What's Really Most Important In Sports Gaming? A Look "Under The Hood"... - drj32's Blog

drj32's Blog

What's Really Most Important In Sports Gaming? A Look "Under The Hood"...

Posted on October 13, 2011 at 12:25 PM.

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For most gamers, great sports video games offer true to life presentation and realism, and/or that enigmatic "fun factor" in the gameplay. But if you were to look deeper, you'd find all of these lead to one underlying aspect � how we feel when we play.

When we play, we escape. It's our fantasy, and we want our games to engross us, to envelop us. Playing sports games is an emotional experience. We go through a gamut of emotions � excitement, frustration, anger, joy, and exhilaration. It's a visceral relationship.

A great sports game sticks in your mind like a great woman (or man, if you prefer) that you think about all day long, and can't wait to get back to. A great game, makes you feel like you can't stop playing. Yes, we play games to have fun, but it's more than that. Great games immerse us into an alternate reality, where we can become a pro player in the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB or a host of other sports � even golf.

But when a game promises to deliver these experiences, and fails, it snaps you out of the experience, and you resent it. This is why the past few versions of Madden NFL have been disappointing to a large segment of football-loving gamers, including myself. The gameis sold on the expectation of realism, but when you see something unrealistic happen, it contradicts those expectations, and the entire immersive experience. No matter how great a game looks, sounds or plays, if it doesn't connect with you in your gut, viscerally, you reject it.

If, however, a game does connect with you (we're back to that great woman now), the good feelings trigger positive memories in your subconscious. For some, it might be taking control of your favorite player, and replaying what he did (or does) in real life. Not just watching, but controlling him, living vicariously through him, making it more impactful, and making you feel a part of the experience.

Within your subconscious, this rush of emotion connects you back to moments in reality when you've seen this player perform brilliantly, and the moments in your own life when you felt in control of your own destiny. The beauty of the game is that it adds an air of unpredictability, where the outcome is in question; an intoxicating mix.

When the memories are relived, the emotions are retriggered. This is because strong memories and emotions are forever linked within the subconscious (known as emotional "anchors").

That restlessness when you can't sleep because you want to keep playing � feeling pumped up, seeing your favorite players, hearing the crowd, enveloped in the moment, and that rush of excitement when you score � it's this experience that we want to re-create again and again. We're hooked on it, because it takes us back to those great memories, relived in new and exciting ways.

"The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, the human drama of athletic competition � "
- The Wide World Of Sports

It�s the emotional connection with the players and the game that keeps us coming back for more. As it is when you have a connection to a person, feeling is more important than any technology. This is the magic, and the most important aspect of sports video games � how it makes us feel.

This is why we play.