The PlayStation 2 as a lens into 2000s football

The PlayStation 2 was released exactly 25 years ago, initially exclusively in Japan, and later arrived first in the United States and then in Europe, precisely on November 24, 2004. It immediately established itself as a revolutionary console for several reasons: it was the first to also function as a DVD player, which made it surprisingly appealing even to non-gamers. The design was also a strong point of the console, in stark contrast to the competing Nintendo GameCube. Additionally, it's important to note that one of the main reasons for the PlayStation 2's success was its impeccable marketing, undoubtedly the best among all PlayStation consoles. The advertising campaigns, the commercial videos (even one directed by David Lynch), both before and after the PlayStation's launch, managed to create an indelible aesthetic, also visible on the game covers themselves.

Although sports video games are not the first thing that comes to mind when talking about the PlayStation 2 in terms of aesthetics – the real boom in this genre came with the PlayStation 3, which saw the definitive rise of FIFA by EA Sports  and the beginning of the duopoly between the two games – in reality, there are some hidden gems that can be observed by analyzing the covers of more than one Pro Evolution Soccer installment, which at the time was the leading football video game, even before the release of FIFA Street, which would bring yet another innovation, mainly in terms of gameplay.

In fact, it can be said that the PlayStation 2 was a true mirror of football in the 2000s, especially in shaping the public's perception of football and its protagonists. Taking the covers of Pro Evolution Soccer 3 and Pro Evolution Soccer 4 as examples is essential; these featured the face of the Italian referee Pierluigi Collina. In PES3, it was even just him, while in the next installment, he appeared alongside Thierry Henry and Francesco Totti. Finally, on one of the alternate versions of Pro Evolution Soccer 5, the referee’s face reappeared once again. Looking at those covers today helps us realize how far the 2000s are from today: imagine a Marciniak, Turpin, or Webb ending up on the cover of a video game, either alone or alongside talents like Kylian Mbappé or Erling Haaland. It’s nearly impossible that a referee today could be portrayed as a true superhero worthy of a cover, as the narrative of the referee as a protagonist equal to the players ended with Collina's retirement. Clearly, this process with Pierluigi Collina was possible and represents a unique case in its kind, also because his attitude and aura were perfectly suited to this kind of portrayal.

Depicted as a villain (it must be said that his expressiveness was always helpful), thanks also to his cold gaze, with colors and a general aesthetic that, especially on the PES3 cover, resemble more the promotional poster of The Hills Have Eyes from 1977 than that of a football video game. This is why it feels even stranger to look at those covers today: we live in a football era where the figure of a referee could never be compared, let alone elevated, to that of a player. And this is where a series of video games becomes a true mirror of football in the 2000s. Today, at most, one could attempt something similar by featuring a coach's face on a video game, but the near-total loss of respect for referees, who have been without an authoritative personality like Pierluigi Collina for years, has reached historic lows. Historic lows that make it impossible to see a new Pierluigi Collina in the world of football – respected and kindly feared by opponents – and even more so, to see him on the cover of a video game.