Ten years ago, EA Sports was creating baseball games, though still under the Triple Play name, FIFA 99 had just been released on the Nintendo 64, and the Sega Dreamcast was set to be released in the United States in four months. Obviously, a lot has changed in the 10 years since these events took place. Knowing this, what will the sports-gaming market look like in another 10 years?

Though I do not own a crystal ball, by looking at past changes in sports gaming and some of the more successful trends in the industry today, I feel comfortable prophesying where the sports-gaming world may be in another decade. I have narrowed the potential list of changes down to five select items which will show the most improvement in the coming decade.

Graphical Fidelity

Perhaps the most obvious change when comparing sports games now and 10 years from now will be the graphics. While it seems like the graphics in sports games are incredibly realistic each year, developers always find a way to make the games look even better the following year, and I do not see that trend ending any time soon. In 10 years, all players in sports games will likely be completely accurate, instead of developers just focusing on making the well-known players lifelike.

Also, I believe there will be an even greater emphasis on the little details in sports games. In other words, gamers may start to see living, breathing cities outside the confines of a stadium, or they may see more fan models represented in a section of the crowd.

First-Person Modes and Even Virtual Reality?

Another innovation that may come to the forefront is the emergence of optional first-person modes or possibly even virtual reality. While virtual reality is less likely, it would certainly add an unprecedented level of immersion to sports games, allowing players to swing a bat or throw a football and see each movement replicated on the screen in front of them. While this is already possible to an extent on the Nintendo Wii, virtual reality would also enable players to literally look around the arena at thousands of screaming fans before concentrating on making a free throw to give their team the lead.

An optional first-person mode is another way for sports games to include a new level of authenticity and realism. While I enjoy television-style broadcasts -- and would not like to see first-person modes become the only way to play a game -- I think they would be a great addition in games where the gamer only plays as one player, such as MLB 09: The Show’s Road to the Show mode or FIFA 09’s Be a Pro mode.

Voice-Activated Gameplay Enhancements

While this may not be a feature that is necessary for sports games like golf and boxing, voice-activated gameplay may be an interesting and unique way to play games in 10 years. For football games, the user could have a list of commands to yell out to his teammates while in the huddle, whereas an outfielder could yell "I got it" to his teammate to avoid a collision while chasing down a fly ball. In basketball games, you could yell for a teammate to set a pick for you or yell for the ball. This enhancement could greatly add to the immersive factor of a good sports game while also allowing for more user input in the game.

Online Communities for All Sports Games

Both NHL 09 and NCAA Football 09 have showed consumers that well-done online modes can be addicting to fans of the sport. With the successes of NHL 09’s innovative Online Team Play mode and NCAA Football 09’s Online Dynasty mode, I believe all sports games will have modes like these in a decade. Baseball games will have Online Franchise modes and the ability to play a game with eight of your friends against nine other people, whereas boxing and golf games will allow consumers to play through an entire career or PGA Tour season online.

Along with this, I assume all games will have persistent online leagues and activities built into them. Constantly updated rosters will also cement their presence in sports videogames, allowing games to be constantly updated with the most recent trades, injuries or other player- or team-specific events.

Completely Customizable Presentation

In a decade, I believe sports games will include an incredible level of detail and customization when it comes to presentation. Gamers will be able to play a game from a camera angle located at any spot in the stadium or arena. If gamers want to pitch from an angle directly above of the pitcher, they will have the option to do that; if the users want to hit a golf ball while looking at a side view of their golfer, they will be afforded that option as well.

Along with that, I believe there will be more realistic ESPN-style broadcast elements in sports games. That means there will be highlights from around the league in between innings of some games, while other games will sometimes be broadcast if one game has been delayed. There will even be highlights from the past week of action, much like NFL 2K5 did a few years ago. All in all, sports games will give gamers the feeling that they are watching a live broadcast more so than ever before.

What Will the Future Hold for Sports Gaming?

In the end, only time will tell which, if any, of these innovations and enhancements will be present in sports games. However, based on current trends in sports gaming, I believe that in 10 years sports games will be more realistic and true to life than ever before. They may also involve users in ways they would have never dreamed of -- imagine literally calling your own plays for your teammates or being able to look around a stadium and watch the fans rise to their feet in the bottom of the ninth. No one knows for sure what is in store for video game sports, but innovations in the genre are inevitable, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for sports gaming.