How FIFA esports can be improved

But FIFA has grown to be much bigger than simply a party game now. It's an esport worth millions of pounds, with new leagues, tournaments and companies getting involved on what feels like a daily basis.

Over the last couple of years, FIFA esports has seen significant growth in terms of viewership, player base and prestige amongst the esports community. It's becoming a more viable career for aspiring young professionals (and look no further than Donovan 'DhTekKz' Hunt and DullenMike for what young players can do), but with this growth comes a certain amount of eligibility for criticism - something FIFA and EA are no strangers to.

With that said, much of the criticism is fair and there are several ways FIFA can be improved to gain the approval of the esports elite and become a more well-rounded and fair competitive title.

It is perhaps the most common complaint EA faces when it comes to FIFA Ultimate Team - it's incredibly difficult to get the strongest available team, particularly early on in the game's life-cycle, without sinking some cash into the game. Many players, especially those competing at any level, feel it is necessary to put their own money in in the hope of having some luck with pack openings, either by packing the stronger meta players or by being able to sell and trade enough to afford the player they desire using in-game currency.

The flaws in this kind of system are evident - for example, if two players of equal skill face off, but their teams are dramatically different because one does not have the money to invest in opening packs, does this fairly judge the better player?

If you look at the top esport titles, players have all the tools already at their disposal, such as the availability of all champions in League of Legends. This allows players and teams to make decisions based on that of their opponent. Many FIFA players find they instead have to rely on luck and money to maximise their chances at winning.

This may contribute to why many believe FIFA to be too 'random' to be a truly competitive title. Not giving players the tools to complete the job to the best of their ability from the off definitely damages the competitive integrity of the game.