It's a cold and snowy morning in Denver. I get to the airport and security goes through my luggage, which consists of a coat, a camera, a notebook and one belt with entirely too much metal in it. Handing my boarding pass to the TSA agent, he notices that I'm a solo flyer, with a return flight less than eight hours after my departure, I haven't checked luggage, and I'm carrying essentially nothing… or in other words: Welcome to the Department of Homeland Security's magical and mysterious "watch list", sir - and enjoy your flight. 

But when you get a chance to get out of the blustery winter of Colorado to visit bright and beautiful San Diego, and then get to talk some baseball, to boot? Well, the Feds probably have my entire DNA stored and mapped somewhere already, anyway, so I'll deal with the dirty looks from the airport X-ray jockeys and be on my way. 

*** 

After landing in San Diego and heading to the business park that's home to Operation Sports' Publisher of the Year, SCEA San Diego Studios, I'm escorted into a cavernous maw of a room - Sony's new motion-capture studio. More than twenty-five times the size of their previous one, this new 15,000 square foot facility is soundproofed and can capture the movements of at least thirteen people simultaneously. It's on par with the best that Hollywood itself has to offer, and today, Sony will be showing the assembled media how it's been used to help create the sequel to Operation Sports' Game of the Year, MLB '07: The Show. 

Assisting the Sony team is cover athlete David Wright, a budding superstar at third base for the New York Mets. After he dons the now-famous ping-pong ball suit in a room labeled "Mocap Ordinance" (likely named for an array of similarly-covered plastic military weapons that rest within, used during the capture sessions for Sony's popular SOCOM line of games), Wright is handed a bat, and it's time to do was he does best - swing it. 

88 different cameras capture Wright's movements simultaneously at 1,000 frames per second, with results appearing in near-real-time on a projection screen at the far end of the studio. While the capture team doesn't make Wright perform all 38 different swing animations, they take the time to capture his personality; his frustration at a bad call, his pause at the plate when he knows he's crushed one, and even how he knocks the dirt of his spikes after getting brushed back by a fastball up and in. 

Even in raw, skeletal form, the captured animation is exceedingly lifelike, with no skips or seams. It's incredibly smooth, and due to the size of the new capture area, Wright can actually field ground balls, make tags and various throws within it, resulting in a unique set of animations throughout the game that are distinctly and uniquely his own. 

Next, there's a body scan and face scan; the former takes place under what looks like so many heat lamps at a fried chicken joint; the latter in a clean white room that you might be able to conduct surgery in. Within this room, Wright's facial features are painstakingly mapped and rendered, and after a few minutes, a remarkably accurate three-dimensional version of Wright's face is available for the game-makers to manipulate as necessary. 

Last, but not least, Wright dresses in full uniform and walks in front of what looks like a narrow-gage railroad track; a camera on a dolly rides upon it, capturing Wright's stride for reference. The game's animators and artisans will use this footage to create in-game "cinematics" involving Wright, and one might expect to see something similar on your PlayStation when Wright is announced and strides from the dugout to the plate. 

It's a tremendous amount of work; for the game's designers, for the capture specialists, and even for Wright himself - untold hours pass by to ensure that when you play a game of MLB '07: The Show, you're seeing not just the work of the game's artists, but the work of the athletes themselves. 

According to Wright, playing a game of  MLB '07: The Show is as close as anyone can get without earning a major league uniform first. "It's scary how close it is," he says. "How even the most minute details are brought to life in this game. Just seeing me in the game - the virtual David Wright - seeing the little (things) I do on the field captured in the game; it's very close and it's very detailed, and I think that's what separates The Show from a lot of other games; just these little things, and the attention to detail that (the game-makers) have; what they pick up and bring to life." 

But in the end, for the 24-year old All-Star, baseball's all about fun; whether it's on the field at Shea Stadium with the Mets, or on the couch with his PlayStation and his buddies.

"I go to the field every day, and I feel like that's recreation. There are some stressful points, there are some points where it's pretty emotional, but I feel it's recreational going to the park. But to get the chance to unwind and play these video games; it's a blast for us (professional players). We have clubhouse competitions - we have battles going on! I play my brothers for bragging rights around my parent's house, things like that. 

"To me, playing the game for a living is a blast, but getting a chance to be yourself and play with the New York Mets in a video game… I wouldn't say it's just as exciting, but it's comparable."

MOTION CAPTURE VIDEO CLIPS

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