It's often said that the people who commit themselves to a particular pursuit or goal, have a tendency to be a bit blinkered and are immune to distraction. This can certainly be said of the millions who trudge through rain and snow to purchase the latest installment of the Football Manager franchise. More accurately there will be even more sat patiently at home to download the game digitally and not have to leave the comfort of their 'FM Nest'. I've known many a man, and occasionally the fairer sex too, who've boarded themselves up with supplies, locked their door and haven't been seen or heard of in weeks. Recently an article was published stating that FIFA 13 was the main factor in the break up of 12% of relationships that had ended around the time of the game coming out. Reasons given included gamers suffering a 'change of mood' due to results in-game and also couples spending less time together due to one playing online with friends and committing that cardinal sin of ignoring their partner or spouse. If this is the impact FIFA 13 can have, then I dread to think what will happen to the love lives of all the FM13 fans. That being said I have a personal example to bring into the mix. Recently I posted on a friend's Facebook wall stating it was only 'x' amount of days till FM was released. His other half quickly joined in the conversation but rather then berating him for putting a 'game first' played along with the joke and labelled herself a 'FM Widow'. This is the perfect response in the face of football fever. Banter, laugh and let him or her play, after all when they lose that cup match or having their star player suffer a season ending injury you know who they will run to for support and TLC. For anyone reading this in worry of their other half abandoning them, I suggest you watch the film 'Fever Pitch', based on a book of the same name written by Nick Hornby (and starring Colin Firth if you ladies need an added pull). It shows the rollercoaster ride of being a football supporter and allows those alien to football to see the passion that is shown by fans of the sport. I can remember when I used to play Championship Manager in my teenage years and occasionally suffered the odd social rebuff for staying in on those rainy nights playing, instead of running off into the night. Luckily most of the time I didn't miss anything exciting, but instead entered a world where anything was possible. I could lead my team (Arsenal) to glory and help nurture the next group of bright young stars who could one day shine at a World Cup or Euro's Final. I remember the season Henry joined us and I used him on the wing as an inside forward and he tore defences apart, little did I know that he would go on to do this for years for our side in real life. You can laugh, you can cry and enjoy this moments then share them with work mates, school friends and guys down the local boozer. I've lost count of the conversations I've overheard where people are passionately talking football then I realise it must be FM their actually talking about (Neymar scoring a hattrick in the Liverpool Derby etc). Before anyone jumps in with the 'leave your house and be social' argument I'd like to add that the latest reincarnation of Football Manager boasts the best networking game on offer. They've looked at all the bugs and glicthes, having worked closely with Steam to make the game fully compatible. My best mate and I always have a network game (where you play online with friends or strangers) on the go, it means we can keep in touch, share a passion we both care about and also allows you to make new friends (just look at the forums dedicated to FM on the web). In short and with reference to the title, there is really no need to make a choice anymore. Football Manager 2013 has a new 'Classic' game mode which allows you to complete a season in 10 hours and will give those caught for time, a chance to experience to same highs and lows. This demonstrates how much SI Games (FM's makers) care about their fans, and also those who've strayed in recent years with no time left in their busy schedules to play the game. They've catered for various markets and from what early previews have said, they've also delivered the best looking and most detailed football management sim on the market in both mammoth and bitesize chunks. I've been Chris Lynch and I'll see you in-game!