October 23, 2025
Authors: Devin Zucko, Zikora Okereke
Video 1: Basic Controls
Video 2: Tactics and Strategy
Video 3: Applying What We’ve Learned
Intro
Our group is creating three short one minute videos that will apply real world learning concepts to teach someone how to play the video game EAFC. We chose this topic because EAFC is the best-selling sports franchise and it is a game that we have invested significant time and interest in. We also chose it as EAFC can be complicated to new players who may struggle to understand the layers of gameplay, strategy and team management. Our videos will aim to show that video games can also be an educational medium that can help players learn in a fun engaging way.
Each video will be a minute long and use simple text, visuals and gameplay clips, applying Mayer’s multimedia principles to teach new players how to play EAFC 26.
Context and Audience:
EA 26 is the most realistic football game in the world, the ability to use hundreds of players and teams, several styles of play and game modes each relating to an aspect of football helps submerge the player in the game making you feel like you’re on the pitch or controlling the action. For our videos our age demographic is for age 10 plus as EA 26 is rated E for everyone 10 plus on specifically on xbox and playstation. Extreme cases include younger players still learning to play with their parents and expect players that just need little tips and tricks to master the game. Specially this is for players with basic knowledge of how to play video games and know the layout of a controller.
The reason that we decided to use EA 26 as our educational video is because it is one of the best selling games in the world currently and all time and as football is the most popular sport in the world we thought that this would be the most useful game to teach to reach the largest audience. This game itself is known to be an addictive game and safe to play when played in a responsible way. However it is easy to become frustrated and disgruntled when losing or just not understanding all the controls. In a study by Amani M. (2023) we found that fifa is surprisingly a stressful game leading to mental health decline thus one of our goals is to reduce this by helping understand the game better.
Our goal is to give people access to an incredibly fun game while possibly having them learn about the game of soccer in the background. Typically the average user may know the basic controls of a game but we hope to explain several different controls in the first video, then in the 2nd different ways to customize your team set up and in the third how to apply it to the game play. From this we hope to give users a new perspective and a feeling of freedom as they will now unlock the ability to play to the style that suits them.
The psychographics of this project are of the target audience. I have seen that most players are motivated by achievement and mastery and want to feel competent and improve and outplay players for their own fun or ego. Players these days have shorter attention spans and want to learn faster through short videos and tik tok shorts which fits a 1 minute video goal perfectly to explain rapidly and efficiently EAFC 26. The project video reaches audiences that want to learn faster,feel improvement instantly and enjoy mastery of the game without long expectations. This will respect players’ competitive spirit and with respect to their time.
POV Statement
A new or inexperienced EAFC player who feels overwhelmed by the game’s controls, strategies and customization options needs short, easy to follow video tutorials/lessons in order to learn the basics, feel confident while playing and enjoy the game to its full potential.
Learning Objectives
By the end of our three videos, learners will be able to…
- Identify the basic controls and gameplay mechanics needed to play EAFC.
- Understand how to customize and organize their team to play different playstyles and tactics
- Apply the learned techniques in game situations to improve performance
- Recognize that video games like EAFC can be an educational tool for learning new skills.
Ideation
Figure 1. Brainstorming session for “How to play EAFC” video series
Our planning process began with a brainstorm, to determine what EAFC concepts we would like to teach to beginners and what would be the best way to get these points across in our videos. We discussed our own experience with the game while also asking others who play the game both competitively and casually. We came to the conclusion that most beginners struggle with controls, customizing their team, and applying strategy during matches. The brainstorm also includes our ideas on how we will structure our videos using gameplay clips, voice overs, text overlays and visual cues to enhance engagement.
Our most promising prototype is a three-part video series that progressively teaches players how to play EAFC:
- Video 1 introduces the basic controls and movement mechanics.
- Video 2 explains how to customize your team, formation and tactics.
- Video 3 shows how to use these skills effectively during gameplay.
Script
Video 1: -Basic controls how to play EAFC
Intro
Voiceover:
“If you’re new to EAFC, Here we will teach you the basic controls in under a minute”
Movement and Sprinting
Visual: Player dribbling with left stick, then sprinting.
Text overlay: “Move: Left Stick, Sprint: RT (Xbox) / R2 (PlayStation)”
Voiceover:
“Use the left stick to move your player, and hold RT on XBOX or R2 on PlayStation to sprint whether you’re attacking or pressuring”
Passing:
Visual: Player passing between teammates.
Text overlay: “Pass A/X, Through Pass Y/Triangle, Long Pass X/Square”
Voiceover:
“To pass, press A on Xbox or X on PlayStation. For a through ball when a teammate is running forward, use Y or Triangle. Finally for a long pass use X or Square.”
Shooting:
Visual: Player takes a shot on goal.
Text overlay: “Shoot: B / Circle, Finesse Shot: RB + B / R1 + Circle”
Voiceover:
“We will teach you the two most important ways to score in EAFC. When it’s time to score either press B or Circle. When shooting while cutting in from the wings hold RB or R1 while shooting for a finesse shot that curves into the goal”
Defending:
Visual: Player closing down and tackling.
Text overlay: “Tackle: B/Circle, Slidetackle X/Square, Jockey: LT/L2”
Voiceover:
“When out of possession, press B/Circle to tackle or X/Square to slide tackle (can mention this is more dangerous.) To stay in front of your opponent, hold LT or L2 to jockey and block their path.”
Video 2: – How to customize your team, formation, and tactics
Intro
Voiceover: Do you want to dominate every game? Let’s set up your formation and tactics
Access team management
Show team management on the screen
“This is the hub where you control your team and create a style of play”
Formation picking
“ A formation that matches your game style is needed to be able to outplay the opponent.
“Do you like attacking then use……”
“Do you play more defensive and want to counter then use…..”
“You like quick passes then use……”
Player roles
“Here you can pick who you want taking your corners,penalties and free kicks, also can pick the captain that will lead your team to victory”
Customize tactics
“ Here you can fine tune yout tactics, Do you want to drop back and play defensive or be on the front foot applying pressure”
Vid 3: Gameplay
Narration: With all the skills you have acquired it is time to use all the skills in in game
Time Real game situations and it starts with defense , defense start timing the tackle right then you can quickly counter and score that goal
“ show game play”
narration :you have 5 subs allowed you can sub in a defender to solidify defenses or an attacker to change the offense dont forget the higher the rating the better the player
Show game play of subs
Principles Applied
- Dual Coding Theory
The Dual coding theory will be applied in this project as verbal and visual channels are used to improve understanding and memory. Through narration from our voices and relatable game play demonstration to building connections. By combining these too cognitive load is benefited as there is a reduction in overload, they can follow narration while observing action.
- Coherence principle
This principle states that people learn better when unnecessary material is excluded. In our case we will be doing this by avoiding narration and music that does not support learning, side jokes or flashy translations that do not relate to the goal. This video is only one minute as well so this is one of the most important principles to be aware of to make sure the goal is achieved without overcomplicating it.
- Segmenting
Segmenting will be used as our videos are split in a series meaning that each video connects to the next and keeps improving your skills building one after another by laying a solid foundation for the next. This is important so the viewer does not feel gaps in their knowledge that are limiting them from receiving the most out of the videos.
- Personalization Principle
As research shows that people learn better when presented using conversational language over formal speech. Our narration will use encouraging informal speech that will teach the game as simply as possible while providing enough info to accomplish the goal.
Peer Feedback
All four reviewers provided both positive and constructive feedback on our EAFC video prototype. The reviewers appreciated the creativity, clarity, and educational potential of our videos because of their engaging and accessible design. They also appreciated how our prototype successfully connects learning concepts to EAFC, teaching fundamental gameplay features such as controls, team set up and strategy in short digestible segments. They also noted the relevance of our topic, especially because EAFC is a popular and widely played game that naturally motivates learners to engage with the material. Furthermore, the reviewers also felt that the project was highly effective at bridging both entertainment and learning, which overall makes education more fun. Finally, they also praised our strong application of Mayer’s multimedia principles, particularly the Coherence, segmenting, signalling and modality principles. They commented that the prototype was well organized, visually supported, and easy to follow, while also being aligned with the backwards design principles (starting with clear goals and building content around them).
Constructive suggestions of our prototype focused on improving pacing, consistency, and the interactivity of our project. Recommendations for our prototype included reinforcing the modality principle by implementing voice overs, creating summary slides to aid transitions, and incorporating more interactive/reflective elements for the learners. Additionally, another suggestion focussed on refining the script formatting to ensure a smoother narration and alignment between visual and audio. Another reviewer recommended the addition of visual or auditory cues to better signal transitions between different gameplay concepts. Finally, one reviewer expressed an interest in seeing how we would implement animations alongside our visuals to enhance engagement and elevate learning experience.
Reflect and Refine
In our project we worked very hard to create a finished and polished project that reflected multimedia principles and took into account many different perspectives coming from peer review and each other. Many things that worked well for our project and that all stemmed from my partner and I chemistry. I believe we worked well together because we had similar ideas and thus this led to us being able to bounce ideas off each other while also offering suggestions and criticisms when needed. I feel this led to our learning process being very productive as we were able to combine and use different design processes naturally to build a foundation of an idea and produce the final product. We feel as if the ADDIE model was very useful because it gives us space to refine our ideas and different steps in the process and I felt like it forced us to go back and reflect during the process instead of after the process.
The gameplay footage and controller overlay used the dual channel from Richard E. Mayer’s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning which used the visual and auditory pathways enabling learners to build a more effective mental model of gameplay mechanics. This was originally very hard to include in the project as the interface is hard to find on the internet then we had to time it with the gameplay footage, but we agreed that this was one of the most vital parts of the video. We reflected on past videos that we had seen from youtube as inspiration and we thought about how important that was to us to help our learning of a specific video game. We were able to resolve this issue by finding free basic software and instead of connecting it to the game directly we recorded the gameplay and the controller overlay separately.
In the future if we had the opportunity to redo this project we would change the structure of the third video and create a review video to promote active processing. As explained in the article by oxford learning this increases engagement and encourages long term learning over short term. We feel this is important to reinstate our ideas to make sure that engagement is at its maximum thus creating an environment that the viewer will get the most out of. In the prototype we had to revise the script to fine tune it down to the most important basics of fifa because as we were recording the 1 minute time window was very small. We also changed the context and goals to make it clear that this video is for EA fc 26 not to teach about how to use a controller and how to use a gaming system. This was from reflection based on peer feedback that we valued and included in the project.
This was challenging because the 1 minute format forces you to add the most important aspects of the idea. An article by Santiago, E explains that even though it is hard to fit so much content in such a short time it allows for more creativity causing the viewer to be curious. The article also explains how it can apply to the emotional side of a person very quickly drawing them thus making the short form video very effective. This is why we think that this type of multimedia is the future and will continue to gain popularity. An issue with this type of media is the depth tis limited and almost all continent will be surface level, however while we agree that it is a limitation we also feel that it is a strength because it limits exogenous cognitive load as there is not enough space to add extra information that could overload the viewer and reduce the amount of learning.
Individual Reflections
Devin’s Reflection
For this project, my main contributions focussed on the video editing and construction process. I was in charge of assembling our ideas and video/audio fragments into a cohesive and visually engaging final product. This involved creating transitions between videos, applying controller overlays, and aligning visuals and narration. Zikora and I worked collaboratively on the brainstorming, storyboarding, recording, and scripting phases of this project. Here we developed the structure, tone, and generated the learning objectives of our videos. I thought Zikora did a great job on creating gameplay clips and content that flowed with each other and was especially easy to work with in the editing process. Going forward, I think we could improve by incorporating with more creative editing styles now that I have more experience editing videos. Another aspect I think we could have improved on was the interactivity of our videos. In future videos we could incorporate interactive how-to elements where the learners can play along with the video.
Zikora’s Reflection
My major contribution to this project was developing and organizing the main visuals and overall content for each video by creating gameplay clips that aligned with our learning objectives. I felt like Devin, and I collaborated very effectively in making the videos. We divided the work very effectively to accommodate both of our strengths. He decided to take the lead on the editing and video construction portions which allowed me to be creative with the content creation aspect. Overall, our teamwork was very balanced, and we communicated effectively throughout the process. For future projects, I think we could improve our videos by refining the pacing and transitions between sections. I think that would make the videos flow smoother and would be easily achievable now that we have some editing experience.
Sources
Amani M. (2023). Psychological Effects of FIFA, PES, and Clash of Clans Games on Young Men at Risk of Developing Internet Gaming Disorder. Addiction & health, 15(1), 31–38.
Santiago, E. (25, February 10). The psychology of short-form content: Why we love bite-sized videos. HubSpot Blog | Marketing, Sales, Agency, and Customer Success Content. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/short-form-video-psychology
The power of active processing. (n.d.). Oxford learning. https://oxfordlearning.com/the-power-of-active-learning/
Adrian Granchelli. (2025, October 6). Design Process. https://edtechuvic.ca/edci337/2025/10/06/design-process/