I classify myself as a gamer – It’s a big part of my identity, I play everything from Indie games on itch io that get recced to me to triple a games. I own a ps4, a switch and a pretty capable gaming pc. My digital collection ranks in the thousands, and my retro game collection is in the hundreds.

I still play fifa. Now before anyone gets on my case let me explain. Me and my brother used to play Fifa as younglings, it was ps2 days – before the shitty microtransactions, and we’d spend afternoons playing that shit. Beckham, Ronaldo (the brazilian one), Zidane – my brother was a fan of Real Madrid – he was older and knew more soccer than me so he beat me constantly but it was fun.

Times change, people grow up. My brother is now nearing his 30s and he’s got responsabilities. It’s weird, when we were kids we swore that when “we had money” we’d get all the games we want and yet my brother is financially stable – enough he lives on his own with his wife, and is thinking of having a kid, but gaming isn’t his thing anymore.

​

My brother grew up. He found a girlfriend whom he eventually married, he started working 8 hours a day. I remember when he would come home with the latest gaming magazines and spread posters of PS3 exclusives he wanted to play and yet now gaming is not on his mind.

He arrives at home tired from work, and what we wants to do is spend time with the wife, maybe watch some netflix after dinner. He’s got a PS4, but though I’ve gifted him Shadow of Mordor and GTA V he hasn’t progressed past a few hours into it.

Know the shit he does play? Fifa and Rocket League – a whole lot of it. While he’s waiting for the water on the stove to heat up, or after eating dinner those 10-15 minutes he has for himself he brings up the game, no ultimate team shit nor whatever, and goes online.

I KNOW FIFA is shitty, and terrible for consumers. It’s EA right? And maybe it makes me selfish – but buying the newest version of Fifa and playing two or three matches with him on the weekend is the only thing I still have connecting me with my brother. We disagree on pretty much everything, politics, the importance of videogames, hell even what I should be doing with my life – but that hour or two every weekend where we connect together to play FIFA like the old days in voice chat? Those are the highlight of my week.

So yeah – I’m aware FIFA is shit, but I’m sorry – I can’t just give it up.