Sports video games have been around for more than three decades, getting more technically advanced and accurate with each passing year, to the point now where there is little difference between the skills and strategies used by pro coaches and athletes and their on-screen counterparts.
With this increased level of detail, do the current crop of pro athletes, and those kids hoping to join their ranks, have an advantage over old-timers thanks to video game sports providing hours of virtual practice?
The latest issue of Wired just landed in my mailbox (cover story: The New Industrial Revolution), and in it is a great story by Chris Suellentrop about this very subject. Suellentrop focuses primarily on football, using this past season's amazing play by Denver Broncos' Brandon Stokley (see video after the jump), who caught a deflection with just seconds left in the game, then ran along the touchdown line to run down the clock. It was move straight out of Madden NFL, as Stokley proudly admits. The Wired piece isn't online yet, so do yourself a favour and pick up the mag off the newstand.
Obviously football, with its volumes of playbooks and set stop-and-start play action is ripe for this sort of analysis. But do athletes in other sports feel they gain an edge in the cerebral portion of their sport, thanks to video games?
The closest sport I could see taking the same kind of advantage would be basketball, with its set offense and defense plays. I've spent a ton of hours playing EA's NBA game franchise but it's never helped my on-court game, most likely due to my key "moves" -- tossing alley-oops and the low-post dunk -- being about as likely in a real game for me as Space Jam's Oscar chances.
Same goes for hockey. I'm not sure how many times my winger could lure the same defenseman over to the corner on the rush before kicking it to me in the slot for the wide-open one-timer, before the other team would catch on. In NHL 94, it was about 10 times. Yeah, Roenick.
I totally agree with your notions! Players or even not real athletes could somehow enhance or develop their techniques to their advantage. I'm a storyboard artist and I do somehow get ideas on tv, movies, or even video games just to help me with my painted storyboard
I believe so, look what Brandon Stokley’s time-killing run along the goal line, it was a tactic straight out of video games. They'd be able to learn more techniques with no body contact at all and just practice those on the field.
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I totally agree with your notions! Players or even not real athletes could somehow enhance or develop their techniques to their advantage. I'm a storyboard artist and I do somehow get ideas on tv, movies, or even video games just to help me with my painted storyboard
Posted by: Storyboard Artist | Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 10:41 AM
I believe so, look what Brandon Stokley’s time-killing run along the goal line, it was a tactic straight out of video games. They'd be able to learn more techniques with no body contact at all and just practice those on the field.
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