Does playing FIFA , act as a technical tool for generating smarter footballers?

We hear a lot about the dangers of video games but what if coaches used them to improve and inspire young players?

According to a recent industry report, “54 percent of frequent gamers feel their hobby helps them connect with friends, and 45 percent use gaming as a way to spend time with their family” (Tech Crunch). These are just some of positive effect that most gamers feel towards the environment, and these statistics should allows us to be more optimisitic towards the potential that gaming has for it's users.

Since its creation in December of 1993, a lot of advancements have been made to the game allowing for greater user interaction. Now 27 years on, the new game play features are more applicable to the game itself. Greater concentration exists in team managemetnt, skills, tactics, which are essential tools to success in the real game. So are the children of today smarter footballers, not through tieing up their laces to go play football in the park, but through getting their hands on a PlayStation controller? Playing video games such as Fifa can help players pick up the intricacies of the sport at a young age. By the time they are six years old, a lot of children are already aware of 4-4-2, 3-5-2, wingers, defensive midfielders and the key attributes that make the best players the best.

Fifa shows young players the technical, tactical and analytical side of football in a way that wasn’t possible a generation ago. For example, the Ultimate Team mode requires you to put together a team based on a random selection of players you receive from packs – it’s the modern-day equivalent of Panini stickers. Although it’s not just a case of picking a formation and players. Your team’s rank will significantly improve if the balance or “chemistry” is correct. This feature of Fifa encourages gamers to put players in their correct positions, take note of which foot they kick with, who they might play better alongside and take advantage of a player’s specific attributes, whether it be blistering pace or a high level of tackling.

Maybe getting professionals to play fifa could be a performace improving meausre for the future?

Conor Corry

Information Systems

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