Theatre of (Virtual) Dreams: Exploring the CulturalHeritage Value of Stadiums in the EA FC/FIFA Franchise

This paper explores the role of both real-world and fictional stadiums and in Electronic Arts EA Sports FC (formerly FIFA) franchise.Stadiums in the EA FC/FIFA video game series are more than just the digital arenas for gameplay.They represent more than just fan connections to clubs but through personalization features characterize fan identity in-game and embody footballing cultural heritage, symbolizing the history, identity, and traditions of football across the globe.This research explores the cultural heritage value of these stadiums, focusing on both their role as virtual representations of real-world landmarks and as spaces of shared memories and experiences for players.The research question guiding this study is: How does the representation of stadiums in the EA FC/FIFA video game series contribute to their cultural heritage value and global significance?EA Sports has consistently presented the game series as an 'authentic' experience.Although this is frequently used and abused for marketing purposes, for over three decades it has been EA's stated goal to create the most realistic football game (Parkin 2016).The complexity in defining how publishers, developers, marketing, and players each define 'authentic' and 'accurate' has been central to the academic discourse on historical games (