Sports video games like EA FC (FIFA), NBA 2K, and Madden cut through the increasingly saturated entertainment market and manage to sell millions of copies every year. On top of the sales, the internal costs within Ultimate Team and other online features continue to make the games lucrative, engaging, and social. They have made a remarkable transition from being the bane of parents’ pleas to “play outside” to a calculated system of streaming entertainment. The reason for this is the personal connection that games create with the fans.
Sports video games, specifically, have an almost educational role, as they are an attempted simulation of real life. It gives the fans a connection to a team or player beyond spectating. Thinking about what the baseball card did for fan interest in the early 1900s, which was then taken over by television broadcasting, which is now taken over by sports video games.
These video games teach fans more about the players and the teams because of a dedication to authenticity and detail. While playing a video game with friends is a common activity, the game modes are where players get deep. Each video game has career modes where the gamer can act as a player, coach, or GM. The GM mode gives the gamer-fan unfettered access to details like trading for players, ticket prices, salaries, and even concessions. There is even an option, like in Madden, to relocate your team.
It’s important to note that since the aim of the game is entertainment, the player is getting the most fun versions of the job instead of the tedious paperwork. While this specific aspect won’t educate the fan on the administrative work of a GM, the connection is made because the fan controls their own experience. Giving the fan the power of decision-making establishes a now personal link between the fan and the team.
The FIFA video game, EA FC, plays an especially important role because the number of players and clubs is massive. When playing career mode, the gamer not only has that same bond as other career modes, but also a connection to the future of the sport. In EA FC career mode, the gamer gets to see what talented young players, wunderkinds, are rated to have the highest potential. Young players are given quantified ‘potential’ ratings, so fans can see who is being touted as the future of the game, as well as play as the stars.
A lot of footballers don’t make it, either through injury, pressure, or a host of other unfortunate reasons. Despite these reasons that take them away from the global stage, they are still remembered by the fans in the game and at that time. It creates a deeper layer for gamer fans with players who may not make it to the top.
The video game Football Manager achieves the same effect because the gamer is running every aspect of the club except for playing the actual matches. It is a massively successful franchise because of the level of decision-making, which translates into sincere engagement.
The connection that fans experience within these games goes beyond what a broadcast or a playing card can do. The fan becomes part of the process, and that’s all fans want: to go beyond watching and find a way to influence the match personally. It’s the same as when a superstitious fan takes his shirt off for every first down. While video games seem antithetical to the idea of athletics, they serve as a deeper well of knowledge for fans to draw from.
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