They’re the reason we pay for pricey TV-channel packages, sing in unison with perfect strangers, and buy merchandise that transforms us into living billboards for heartless multinational corporations.
 


Clubs are why people like me love soccer.


And living out my wildest wishes with my favorite squad is why I love playing soccer video games.

When enjoying previous FIFA titles, I would reinforce my club with match-day mercenaries like a Russian new-money billionaire dabbling in the English Premier League. I'd even sign my overly skilled bizarro soccer self to fill out the starting lineup. My dreams would play out on the virtual pitch, as I delivered repeated beatdowns to hated rivals and earned multiple league championships.

I loved every second of it.

It was, in essence, fantasy football.

Release after release graced my disc tray, and the Groundhog Day-like ritual continued -- until FIFA 12 came along.

The way I play the game hasn't changed.

But the purpose behind why I play it has.

The latest entry in EA Sports' juggernaut soccer franchise stands out from its predecessors because it truly capitalizes on my unconditional and borderline-ridiculous club devotion with its most-significant new feature.

The EA Sports Football Club lets me represent my team in a more meaningful way. Yeah, I can continue to play with my comically talented squad, score goals with my better-than-Pelé body double, and add more stars above my side's computer-generated crest. But this time, my actions go toward a greater purpose. Every play, every matchup, every win contributes to my real-life team's virtual standing in the FIFA 12 ladder.

My single-player experience has now become a multiplayer expression of pride.

And pride is soccer.

I find myself having even more motivation to get my FIFA fix since I'm not just playing for myself. I'm playing for my team, my eleven, my club. In this case, Rio de Janeiro’s Vasco da Gama, the greatest sporting institution on the planet.


This might be the first time that I’ve really cared for any form of achievement-based system in a game.

Why? Because now I’m playing for my Vasco.

That adds a whole new layer to an already near-perfect package.