Golden goal: altruism versus toxicity and the soul of football (soccer) simulators

This paper explores contrasting player behaviors in two of the largest football (soccer) franchises -EA Sports FC (formerly FIFA) and eFootball (formerly Pro Evolution Soccer). Each game has built up substantial global online player bases (Guins 2022) and offer a wide range of official tools and paratextual materials to engage with their respective communities. Outside the official ecosystem, players have found their own ways to create, improve, subvert and re-engage with the games. Whilst toxic in-game behaviors often attract attention, players often demonstrate altruistic behaviors and collective action that mirrors both wider fan behavior regarding the sport (e.g. commemoration or remembrance activities), standing up to the perceived owners and authorities that police the game (e.g. fan protests towards both game companies and football owners)or reflect a range of social, activism, political and non-political causes (e.g. support for Ukraine, Palestine, LGBT+ rights and various charities).