Loser drops pad

While my primary purpose at the workspace I visit daily is to work and grind as usual, I also always look forward to playing FIFA with the guys in the evenings. It's one of the benefits -- games at the lounge after 4pm until eight. Little did I know that it would eventually open up something new and exciting for me.

For a long time, others thought I wasn't into playing FIFA. They hardly ever saw me in the lounge during game time; hence, the assumption. Meanwhile, I was mostly trying to balance myself, acclimating to the new environment and people. Eventually, I showed up... and picked up the pad to play. You can imagine they were surprised.

From the way I was playing -- which wasn't great, by the way -- they could tell that I was used to playing PES and probably had never played FIFA before. Because PES and FIFA have very different gameplays. So yes, it was an excuse to be beaten 5-0 often. Not for me, though. The last thing you want to do when you're losing is to make excuses. Not with playing football games. For me, the more I lost and struggled, the more determined I became to actually learn it and begin to actually enjoy it for myself -- win or lose.

When you have about ten guys waiting in line to play, there is hardly ever any time to learn at your pace. The only opportunity is when everyone is playing. Learning fast didn't seem easy. But I wasn't having that, so I went to buy my own controller.

The idea was, since I already have a high-end performance PC—we're talking about 4K display, 4GB NVIDIA GPU, and 8th gen Core i7 -- I could very well install FIFA 25 on my PC and, you know, enjoy myself and learn privately. All that was missing was a controller and, of course, the game files. Thankfully, there's unlimited internet access here. So I never looked back as I started the 55 GB FIFA 23 files.

Nope. I couldn't find a FIFA 25 crack to download... anywhere. Even FIFA 24. Which I just learned that FIFA is now called EA FC. So it's technically EA FC 25. What a mouthful. Oh well. And "crack" because there's no way I'm spending $100 on a video game that I wouldn't play that often and wasn't sure would run as expected.

I bought the controller quickly enough. Before I downloaded the game files, actually. If you look closely, it's not the original PS5 controller. This one costs a quarter of the price of the original. Again, being wise about my spending.

"Wise, you say?" Anyone might be thinking... when I actually invested myself this much in what they'd call play. Well, it really is play, but the kind that I truly need. The last thing I want to do after working all day is to doomscroll into the night and still not feel relaxed. I'd rather unwind with a video game, like I used to as a kid. I could read a book, though, so I just juggle between the two as I want.

The good thing is that I can hook up the controller to my Android phone and play Call of Duty Mobile. I probably play COD a lot more now, even more than intended FIFA, because it is way more fun with a controller. Just me in a 15-minute Battle Royale match, and sure enough, I would soon forget that I was stressed.

So now the question must be, do I now play better and win more at the game lounge? Yes and no. Yes, I play much better. No, I don't win as much as I expected... yet! It's a work in progress, you know. Others are not sleeping. But it's all the more merry for me now, not having to lose as much.