The series “FIFA” by EA Sports (current part: FIFA 23) is known for working with problematic loot boxes that resemble gambling. This can lead to addiction. On Twitter, a player explains how he overcame his addiction to “FIFA Points.”
What kind of addiction is this?
- In FIFA, there is the mode “FIFA Ultimate Team”: Here you can buy cards that represent real professional players and build a team with these players to compete against others.
- The game cards can be found in “booster packs,” a kind of “loot box”: The chance of getting the best players in their best versions is extremely low. The loot boxes are purchased with “FIFA Points,” a currency that you buy with real money from EA. Alternatively, you can also use your hard-earned coins to buy packs.
- Every year, EA generates billions of US dollars through this loot box mechanism in FIFA, which is viewed very critically. Some see it as gambling – but EA denies this. They call loot boxes a “fairly ethical surprise mechanic”. People enjoy earning packs, opening them, building their teams, and trading players.
Player says: The addiction to FIFA Points is ruining him
A player shares: The Twitter user SAF-Cal is a well-known figure in the FIFA scene. A user writes to him:
- He needs help, he is still young and has just overcome a gambling addiction, has been clean for a year, and no longer engages in sports betting.
- But he now notices that he has become increasingly addicted to FIFA Points – it’s worse than gambling was before.
- However, he does not want to stop playing FIFA because he has been playing the series since he was 6 years old.
Player advises: Realize that nothing in FIFA belongs to you
This advice is given to him by an experienced player: The experienced player tells him how he overcame his gambling addiction a few years ago (via twitter).
According to him, FIFA Points are not considered gambling from a legal standpoint, but they cause the same “highs and lows” as gambling addicts experience. As an addict, you chase those highs, not realizing how costly and destructive that pursuit is:
It sounds strange, but I overcame my addiction to FIFA Points by reading EA’s user agreements. In them, they explain: Although you spend money, you own nothing in the game: The cards, the coins, the consumables, everything in your club is merely loaned to you by EA. You can use it on their terms, but it doesn’t belong to you and will never belong to you. EA can revoke your access at any time without warning or giving reasons.
The trader says this realization and the knowledge that after a year no one is interested in last year’s cards have spoiled his enjoyment of “FIFA Points”.
He then thought about how he can build good teams without having to spend money recklessly. As a result, he started trading cards within the game.
The player warns: There is no protection with FIFA Points. Buying these points can quickly spiral out of control. He urges people to break the cycle and pull themselves out of the endless cycle of highs and lows.
The tweet in which he gives his tips has already been viewed 3.4 million times within a day. He received nearly 2,000 likes.
Even the satirist Jan Böhmermann has addressed gambling in FIFA in a show:
