Έγκλημα και τιμωρία

  Κορονοϊός. Η λέξη της ημέρας. Της εβδομάδας. Του μήνα. Χεσ'το. Της χρονιάς ολόκληρης. Από το πουθενά μας ήρθε και πλέον δεν ακούμε τίποτα άλλο πέρα από αυτήν την λέξη. Βρίσκεται παντού: σε κάθε δεύτερη πρόταση. Στα πρωτοσέλιδα των εφημερίδων. Στις ανακοινώσεις των τρένων και των λεωφορείων. Στις πινακίδες των καταστημάτων. Και να θέλεις να ξεφύγεις, δεν μπορείς. Ο κορονοϊός, κι όλα όσα μπορεί να σου φέρει στη ζωή σου βρίσκονται εκεί, σε κοιτάνε στα μάτια διαρκώς. Δεν υπάρχει καμία απολύτως διαφυγή.
   Και γιατί να υπάρξει άλλωστε; Μπορεί για εμάς τους ανθρώπους να πρόκειται για ασθένεια, όμως για τον πλανήτη μπορεί να αποδειχθεί ως το καλύτερο "φάρμακο" για το "μικρόβιο" που τον ταλαιπωρεί εδώ και χιλιετίες. Ένα "μικρόβιο" που τον έχει ταλαιπωρήσει αφάνταστα και διαρκώς του προκαλεί ολοένα και περισσότερες ασθένειες.
   Ο λόγος φυσικά για εμάς τους ανθρώπους, που από την πρώτη στιγμή που πατήσαμε το πόδι μας εδώ, δεν πήραμε χαμπάρι πως είμαστε φιλοξενούμενοι, παρά καταχραστήκαμε ότι δεν ήταν δικό μας. Κι από το σημείο που βρέθηκαμε παραπάνω από δύο άτομα στο ίδιο μέρος, ξεκινήσαμε να πλακωνόμαστε μεταξύ μας για το ποιος θα το καταχραστεί πρώτος. Πράξαμε δηλαδή όλα όσα είναι στην φύση μας να πράττουμε, χωρίς ποτέ να κάνουμε παύση για να σκεφθούμε τις συνέπειες των πράξεών μας.
   Το αστείο της υπόθεσης είναι πως θεωρούμε τους εαυτούς μας και... θύματα αυτής της υπόθεσης, σαν να μην έχουμε κάνει τίποτα κακό και να μην μας αξίζουν τα όσα μας συμβαίνουν αυτές τις μέρες. Εμείς που από την πρώτη στιγμή που θα μάθουμε να περπατάμε στα δύο μας πόδια και να χρησιμοποιούμε λέξεις, μπαίνουμε σε μια πορεία ανελέητης εκμετάλλευσης και χρησιμοποίησης όλων όσων βρεθούν στο δρόμο μας για την προσωπική διάκριση και ανάδειξη εντός της κοινωνίας. Δεν υπάρχει ούτε ένας άνθρωπος (στις αποκαλούμενες προηγμένες κοινωνίες) που να μην έχει πέσει θύμα αυτής της πορείας από άλλους και παράλληλα που να μην έχει επιδιώξει και ο ίδιος να εκμεταλλευτεί με τον οποιονδήποτε τρόπο κάποιον δικό του συνάνθρωπο. Συμβαίνει καθημερινά μάλιστα. Είτε πρόκειται για πληροφορία, είτε πρόκειται για επαγγελματικές βλέψεις, είτε πρόκειται για πιο προσωπικούς λόγους, καθημερινά οι άνθρωποι εκμεταλλεύονται και πέφτούν θύματα εκμετάλλευσης, με τέτοια συχνότητα μάλιστα που να θεωρείται και ως κάτι δεδομένο ή "κανονικό"!
   Στα τόσα χρόνια που βρισκόμαστε εδώ, η κληρονομιά που αφήνουμε είναι να θέσουμε ακόμη και τη ζωή του ίδιου του πλανήτη σε κίνδυνο λόγω της ανικανότητάς μας να ζήσουμε ο ένας με τον άλλον αρμονικά και να κάνουμε μια πραγματική απόπειρα να κατανοήσουμε τον διπλανό μας. Αυτό το ανελέητο ένστικτο να δούμε τον εαυτό μας κυρίαρχο και να κατατροπώσουμε όλους όσους μας απειλούν (ή θεωρούμε ότι μας απειλούν) έχουν δημιουργήσει άπειρες συρράξεις, ατελείωτους πολέμους, και μέχρι τώρα έχουν φέρει δύο φορές την ανθρωπότητα στα πρόθυρα της ολοκληρωτικής καταστροφής (με τον τρίτο να έρχεται με μαθηματική ακρίβεια αν συνεχίσουμε έτσι). Δεν κοιτάζουμε δίπλα μας, δεν μας ενδιαφέρει, και το πιο υποκριτικό της υπόθεσης είναι ότι παριστάνουμε και τους συμπονετικούς.
   Γιατί λοιπόν να θέλει ο πλανήτης να σε κρατήσει; Αν εσύ έχεις μια μόλυνση, μια ασθένεια, έναν ιό, που σ' έχει φέρει κοντά στο θάνατο, γιατί να μην θέλεις να τον ξεφορτωθείς; Τι ακριβώς έχουμε κάνει που να δικαιολογεί την υπαρξή μας σε αυτόν τον πλανήτη και που τώρα έχουμε βλέψεις να το σκορπίσουμε και σε άλλα μέρη του γαλαξία πανάθεμά μας (βλέπε Άρη, Ίλον Μασκ, κλπ);
   Είμαστε τόσο βλαμμένοι που ρισκάρουμε να κολλήσουμε έναν πιθανότατα θανατηφόρο ιό από την φρίκη μας, γιατί αλλιώς λέει δεν θα έχουμε αρκετά χαρτιά, στα οποία εμείς έχουμε ορίσει την αξία τους (βλέπε χρήματα) ώστε να δώσουμε σε αυτούς που θέλουν περισσότερα χαρτιά, ώστε να τα δώσουν κι εκείνοι με τη σειρά τους σε άλλους που θέλουν ακόμα περισσότερα χαρτιά. Τίθεται σε κίνδυνο η ίδια μας η ύπαρξη κι εμείς κοιτάζουμε κάτι του οποίου την αξία ορίσαμε εμείς οι ίδιοι!
   Δεν έχουμε λόγο ύπαρξης κύριες και κύριοι. Το χάσαμε αυτό το παιχνίδι προ πολλού. Ας καθήσουμε στην καραντίνα μας να τα λουστούμε κι ας ελπίσουμε τα "αντισώματα" του πλανήτη να μην πιάσουν κι εμάς. Όχι πως μας αξίζει, αλλά υπάρχει και το ένστικτο επιβίωσης.
   Ή που θα ξεκάνουμε εμείς τον πλανήτη, ή που θα ξεκάνει εκείνος εμάς. Η ώρα της αλήθειας είναι εδώ.

Kids these days...

 My very first blog post since last year. Took a while but writing is what I do for a living now, so I don't think I would actually do it for my spare time as well. But when something keeps knocking on your head, you need some sort of outlet. Someone or something to talk to, before everything starts becoming too much for you to handle. So here we go. 
   We are all alone. And this world keeps pushing us to become more isolated.
   In my first few years here in Australia, I have seen a society in which people are so far away from one another, so distant, like they're too afraid of anyone getting near them. Things like social anxiety, daily stress, or the fear of the unknown have been allowed to come into the open alongside other issues and people don't know want to have to talk to others because they aren't sure if what they say might offend someone or cause them some form of distress.
   This is not how things should be. People should be able to freely say whatever it is they have on their minds, no matter what that is. It is only through discussion and debate that we can move forward as a society, in a joint effort. Now, I'm not saying that people should go offending and having arguments with everyone and everything, that won't get us nowhere. But certainly, there must be a better avenue than having to place restraints over what someone can or cannot say! People fought and died so we can have these rights and now we're gladly offering them up on a silver platter simply because we don't want to be placed in a difficult position of having someone say words to us!
   It goes from one extreme to the other. The other day I saw someone on Twitter make a post about how stressful it is when their phone rings. The post went on to gain thousands of likes and comments from stressed out teens who can't answer their bloody phones when their grandparents call them, so they simply choose not to talk to them anymore! That is wrong on so many levels! If we're reaching a level at which all we can handle is text on a screen with which we can determine how and when we will respond, then our future looks pretty bleak.
   And yet, the irony of this situation is that this generation of "influentials" (more influenced I would say, but whatever), like to think of themselves as progressive. That they have some sort of cause. What a joke! They stick their heads in their phones 19 hours a day just so they don't have to deal with the world or simply out of their own boredom and after being fed so much political bullshit by the media who are serving their own agendas, they go out and demonstrate for some cause or another, thinking they're making some sort of difference. 
   If I tell you something every hour of every day and show you documented proof on it, then eventually, whether you want to or not, you're gonna start to believe it. That's what's happening here. We're talking about an entire generation that has literally no other outlet apart from their social media and through that, they can be dyed in any color. After all, the younger they are, the easier it is for them to eat up all the unprocessed garbage they're being given. It's sad really.
   Not that they're hurting anyone. It's just that it's not what they should be doing at this age. There are so many other stupid things for young kids to do and learn from. But when you have the police checking Facebook event pages in case someone who didn't get an invite shows up at a party, then, well, I guess they have to find a different outlet. So they go vegan. Or they support Greta. Or they get in stupid protests in support of "the planet" and against the corporate machine. The same corporate machine who is feeding them the bullshit that's making them want to be there in the first place.
   People need to get off their goddamn phones and remember what it was like to talk to each other. Yes, we might get hurt or it might be stressful or whatever. Some friendships might not last, other people might be assholes and rude and narcissistic. But we live in a whole world full of people and if you keep searching, eventually, you'll find the results you're looking for. Kinda like Google. You just gotta be willing to search.

Innovative storytelling: Applying the 'Dungeons & Dragons' method on a personal level

   There are a lot of games out there that each have their own, unique story to tell. These stories range from emotional, thrilling, meaningful and more often than not try to deliver some sort of message. Throughout the experience, the game attempts to create a bond between the player and the protagonist via the narrative, as they go through situations that seem difficult to overcome. More often than not, the players take a backseat as they watch events unfold. Events that involve the same character that they are meant to be in control of.
   However, recently there have been a few titles that attempt to put players more in the role of their characters. Rather than just decide how they fight or limit their experience to simply watching the story, certain game developers have put players in the position of the protagonists, making their actions directly affect the fate of the characters and thereby the outcome of the story. This method of storytelling is more commonly known as the "Dungeons & Dragons" technique.
   For those who do not know, "Dungeons & Dragons" (or D&D, for short) was a fantasy tabletop role-playing game that was released back in 1974, when 4K TVs and dual-core processors were things that the human mind couldn't even imagine. The concept of this game was to create a fantastical setting and give the players a choice of two individual paths on how to proceed. Depending on the answers they provide, their created character could either end up with a grim fate or survive all trials and come out as the winner.
   This sort of unique way of storytelling, where the player directly affects the way the story progresses has been used by several developers, but most popular among them is ATLUS. Both their recently re-released title Catherine: Full Body and their Persona series make perfect use of the "D&D" method by amplifying it, as they put players in situations that requires them to reveal their true personality. (It's should be pointed out that there are heavy spoilers for both Persona 5 and Catherine: Full Body up ahead, so if you haven't played either of them and you intend to, you might want to skip the next section.)
   In 2016 's Persona 5, the main character is able to form relationships with several individuals around him. The bonds he forms serve him in battle, yet should he go too far with his intimacy, it could prove costly and hurt those around him. The player chooses the people with whom the main character forms these bonds and there are certain limitations as there are a lot of people surrounding the main character and limited time. He could choose to not talk to anyone and be a loner. Or there's the opposite extreme where the main character ends up as a playboy who has an incredibly full schedule for his Valentine's Day.
   But the choice that was the most thought-provocative came near the end of the game, when the mastermind behind it all, the so-called 'God of Control', offered the main character a chance to turn the wheels of time and for the populace to accept the Phantom Thieves -as is the pseudonym of the gang the main characters have formed. Considering the way the story has progressed up to that point, but also the fact that there doesn't seem to be a downside to this offer, it's difficult to say no, putting players in a very difficult position. 
   Yet doing so ends the game right then and there, as you're provided with an ending that shows a public crowd that lacks the abilities of clear thought and criticism, blindly taking whatever the Phantom Thieves do as a positive. Such power is easy to corrupt and it is that choice that is given to the player here. I must admit, when I was provided with the choice, I took the offer and it was difficult for me to go back and complete the game.
   Catherine: Full Body makes things even more personal. The game begins with a main character, Vincent, who is already involved with someone -Katherine- yet somehow finds himself getting involved with not just another, but two more people, who all interestingly share the same name. Night after night, Vincent experiences horrific nightmares during which he needs to go up a series of stairs in order to reach a door if he is to survive. Every time he reaches the top, he finds himself in a confessional, where someone who he cannot see asks him a question. And this is where the players get involved. The questions that are asked are not directed to Vincent, but to the players themselves and are of a highly personal matter ("What do you look for in another person before you begin a relationship?", was one of the questions that I was asked). The responses of the players directly affect Vincent's story and the way he deals with his personal relationships, with the game featuring multiple endings.
   This type of storytelling of course might lead to extensive development times for each title, as contrary to a streamlined scenario, there need to be branches depending on the choices of the players and different cut scenes, etc. Plus it might diminish the time of the original play through of a title significantly. It also creates a moral dilemma for the players themselves who may not want to go back and see the other endings, as those will not be based on their own choices, but rather they will be forced to make decisions that they wouldn't usually make in real life.
   Yet it is undoubtedly one of the most innovative way of getting players invested into a story as it makes them feel responsible in a way for their character's fate and could even give them an opportunity to reflect on their actions, should their choices lead the hero down a wrong path. It's like you're providing them with the pen and the paper and all they have to do is write; it's their own story.

Final Fantasy VII Remake @ Tokyo Game Show 2019: Bringing Fantasy into reality

 

   One of the most highly anticipated gaming events of the year is undoubtedly the Tokyo Game Show. Although some may argue that it has lost some of its glamour in the past few years, the recent rise in Japanese developed titles makes it the perfect opportunity to show them off on home soil where the game creators know exactly how to cater to their audiences. Without doubt, one of these major new titles is Square Enix's Final Fantasy VII Remake which had a strong presence at the show. The ambitious reinvention of the popular 1997 game was featured not only by a sparkling new trailer, but with several pieces of game play, with information -both official and still unconfirmed- spreading like wildfire.
   But let's take things one step at a time. Earlier during the week it became known through a post by the game's director Tetsuya Nomura on the FFVIIR Twitter page that a new trailer was going to drop. A short while later, a countdown timer was added on the game's official Japanese website, with all fans holding their breath for the moment it would finally hit zero. Once that moment came, the new trailer dropped like a bomb in a Mako reactor (too soon..?)
   The almost-three minute long clip showcased the members of the Turks, ShinRa's elite mercenary force. Reno, Rude and Tseng were all displayed looking a lot flashier than in the 2005 movie Advent Children. The final member, Elena, was nowhere to be seen though. Also in the trailer there was yet another character of unknown origin who was riding a motorcycle and pursuing the Avalanche members. Presumably, he is also a member of SOLDIER, just like Cloud and Sephiroth, and according to rumors that remain unconfirmed his name is Cerberus (no, not Sebastian or Essai, sorry.)

   Apart from them though, one of the most appreciated con-men in video game history, Don Corneo, also made an appearance, looking as creepy as ever, while it was confirmed that Final Fantasy casuals Shiva and Ifrit will once again be coming out to play with ice and fire. The clip ends with the trio of Cloud, Tifa and Barret looking over an all-too familiar setting of what can only be presumed are the ruins of Sector Seven after ShinRa's handiwork.
   But FFVIIR wasn't limited to just the (impressive) trailer at the Tokyo Game Show, as Square Enix made sure that the game's presence was felt by everyone, both those who attended and those who were hundreds of miles away. During a presentation for Sony, the game's producer Yoshinori Kitase took to the stage to confirm that all the Wall Market mini-games will indeed be making a return. The show's host took on the squats challenge and performed rather well considering this was her first try! There will also be a newly-added darts mini-game.
   Furthermore, for those still not sold on the game's new action-type approach to battles, there will be a "Classic" mode available, thanks to which they can just kick back and wait for the ATB gauge to fill up before they take action. The characters are set on an "Auto-Attack" function until the gauge fills up, giving players the time to strategically think about their next move. This mode could be useful down the line when there are too many characters and abilities to choose from and building up the ATB is just something you don't have the time for. Who says turn-based is dead..?

   During the presentation's closing minutes, Kitase showed some entirely new footage of Cloud, Tifa and Aerith taking on Aps, the monster that lives in the sewers beneath Corneo's estate. Considering this boss battle takes place on a later stage that the one against the (Sentinel) Scorpion, the characters are much more developed at this point and will have some new or expanded abilities, not to mention some new materia (shining orbs that can be used for either magic or summoning). The battle was incredibly fast-paced, yet each character had their own separate roles and Kitase (who played the demo) had no issue switching between them and issuing orders. On the middle right of the screen, there was a purple bar with the "SUMMON" indication on top of it and when Cloud used his regular attacks, it would slowly fill up. Once it hit its maximum, our spikey-haired protagonist was then able to call upon the firey god, Ifrit. As shown, the summoned creatures will have their own abilities (Ifrit had Flare Burst and Crimson Dive) and can be controlled just like any other character, yet they don't seem to have a designated HP or MP meter. Once the purple "SUMMON" line on the middle of the screen runs out, they leave the battle. But not without leaving something behind. Just when the bar reached zero, Ifrit performed his trademark "Hellfire" attack, making swift work out of Aps' remaining HP. It was later confirmed that characters will be able to carry one summon materia each, while only one can be present at a time during battle.
   The abilities of the other two characters were shown off as well, with Aerith performing her Healing Wind and Tifa her Sommersault. Aerith is a magic-user and her unique ability is called "Tempest". It creates a circle in which any spell cast can be used repeatedly at no extra MP cost. All-in-all, it was highly entertaining just to watch, while nothing seemed out of place or extreme. Even with Ifrit's presence in the battle, it was still easy to maintain a grasp of everything that was going on during the fight while Aps was jumping all over the place. It seems apparent that the more characters have a chance to grow throughout the game, the more battles will require strategy, and become even more demanding for players, with each new opponent providing new questions that will need answering apart from "how do I get his health bar to zero?"

   That was all of the official information released by Square Enix regarding the Final Fantasy VII Remake, a title that is shaping up to be even better than many fans could've imagined. There are still some unconfirmed rumors going around, such as that there will be a separate story line showcasing what happens with Barret, Tifa and the rest of the Avalanche crew members when Cloud falls into the Aerith's church or that the materia growth system will be present, yet until this becomes official we recommend you take it with a grain of salt.
   This title promises to be an incredible experience, bringing to life characters, battles and locations we could only imagine when some of us were young and giving others the opportunity to see what the older generation is going on about. The one thing that I'm personally worried about is the level of information that the developers are dishing out and also the actual size of this title. Considering it ends when the crew decides to leave the city of Midgar, we've already seen, well, pretty much all of it! At this point I don't know how much of it remains left to see. There is the promise of expanding on certain elements, but, from what we know of the original, there's not much else. I sincerely hope my doubts are misplaced. Only time will tell.

Τι μπορεί να καταφέρει ο Ολυμπιακός στο Τσάμπιονς Λιγκ;

   

   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.

The UEFA Champions League season 2019/2020

 

   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!

Dear Mr President...

 
  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.