PowerPlay Magazine

This is an interview with trueblue55. His real name is Sam and he is 33. He is from down under and he is a die hard hockey fan. He has come to my attention after I have seen this video.

Hi Sam, you are a very active PPM player and you have made a short training video about PPM and put it on YouTube. What was the reason for you to make this video?

In my experience multimedia is the best form of advertising you can use. I've used YouTube in the past to reach a wider audience, so originally created the video for 2 purposes. First, to introduce people to the game and give them a brief run through of its features and secondly, to try and get more people signing up at PPM by marketing the video on a few different websites.

You are a PRO pack user on PPM. What was the main reason for you to support this game and buy a PRO pack?

To be honest, after just a few hours as a free member I realized that the Pro pack would make the game much more fun. Also, as a hockey fan I really appreciate games such as PPM and understand that good quality products don't come cheap, so by being a pro member, I’m able to help fund such a great quality game.

How did you find out about PPM and what was your first impression about it?

I first heard about it when someone posted the link on Hockeypulse, an Australian hockey forum. I think it was Foxx (or similar) who posted it. I was already in another Hockey sim game, so wanted to see how it compared. I've never looked back. My first impression... WOW. Literally, the interface, the features... it had me hooked from the very start.

How would you rate PPM now that you have played it for some time and you have learned all its features?

9 out of 10 stars. There are naturally always places that can be improved. Compared to other similar games, it's at the top of the list. When you get right into the game and look at all the different things you can do to help improve your team, it leaves the competition behind.

You are not only a fan of PPM but also a big hockey fan. How long have you been a hockey fan?

I "knew" about hockey for a long time, but never was a fan until 1997 when I first met my wife. She introduced me to the sport and got me hooked. Since then our passion for the game has just kept growing. Our house is lined with hockey gear; Mike Modano posters, xbox games, random hockey sticks on the walls. We're pretty crazy about the sport.

Are you involved in hockey on any level at home in Australia?

Yes, I take care of the website for our local team in the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL), the Gold Coast Blue Tongues, so I’m virtually part of the team who run the team. On a personal level I also play inline hockey. Same rules, but on inline skates.

Do you follow both NHL and international hockey?

Yes, as much as I can. We don't get much hockey televised here, so I rely on the internet to stream games from time to time. The NHL is the main league I follow (Dallas Stars), and have been to the U.S. once already to see them play live. We're going back again this November. International hockey I’m a fan of Australia, naturally, but my favorite International team is Finland.

Most people who are not from North America never get to watch their favorite NHL teams live with their own eyes. What was it like to watch your favorite team play live?

It's hard to put into words. I can still remember walking into the American Airlines Center and looking down at the rink…. it kind of left us speechless. Seeing them play was phenomenal. They look fast and skilled on the TV, but up close, you really see a whole new side of the game that the cameras simply can't capture.

Final question. If you could change one thing about PPM, what would it be?

Hmm a difficult question to be honest as the game is really good in so many ways. I think if there was one thing i would change it would be the way the sports academy works. I would love to be able to set my scouting department to scout a certain type of player, say a defenseman or goalie for example and have those types of players come through the academy. I think from a reality point of view that would make the sports academy much more powerful. It would also let the managers have more control over the types of players they get based on their teams own needs.