ADSactly Sports - My experience through the evolution of the Sports Video Game Industry. (Part 2)
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In part 1 of this series, we took a look at the beginnings of my engagement with sports-based video games. We took a look at the early technology that we were so excited to be using and explored some of the game titles that were popular at the time. It didn’t matter to us at that time that the quality of the graphics in the games was so bad because it was all we knew at the time. We actually thought that these were amazing and cutting edge. Just the fact that you could play a sports game on your television monitor was enough to make this experience the coolest thing in the world.
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The reaction in the comments section of that post was fantastic. So many people have similar memories of when video games first started to become popular and there were so many sports games that came out at that time. It was fun to hear about your involvement with gaming at that early time and what some of your favourites were. Then there were those people who had never used one of the early gaming systems and really don’t have the reference point that some of us from an older generation have. Such a wide range of experience and involvement in gaming but in the end, most people are amazed by what this industry has achieved.
This post will be the next phase of my experience with sports video games leading up to where these games are today. The things that are happening in the gaming industry today have me absolutely floored but first, we need to start with when everything changed. The day I bought my first Sega Genesis machine!
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When I got my Genesis gaming went to a whole new level and especially sports gaming. By now, all games were connected to the professional leagues and no matter what sports game you were playing, you could be your favourite star players. This was also around the same time that Electronic Arts (EA) got into the sports game business. EA had been in the gaming industry since the 70’s but their connection to Sega and the Genesis system really kick-started their surge to elite status. EA Sports is now synonymous with the sports gaming industry and one of the leaders in gaming.
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As EA aligned itself with the Genesis, a rush of games commenced in 1990 with a port from the Amiga of Peter Molyneux’s Populous, Budokan: The Martial Spirit, and John Madden Football. Over the six year life span of the Genesis, EA would establish several long running franchises, including the Strike series, NHL Hockey, NBA Live, FIFA Soccer, and Road Rash.
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The game that caught our attention and captivated us for NHL ‘94. This game was an evolutionary leap for us sports gamers. The game had all the players of course but now we were able to set lineups and choose players based on their various skills. Players were ranked with a variety of categories including strength and speed. We could play exhibition games and playoffs as well as run a 7 game playoff series. One of my favourite additions was the showing of the player's names who scored and the assists. We would run our own seasons and keep track of the points manually to see who had the best scoring player in our make-believe world. This would change quickly as the game evolved and started keeping stats for us and so much more. Over the next few years, the NHL franchise would grow and the quality of the game would reach all new levels.
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This was similar for most of the big league sports games that we played. The NBA, NFL and MLB all fell in line as well with new and better games every year. We stated to see FIFA with new games and people would clamour to get the newest release and experience the latest and greatest evolutions. In 1995. We were able to start creating our own characters and players in these games. What an epic development for gamers. I was now able to create my own persona in the game and play right alongside my favourite stars.
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We played every new system that came out. From the Genesis, we moved on to the Super Nintendo and the PlayStation. Every new system brought better graphics and increased the capabilities of the games. As time passed we were not only able to create our own players but we able to start choosing how they looked. We could pick the colour of our skin, the shape and size of our facial features and body. We could even incorporate scars and a wide variety of facial features. At the same time, the characters in the games were looking more and more like the real-life player than ever.
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Madden Football is a great example of the evolution of the gaming industry. The graphics and player interaction in the entire industry was improving by leaps and bounds and you could see it in the sports games so well. Playing a game with such realistic moves and such an extensive playbook made the game feel so lifelike. Many a season of football would be played by a group of us who would get together and play through a season over one day. Each year's new version of Madden Football was one that we always looked forward to being released. We all wanted to find out who was on the cover of the game. For the longest time, it seemed as though the player who was chosen to be on the cover of this game was jinxed and would ultimately get injured in the next NFL season. It has come to be known as the “Madden Curse”.
Nearly 20 years into the iconic franchise’s history, there’s no escaping the “Madden Curse.” Since Garrison Hearst broke his ankle in 1998, shortly after starring on the cover of Madden NFL 99, most of the players who “starred” on the game’s cover have suffered an injury the following season. Of the 20 players who have been selected to grace the cover Madden games through this season, 17 have had troubling or abruptly shortened seasons following their cover debut — including several who suffered season-ending injuries shortly after their game hit shelves.
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The release of the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 has taken the gaming world to a whole new stratosphere and the sports games are benefitting immensely. At this point, the graphics have become so advanced that the gameplay feels like you are watching the real thing. Creative storylines have been added to sports games such as the “Longshot” mode in Madden Football the followed the story of a youngster and his journey to try to make the pros. The possibilities with the new game releases seem to be endless with the advanced capabilities of these machines.
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What is the future of sports gaming? Technology is advancing at a rapid pace and thirst for better and more realistic gameplay is higher than ever. There is also the more mainstream introduction of Virtual Reality (VR) and Alternate Reality (AR). As these technologies improve and reach new heights, could we see yet another evolution in the way we play sports games? The Wii console put us in the game but wasn’t able to capture the realistic side of the games. I look forward to seeing where the industry takes us. If you are a sports gamer the future looks bright.
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Also look forward to some fun and interesting reviews of some of these sports games by our resident game reviewer 
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