magically go away once you dive into that new game you've been looking forward to.
In fact, with the introduction of the internet, this lead to the creation of online fan communities that slowly began to hold their first gatherings in some of the bigger cities around the world, thus providing a sort of "safe haven" for people who wanted to share their appreciation and excitement for their favorite titles or franchises with others. They kept growing and growing and these days the biggest of them span from the tens to the hundreds of thousands, whether we're talking e-sports, gaming expo's or just simple get-together's.
The stories, the worlds, the music, the characters that feel so alive nowadays, make us all part of their personal journeys. And they allow us to escape our own, even if it's just for a little. To forget our troubles and all that heavy stuff. We look forward to the time we get to open up our console and dive back in. Or other games with their online communities where we can enjoy a casual round of whatever with our best friends... these moments are precious to us and they bring us so much joy. Even if the game that's on the screen is as ridiculous as Grand Theft Auto V with all of its glorious graphic violence that reaches the point of obscenity. Gaming is anything but violent!
And yet you stood there in front of the whole world Mr President and said that "video games contribute to the glorification of violence in society"... Have you ever even sat down to try an actual video game? You're the elected representative of a nation. You should start acting like one and show an interest towards the younger generation.
