Giuseppe "xGUASTELLAx" Guastella sits in a plush Sparco gaming chair on a raised square stage, which is 3 feet off the ground. He leans forward intently, his face a foot from a television screen. The 31-year-old -- day job: project manager at a flooring company in Southern California -- is oblivious to his surroundings. He ignores the bright stage lights, the atmospheric smoke, the couple hundred fans screaming with every shot and the announcers commentating on the match he's playing, which is displayed on a giant screen above his head.
All that matters to the self-appointed "Godfather of FIFA" are the 11 digital players he manipulates with an Xbox One controller.