ADSactly Sports - My experience through the evolution of the Sports Video Game Industry. (Part 1)
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Since as long as I can remember, I have been a sports fan. Not only have I always been a sports fan but I have been a diehard almost to the point of obsessive, fan. Even as a young kid I was always playing or watching sports. If I wasn’t playing baseball or football or road hockey then I could be found glued to some sporting event on television. I even started working in the sports field so to say at a young age. At the age of 12, I started working at the local par 3 golf course down the road. This was a great way to pay for my golf membership and to make a little extra money. I could also be found umpiring games and when I was old enough to get myself there, I would regularly attend the live sporting events in our town. This is a story that I will tell at a later time but for now, I want to focus on another element of sports in my life. The evolution of sports video games.
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I was born in the mid 70’s and so I grew up during the early boom of the video game industry. I had an Atari gaming system when I was a kid and was a gamer through my entire youth. The gaming industry opened up so many options for types of games and gameplay itself. I liked a lot of different genres of games but I was primarily fascinated by sports based games. If I wasn’t out playing sports or watching sports then there was a good chance you could find me playing sports-related video games.
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One of the first sports games that I can remember playing a significant amount of was the baseball game for the Atari system. Looking back now, the graphics were terrible and the gameplay was so minimal nit when I was 7 and 8 years old this was revolutionary to me. We spent hours trying to hit that little dot that represented a ball and chase it all over the screen. There were some other games that I played on the Atari such as tennis and one of my all-time favourites, Pole Position. This racing game is responsible for consuming so much of my time and I loved every minute of it. The crazy thing is that when you look at the game now it is simply moving the car side to side to avoid obstacles and push the gas. The sports games industry has come so far since those early days.
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Upon looking at the sports video game industry a little closer for this post I had no idea that I had actually played my first sports video game without even knowing it. Pong is recognized as one of the very first sports video games. It makes sense when you think that the game is essentially digital ping pong or tennis but for some reason as a child, I never associated this as being a sports game. Many a countless hour was spent watching that little dot go back and forth on my screen. It is no wonder we didn’t get dizzy playing that game.
Pong was not the first video game, but it was certainly the first mainstream video game. It was also a sports game, as it is basically a crude interpretation of tennis.
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My friends and I really started to get excited about sports games when the Nintendo Gaming System was released. Nintendo started to take the graphics of these games to a whole new level and the level in which we were able to interact with the game was getting more sophisticated. We started playing baseball games where you could adjust where the hitter stood and how he swung the bat. You were even able to manipulate the pitches coming into the plate. I can recall so many times arguments starting while we played RBI Baseball because the pitches were unfair. Then came “Mike Tyson’s Punch Out”. This boxing game was both fun and entertaining but also challenging. As I look back at that game now I can say with all honesty that I can’t imagine it being released like that now. The stereotypes that are exemplified in this game are over the top and would not be accepted today.
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The Nintendo also brought us “Tecmo Bowl”. This was the first football video game that I ever played and to me, it was the most epic thing ever. The controls were ridiculously simple and the graphics were terrible but we didn’t care. We were able to choose and run plays and we had real NFL name football players for the first time ever. We were able to score touchdowns with our favourite players. This and the extensive playbook made this game revolutionary to us and we spent countless hours playing this legendary game.
Originally released as an arcade game in 1987, the game featured a large dual screen cabinet and allowed up to four players to compete in a match between two fictitious teams. A port for the Nintendo Entertainment System was released in 1989 and was the first console game to include real NFL players, via a license from the NFLPA.
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We also played primitive hockey games like “Blades of Steel” where the most fun part was making players bang into each other until the started fighting. I can still remember the music from that game as if I had just played it yesterday. The funniest part of this game was the fact that the players seemed to have no heads. We also played a hockey game called “Ice Hockey” that was hilarious fun. The players were stubby little men of all shapes and sizes and their abilities seemed to coincide with their look.
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This was a time in the video game industry where amazing advances were being made in the level of graphics and player functionality and sports games seemed to get better and better all the time. We were junkies to this movement and couldn’t wait to get our hands on the next new game. There were so many other games that the Nintendo era brought into our lives. I remember the first time we played NES Open golf. This game became our whole lives for a good 6 months. It was essentially a golf game where you would use characters from the Super Mario world. The level of interaction and the gameplay became addictive and we could actually play tournaments.
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Little did I realize at that point, we were only just seeing the tip of the iceberg and the sports gaming industry was about to go to a whole new level. We were about to be part of a gaming revolution that would see game quality increase exponentially and lead to a platform where fantasy meets reality. Stay tuned for the next installment of this two-part series on the evolution of sports video games.
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Also look forward to some fun and interesting reviews of some of these sports games by our resident game reviewer @morkrock. Feel free to suggest any sports games you might want him to review and he will do his best to accommodate those requests.
What were some of your favourite sports games as a kid? Are there some really old ones that you remember being so bad but so much fun at the time? I have only mentioned a small number of games here and would love to hear your comments about the sports games you loved.
Authored by @broncofan99
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I can't believe that you had the Atari gaming system and grew up with that. Dude that basically makes you a legend :-)
It all started for me in early-mid nineties with the pac-man on windows computers. Then from there came Mario and then obviously I progressed to street fighter, tekken and such. Those are some of my most intense memories.
Admittedly, I did not go on to become a gaming nerd. I frankly wasn't much good at them. My last seriously played games were NFS and Delta Force and after that my gaming 'career' kind of had a major slump from which I never recovered.
Even then I saw my close friends go on to become serious players with thousands of dollars worth investment in gaming equipment. Another factor for my gaming slump was that we never had a lot of spare money to buy some decent gaming equipment. Every time the topic came up, it was passed over for more urgent necessaries.
Nevertheless I stayed in touch with my gamer buddies and got to enjoy many a great sessions with them. I am proud to say that some of those guys did really well. No longer are the gamers called the nerds from the basements. They are the heroes who have conquered virtual worlds and won millions of dollars for their efforts in the real world. Gaming industry has come a long way and it is set to go for even greater heights from here.
Not so sure if it makes me a legend or just old. Lol The world has changed as the games have become more affordable.
thank you for your sharing and i like it !
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Activision released a tennis game in 1981 on Atari 2600, Rhhhaaa McEnroe, Lendl, Connors, Noah, when tennis was a real sport with charismatic players and passionate games ... Nothing to do with today's robot players and games to die of boredom.
Solo play against AI or two, two levels of difficulty (automatic return of the ball or not) and fast or slow play. To serve you must go to join the ball and press the button.
The only problem is that you do not really control the angles, they are reduced, which can result in exchanges of shots in the endless net in easy game mode (without button to return the ball). The AI is pretty tough, and you'll have a little trouble at first if you choose to have to press the button to hit, but in time you'll find the tricks to win and you will have to turn to the game to 2 for have fun again.
That’s awesome. What I love is how some of these old systems are coming back and people are playing these games again because of the Nostalgia.
Hello Sir @ADsactly. Lookit. I got back in time to comment on another sports post. WooooHoooo. Great article Sir @ADsactly!everyone liked video games very much, My favorite game was definetely Pro Evolution Soccer 6!The generation have taken a long leap towards entertainment. Gone were days, when spiderman, or superman were used to be rhe comoc hero.From the comic world to video game. Sir, its a Amazing game.Sir @adsactly great to see this post but I have been never compared all this by the way post is amazing...
[email protected] for another great post in the series Evolution Soccer 6!
The soccer games are so popular and with the connection to FIFA and technological advances it is almost like you are in the games now.
Not so long ago when I was a kid I also glued in video game. Like you I was born 1987 so I was bit younger than you are.LOL :-) I clearly remember till now, that I played mario brothers, contra and erc. when I was around at age of 5 or 6.
Those were fun games as well.
yeah and I really loved those...
Lol I remember once triyng to hit the golf ball. You can imagine my face before I thought I start hitting the ball and after I couldn’t hit it at all. Golf has never been my cup of coffee. However, I have always been athletic kind of person. Soccer, ice hockey, tennis and so on were my types of sport activities I loved doing. Belive it or not, I have never been pulled in by any of the video games. In my entire life I played some of them maybe just a few times. However, I have been witnessing how much the games have evolved. The graphics, interactions... is just completely incomparable to what it was just few decades ago. I wonder how the future video games will look like. Definately VR will be involved a lot. Perhaps than I change my mind and get pulled just out of curiosity.
VR and AR are going to take things to a whole new level!!
From the comic world to video game. The generation have taken a long leap towards entertainment. Gone were days, when spiderman, or superman were used to be rhe comoc hero. Soon with the introduction of videos the game parlour started to take over the comic world. The changes gappened overnighte and it was hard to believe people started to love video games more. I do not remeber mich about video games, but have seen my friends spending good ampunt of money in game parlour playing mario. Even now my younger generation were excited with new gaming platform be it x-box or any other. Though these have many drawback too as over indulgence on video game have sever impact on mind and body
I appreciate your post and I see your every.and I got back in time to comment on another sports post. WooooHoooo. Great article Sir
My favorite game was definetely Pro Evolution Soccer 6!The generation have taken a long leap towards entertainment. Gone were days, when spiderman, or superman were used to be rhe comoc hero.From the comic world to video game.
Sir, its a Amazing game.Sir @adsactly great to see this post but I have been never compared all this by the way post is amazing...
[email protected] for another great post in the series Evolution Soccer 6!..
Keep it up and carry on your activitives..
You shouldn’t copy other people’s comments!!! Be original.
You copied another comment and upvoted YOURS? For shame. Bu it earned you a flag!
@adsactly hello 👋 sir, Wow amazing, you've made a very nice analysis of video games, in fact, today, everyone liked video games very much, on the Internet day, everybody sitting at home like a child boy likes to play video game, anyone on Android Phone, someone pc, someone at the laptop, but I think you sit like a very game, you sit very well to play the game ???
The game industry grows all the time. Playing in moderation is something to watch for with our kids today.
@broncofan99 It's right, you, today, the game kid likes it, not only the child, the big people like this game today.
Yes thats a great concept provide in this platform and actually this is right andFrom the comic world to computer game. The age have taken a long jump towards excitement. Gone were days, when spiderman...
or superman were utilized to be rhe comoc saint. Before long with the presentation of recordings the amusement parlor began to take once again the comic world. The progressions gappened overnighte and it was difficult to trust individuals began to love computer games more.
I don't remeber mich about computer games, however have seen my companions spending great ampunt of cash in diversion parlor playing mario. Indeed, even now my more youthful age were energized with new gaming stage be it x-box or some other. Despite the fact that these have numerous downside as well as finished liberality on computer game have disjoin affect on brain and body.so I am happy now and great one this content..
The advancements in gaming are so amazing and coming so fast and the sports games are benefitting immensely from it.
@adsactly, I liked the post above.are you like electronic gadgets🤔?????????????