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Key research themes
1. How has FIFA Ultimate Team transformed economic and player engagement dynamics in the EA SPORTS FIFA franchise?
This theme focuses on the introduction and impact of the FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) mode in EA SPORTS FIFA games, particularly its role in monetization via microtransactions and loot boxes, and its effects on player behavior, fan communities, and regulatory scrutiny. Understanding FUT's mechanisms sheds light on evolving business models in digital sports gaming and the associated ethical and legal debates.
Key finding: Identifies FIFA Ultimate Team as EA's primary revenue source within the FIFA franchise, generating over $1.6 billion in 2020 through microtransactions and digital card packs. The paper demonstrates how FUT's pay-to-win... Read more
Key finding: Explores adult players' perceptions of anxiety, stress, and socialization associated with playing FIFA during the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing that FIFA's online modes facilitate global competitive interaction and social... Read more
Key finding: Analyzes the multidimensional factors driving FIFA's market dominance over rivals like Pro Evolution Soccer (PES), attributing its success to exclusive licensing deals and integration of non-gameplay elements that sustain... Read more
2. What organizational and economic frameworks influence the sustainability and financial governance of professional football, including implications for FIFA and related digital representations?
This theme investigates the professional management of football clubs and the economic structures underpinning modern football, including regulatory frameworks like UEFA's Financial Fair Play (FFP). It also covers stakeholder dynamics in the football industry, providing a foundation for analyzing how real-world football economics relates to digital and esports representations managed by FIFA.
Key finding: Establishes how UEFA's license criteria, enforced since 2014, drive professional football clubs toward sustainable corporate structures emphasizing financial and organizational governance. The paper links rigorous management... Read more
Key finding: Details UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations introduced in 2013/14 requiring clubs to break even over rolling periods using football-related income and costs. The study reveals mixed receptions from clubs, citing concerns... Read more
Key finding: Provides a comprehensive multi-stakeholder analysis of professional football's value network from individual club perspectives. Using qualitative data from high-ranking officials, the study constructs a framework elucidating... Read more
3. How is the evolving perception and cultural legitimacy of esports, including FIFA esports, shaping its classification and integration within broader sport and entertainment industries?
This theme captures scholarly discourse on esports' defining characteristics, its contested sporting status, and organizational development as a global phenomenon. It emphasizes FIFA's role within esports, examining sociological, economic, and cultural dimensions influencing its acceptance as a legitimate competitive domain and its interrelation with traditional sport structures and digital gaming cultures.
Key finding: Argues that esports—including FIFA—share core attributes with traditional sports such as structured competition, skill acquisition, physical and cognitive demands, and organized governance despite lacking autonomous... Read more
Key finding: Provides a historical overview and contextualization of esports development, tracing its origins from early competitive video gaming to a structured global industry. The analysis recognizes FIFA esports as a component of this... Read more
Key finding: Articulates the emergence of esports and electronic gaming as an independent interdisciplinary research field necessitating dedicated scholarly outlets. The paper outlines JEGE's mission to support inclusive, diverse research... Read more