I would say the community is the strongest reason I have stayed in Hattrick for so long. The game too of course. After having trained my players and played in the French Division 2 for a while, I started focusing on training international players to help the Moroccan team. Today 80% of the defense of the Atlas Lions was trained by me!
One reason I play Hattrick is because I like the cyclical nature of the game. You start with an idea about what kind of team you want to build, then you train long-term (up to 3 years in real life!). While you build, you can test and try to comprehend the aspect of the match simulation that you want to master. I also like the tactical choices you have to make for each match. But the most important component is the community.
I play Hattrick because I am a big football fan and I have always liked to play football manager games, like the German game "Anstoss" or "EA Football Manager". I play Hattrick since 2002, even though I had a break because of the birth of my daughter. So Hattrick has been with me for most of my life, you could almost call me "addicted” to Hattrick!
My biggest achievement in Hattrick was when I reached the semi final of our national Cup in the Netherlands, the KNVB Beker. I lost it against Rodenburcht, who is the most competitive team we have in our league. I also played 8 seasons in Division II.
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.
A long, long time ago, my cousin showed me this game, because he knew I like strategy games, especially if it is about football. :) And this fantastic game fit my expectations perfectly! That’s how I got started.