On the big TV screen, the team Carson and his crew were rooting for ended up losing the match.
If it were any other time, they would've already exploded in anger, using their drunkenness as an excuse to start smashing things.
But at this very moment, they were all completely distracted by something else.
No one cared about the match result anymore—who won or lost no longer mattered.
On the small TV in front of the young bartender, a very similar scene was playing out.
Their favorite team was dominating, scoring goal after goal within just a few minutes. In the blink of an eye, they had already netted five or six goals.
Everyone stared at the screen in disbelief—this kind of performance was rare!
"Hey kid, what is that thing? How can you control the team?" Carson asked, wide-eyed.
The young bartender paused the game and held up the controller. "This? It's a game console. Haven't you ever seen one?"
...
...
These guys' lives mostly revolved around fighting, playing football, or working odd jobs. That was pretty much it. And since this European town was relatively isolated, they didn't know much about newfangled electronics.
Even though the internet had already become widespread, very few people in this town used it.
The young bartender patiently explained, "It's an entertainment device. On this console, you can play football games like this—you control your favorite team and dominate, just like I'm doing."
"So I can use a British team to beat the crap out of those trickster teams?"
"Of course. It's all in your hands."
"Let me try!"
The young bartender immediately stepped aside and handed over the controller.
He had already set the game's difficulty to the lowest level, so after getting the hang of the controls, anyone could start steamrolling.
He figured if they could vent their aggression through a video game, maybe they'd stop causing trouble in the bar.
That was his hope, anyway.
Carson kept his eyes glued to the TV.
He was the first among them to notice the game, and now a thought had taken root in his mind—he wanted a console of his own.
"Hey, where can I buy one of those?" he asked, without taking his eyes off the screen.
He was completely absorbed by the game's graphics.
At this point, game visuals were already impressive. Sure, some textures were still blurry, but for anyone seeing a modern game for the first time, it was breathtaking.
The FIFA game featured realistic, dynamic player models. Some of their movements mirrored real-life football stars perfectly—the way they kicked, celebrated after scoring, huddled together—it was just like watching a real match!
"Oh, that? I asked someone in the city to buy it for me. Not too expensive—just 299 euros for the console. If you want to play the game, it's another 59 euros."
Carson quickly started calculating his savings.
Hmm... still a bit short. But if he picked up a few shifts, he'd have enough.
He was determined—no matter what, he was going to buy one!
"But honestly," the bartender added, "if you really want to play, I'd recommend getting the GS1 console and a game called Super Football Championship. That one also just released, and it uses the real team and player names."
Carson looked confused. "Is it more fun than this one?"
"Hmm... I'm not sure yet. I preordered Super Football Championship, but it hasn't arrived. Should be here in two or three days."
"Two or three days, huh... When it gets here, call me. Here's my number."
Carson scribbled his phone number onto a scrap of paper and shoved it into the bartender's hand with surprising seriousness.
"Don't forget. You better call me—or else," he said with a smirk.
The young bartender had no choice but to nod. "Got it."
But then Carson grinned and said, "From now on, we're friends. If you ever need anything—someone to rough up, for example—just call me. I'll take care of it!"
That was probably the only way Carson knew how to help people.
The young bartender wanted to say, "If you all could just stop wrecking the bar, that'd be help enough."
But saying that might've backfired, so he kept quiet.
"Hey hey, look! I scored! Turns out I've got a real talent for this football stuff! That was easy!" shouted the guy playing.
He was thrilled.
The learning curve for video games wasn't too steep, and the bartender had set the game to the lowest difficulty. At that level, the opposing AI played like headless chickens, running aimlessly instead of chasing the ball.
The player was practically unstoppable, scoring goals left and right.
If the bartender were playing right now, he probably would've scored three or four already.
But these guys didn't care about high scores—they were just having fun. When their buddy scored, they all cheered loudly.
This was way more fun than just watching a football match. In real matches, they could only sit and watch the outcome unfold, but here, they could change it themselves!
Their earlier agitation genuinely started to subside. At least, there were no signs of any fights breaking out.
It wasn't just Carson's crew either. A few curious customers had also gathered around.
They were football fans themselves, and the idea of a football game you could control was fascinating.
Once it was clear the troublemakers weren't going to start anything, others worked up the courage to come closer too.
Before long, most of the bar was buzzing with excitement. It was one of the most peaceful nights the bar had ever seen.
...
In the early hours of the morning, the bar finally closed for the day.
"Son, well done," the bar owner said. "I didn't think that childish thing would actually calm them down."
The young bartender replied proudly, "Dad, it's not childish—it's a new form of entertainment. Just like watching movies or playing sports. You really need to stop being so old-fashioned."
"Yeah yeah, whatever. You did a great job today. Doesn't matter if it's childish or not."
After turning off the last light, the young bartender looked at the console sitting in the middle of the bar.
Video games really were something special. Just a small screen, and yet it could bring people together like this.
Actually, he was a big fan of Gamestar Entertainment's games. It was just that their football title hadn't released yet, which was why he'd settled for FIFA and the Suri console. But even that turned out to be pretty fun.
Still, he was looking forward to Gamestar's version even more.
Because, as always, their games weren't just games—they were the benchmark of the industry.