As football fever grips the country, ahead of the UEFA European Championship, England fans will still remember Frank Lampard’s ghost goal against Germany in the 2010 World Cup. Lampard’s shot cannoned off the underside of the bar and clearly landed behind the goal-line but the referee waved play on and England lost the game. In the 1966 World Cup Final, a shot by Geoff Hurst also hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced down to the line, before being cleared by West Germany’s defenders. But the goal was famously given.
Now, football fans can put themselves in the referee’s shoes and compete for the international high score in a new online game which tests your decision making and reflexes, and asks: did the ball cross the goal-line?
The GoalMind challenge has been created by international assessment company cut-e, in the same style as a gamified recruitment assessment, and it can be played on smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktops. In the game, you choose which of the Euro 2016 country teams you want to represent and you’re then shown a succession of bird’s eye views of a six-yard box and a goal. A ball lands and you have to quickly decide whether it was a goal or not. When you make your decision, you’re given instant feedback on whether you were right or wrong, before the next view appears. The challenge is to get as many decisions right as you can in one minute.
At the end, you receive a ‘referee capability score’ as well as feedback on your performance and how it compares against other football fans in different countries. The high scores are listed for individuals and the ‘team scores’ are amalgamated to show which country’s team is ‘leading’ the tournament.
“Our assessment test designers have created a fun, competitive game which puts you in the role of a referee and shows you different scenarios in which you have to make quick and accurate decisions,” said Dr Achim Preuss, Managing Director of cut-e. “This is a little like a realistic job preview for referees! The faster you decide and the fewer mistakes you make, the higher your score will be. If you score well, you’ll lift your country up the rankings and you’ll also be qualified to yell at your TV if any controversial refereeing decisions are made at the Euro 2016 tournament.”
The GoalMind challenge is available in multiple languages. You can repeat the game as often as you like, to train your brain, boost your reaction speed and improve the overall score for your country team.
Play it now at http://goalmind.cut-e.com
The 2016 UEFA European Championship will be played in France from 10 June to 10 July. For further information about cut-e, please call +44 (0)20 8133 3361 or visit www.cut-e.com.