Jeez, I Love FIFA

The video game, that is.

I’m not much of a gamer myself, but gosh, how could you not smile when watching a game of FIFA or the insane promotional material that comes around its release. Seriously, where else can you watch a kid from Ghana talk about playing around with Wayne Rooney, then watch Wayne Rooney talking about taking on Joleon Lescott after United beat City. Plus, MLS’s very own alumnus Conor Chinn makes an appearance to discuss a the idea that the game serves as something of a teacher, or at least has any purpose beyond being a solid thumb workout.

I don’t necessarily agree with this. I’m sure we’ve all seen friends who play FIFA to the point where their matches rival, if not surpass, the level of play of actual professional leagues. The games can really get astoundingly good: from the creative and organizational possibilities with passing to the endless moves available for dribbling, there’s no doubt that players in the real world can learn a lot from playing a bit of FIFA. It’s the same reasoning behind watching old games or replays in that seeing a field from a bird’s eye view offers players full-field perspective. And there’s definitely a value to that.

But that’s no substitute for time on the ball. Never. You can take penalties with Messi for a week on FIFA, and that’s dandy, but it won’t help you in tryouts for Varsity next fall. I’m all for learning about positioning and understanding field vision, but the best place to do that is, in fact, on the field. No question. So while FIFA is great supplementary material, and is a great idea for after it gets too dark to see the ball and your mom is absolutely begging you to come in, it can never replace time on the ball.

Still, those commercials are just sick.

What do you think?

Category: MLS