On September 24th, the newest iteration of one of the world's most popular video games, EA Sports' FIFA 14, was released.
Image from http://soccerlens.com/files/2013/08/fifa_14_xbox_360_boxart.jpg
I'm not too into video games, but this franchise represents an exception. I am an avid fan, and I biked to a local GameStop in between classes today to pick it up. Truth to be told it's the only video game I really ever play, but sufficiently so that it compelled me to spend $250 on the console to play it, so say what you will for how avid a video gamer I am.
Nonetheless, there are a couple noteworthy things about this release, and game franchise in general. The first is apparent from the annual TV advertisement cycle for the game, beginning in early August and typically concluding around the Christmas season. The creators of these television advertisements do a great job at showcasing the variation of fans who enjoy the game, as well as celebrities who typically have been outspoken proponents of FIFA. One such celebrity is the American rapper Drake, who has mentioned FIFA in his lyrics and even went so far as celebrating the release of the game and his most recent album concurrently in New York City on their shared release date.
Some of the things that make this game more commendable in my eyes, compared to any other sports franchise are derived from the game it depicts. Soccer, as I touched upon in the opening post of this blog, has an unrivaled global permanence, that has translated to EA Sport's successful virtual substitute. The breadth of the sport also means that even in this format, expansive diversity is represented. Simply put, there are more players, from more teams, from far more nationalities than any other sports video game in the world. This might initially seem of little consequence, but when you consider the audience who is engaging with these games is very often still within their most formative years, it begins to have more impact.
If a child were to be around FIFA from an earlier age, compared to Madden, the most popular American football video game, they might be exposed to the names and likenesses of players from Belgium, Morocco, Australia, Russia, Korea, Japan, Cameroon and many more that are likely not represented in the latter video game.
Players of these nationalities not only exist in FIFA, but have some relative prevalence and constitute a portion of the games best players. Seemingly irrelevant, but reoccurring interactions with other cultures like this starting at a young age can foster positive conceptions of cultures that would otherwise be unknown. FIFA makes nationality and full names of all the players easily accessible, propelling the possibility that it could serve to educate. Depending on the frequency of exposure, it could even be reasoned that some impact on foreign language capacity might be rendered.
I can personally say that I have had several interactions where I have been able to guess the nationality of a new acquaintance, based on the last name they share with a professional player I only knew of because of FIFA.
Now, none of this is to say that giving your children FIFA 14 will turn them into global diplomats, or that I expect people who wanted Madden to go buy FIFA for a geography lesson instead. FIFA is still a video game, and although a fantastically entertaining one that seems to get better every year, it is just a video game. There are very many credible arguments that video games don't offer much in the way of productivity to our society, and it can generally be considered a meaningless recreational activity. The presence of video games in our culture is undeniable, and not one whose place I am either trying to defend or defame.
What I am trying to express, and what is worth noting, is how positive habits can be generated from an inevitable recreational activity. The world is operating on a larger scale, but with more personalization than ever before. If we can sneak some cultural education and exposure through a "meaningless" video game, that can be considered a minor success. So, mothers everywhere, mine included, take just a little bit more solace in those hours your child spends doing what you would previously call, "a complete waste of time."
An interesting side note though, is the growing presence of women's professional soccer but no video game correlation. I doubt that there is substantial enough interest for an entire game devoted to it, but It would be interesting to see the FIFA franchise develop, among their many leagues and teams, a few women's teams. It would be nice to imagine that that is something that the EA Sport's higher ups have potentially already gauged interest to.
Some of the things that make this game more commendable in my eyes, compared to any other sports franchise are derived from the game it depicts. Soccer, as I touched upon in the opening post of this blog, has an unrivaled global permanence, that has translated to EA Sport's successful virtual substitute. The breadth of the sport also means that even in this format, expansive diversity is represented. Simply put, there are more players, from more teams, from far more nationalities than any other sports video game in the world. This might initially seem of little consequence, but when you consider the audience who is engaging with these games is very often still within their most formative years, it begins to have more impact.
If a child were to be around FIFA from an earlier age, compared to Madden, the most popular American football video game, they might be exposed to the names and likenesses of players from Belgium, Morocco, Australia, Russia, Korea, Japan, Cameroon and many more that are likely not represented in the latter video game.
Players of these nationalities not only exist in FIFA, but have some relative prevalence and constitute a portion of the games best players. Seemingly irrelevant, but reoccurring interactions with other cultures like this starting at a young age can foster positive conceptions of cultures that would otherwise be unknown. FIFA makes nationality and full names of all the players easily accessible, propelling the possibility that it could serve to educate. Depending on the frequency of exposure, it could even be reasoned that some impact on foreign language capacity might be rendered.
I can personally say that I have had several interactions where I have been able to guess the nationality of a new acquaintance, based on the last name they share with a professional player I only knew of because of FIFA.
Now, none of this is to say that giving your children FIFA 14 will turn them into global diplomats, or that I expect people who wanted Madden to go buy FIFA for a geography lesson instead. FIFA is still a video game, and although a fantastically entertaining one that seems to get better every year, it is just a video game. There are very many credible arguments that video games don't offer much in the way of productivity to our society, and it can generally be considered a meaningless recreational activity. The presence of video games in our culture is undeniable, and not one whose place I am either trying to defend or defame.
What I am trying to express, and what is worth noting, is how positive habits can be generated from an inevitable recreational activity. The world is operating on a larger scale, but with more personalization than ever before. If we can sneak some cultural education and exposure through a "meaningless" video game, that can be considered a minor success. So, mothers everywhere, mine included, take just a little bit more solace in those hours your child spends doing what you would previously call, "a complete waste of time."
An interesting side note though, is the growing presence of women's professional soccer but no video game correlation. I doubt that there is substantial enough interest for an entire game devoted to it, but It would be interesting to see the FIFA franchise develop, among their many leagues and teams, a few women's teams. It would be nice to imagine that that is something that the EA Sport's higher ups have potentially already gauged interest to.
