I play Hattrick because it’s an addictive game. The game can be enough on its own … But by adding the community part, it borders on perfection!
Some of my Hattrick friends I've known for more than a decade now, which is longer than quite a few of my real-world friendships. You build up trusting relationships with them, and meet people you'd normally never meet. That's also what I really enjoy about the federations in Hattrick - some are really places where you can share your personal stories. A federation in Hattrick was one of the first places where I disclosed I was going to become a father!
When I registered, I liked that Hattrick has fantasy names instead of real players. That got me hooked. I also liked that all opponents were people of flesh and blood… and also that they turned out to be really helpful, showing me the steps you need to take as a new user to improve your team. Today, I am a good mentor myself.
I started playing Hattrick in the summer of 2002 when a friend, who I played "Fantasy Wrestling" with online, told me about Hattrick. I made many mistakes in the beginning. At that time there was no such thing as mentors or beginners' guides. So my very first club was bankrupt after only a few weeks. Luckily, I was able to restart with a new club shortly after that and then I did a lot better.
The key reason I stay in Hattrick is the friendships I have made, but also the competitiveness and the feeling that I can still achieve more.I don't necessarily aspire to be number one in my country but I like to test some idea how things could work better and build a team that way. The goal is always to be top 10 in the country.
My best Hattrick memory was when the city where I lived (L'Aquila, Italy) was hit by an earthquake. I received a lot of support, a lot of help, a lot of love. It was a very hard time and Hattrick was there, with its community, with me. I will never forget that.