A small but effective change.
Football Manager 2018 is giving its computer footballers the opportunity to come out as gay in the hope of tackling the problem of homophobia in the sport.
The game will be released on 10 November but fans are already playing the demo version which has the new small but effective feature.
It goes without saying that the computer game will not use real-life players for the new feature but instead fictional players called ‘newgens’ have the chance to come out as gay.
For those of you who don’t know, ‘newgens’ are computer-generated youngsters that are created in the game to replace retiring players at the end of each season.
Director of the game, Miles Jacobson, said that the decision was made to add this feature because there are gay footballers who feel that they have to live in silence.
“We know from the amount of professionals that there has to be players who are gay but feel they don’t want to come out,” he told BBC Sport.
“I find it weird that it’s still a problem in football so we decided to try and show people that coming out isn’t a big deal and can be a positive thing. I just think it’s crazy that in 2017 we are in a world where people can’t be themselves.”
The feature does have its limits, however. Footballers from leagues and countries where homosexuality is illegal will not be allowed to come out and if that player is to move to a country where it is legal, it will still not be possible for him to come out.
The Director said that the repercussions would be too severe.
Thomas Hitzlsperger was the first English Premier League player to come out as gay, doing so four months after he retired in 2014. The German midfielder played for Aston Villa, Everton and West Ham, and “said he could not imagine” coming out while still playing.
