BBC Radio 5 Live will be dedicating a special program where they will be looking at the Rise of Football Gaming.
This special program titled ‘The Beautiful Gamers’, will be broadcast Tomorrow, January 28th at 7:30pm and will look at why and how games such as FIFA, Football Manager and PES have become so popular around the world.
Discussions will include how clubs are using games such as the Football Manager series to scout players, how the Premier League is responding to the growth of football gaming and speak with gaming superstars, including the YouTube sensation Spencer Owen and the popular Wimbledon striker Adebayo “The Beast” Akinfenwa. Other guests will include:
- Head of Sports Interactive, Miles Jacobson, publishers of the popular Football Manager series.
- Editor of the video game industry magazine MCV, Christopher Dring.
- Chair in Science and Future Media, Professor Andy Miah, who will discuss the culture of gaming.
- The professional FIFA gamers, David Bytheway and Chris Bullard.
Dan Walker, BBC Radio 5 Live presenter, stated:
There aren’t many professions where you go to work and then get home and relive what you’ve been doing on your Xbox or Playstation. The thing is, there are so many footballers who like nothing more than cracking out a football game for relaxation.
On ‘The Beautiful Gamers’ we’ll look at why these games have become so popular – with fans as well as footballers – we’ll speak to industry insiders to see how the gaming market has developed to become so profitable, ask if governing bodies should be worried and speak to some of those earning a living from either playing these games – or just talking playing them!
Lasting 90 minutes, this program will be available on the red button, the BBC Sport website and as a show on BBC iPlayer shortly after broadcast. Be sure to let us know if you will be tuning in via the comment section below.
