Virtual Reality, more commonly referred to as the VR, is the new rising technology in modern gaming and sports industry. Virtual reality is an immersive, interactive experience generated by a computer. The concept of virtual reality was coined in the 1950’s, but was not created and released until 2016.
Technology’s intervention in the sports industry first started in 1978 when Atari, an arcade game company, created the first known video game to sports, which was on American football. Since then, there have been hundreds of video games created around sports, such as UFC, NBA 2K16, and FIFA 15. However in the past decade, game companies have started to make these video games into more of a physical workout.
Wii, a gaming console that was released in 2006 by Nintendo, is played with a handle that requires constant hand movement. Wii has created games like Wii sports and Wii sports resort, which are meant to mimic an actual sport that is played on a screen. The company has also created games like Wii Fit, which requires movement of the whole body in order to play the game.
Tj Wilson (11) believes that “playing certain games like Wii fit and Wii sports on a Wii console should not be considered a sport but a type of fitness.” He thinks that “A sport should require human interaction and actually be played for more than just fitness”.
The most recent and controversial style of sports gaming is Virtual Reality, which was released in 2016. Virtual reality is a type of gaming system that is mounted on your head that makes you feel as if you are actually in the virtual world. Most games that are used with virtual reality require physical movement, and some users say that it is as much exercise as going on a run or a bike ride.
For example, Wildrun, a gaming company, has created a virtual reality biking app which allows you to bike through different countries without ever having to leave your home. Michael Perkins (9) says that “Some virtual reality sports games that do not take much moving like tennis and squash are great games that should be considered sports on VR, but I do not really think that riding a bike in Virtual reality is, it is more of a more interesting and fun way to workout”.
However, Ruben Young (12) says that, “virtual reality is eventually going to play a huge role in modern society, especially in sports. I feel like for certain sports such as Badminton, Ping Pong, and Tennis, it can have a huge impact, but on other sports such as Football and Rugby just because of how the sports are played.” However, he does not think that it’ll have much impact, or at least, it’s going to take a while before tackling someone in a simulation would feel just like tackling someone in real life.
Technology has certainly come far enough to produce the closest experience to playing individual sports, such as Bowling or Badminton; and Virtual Reality has certainly been successful in taking this progress a step further. However, it still remains a question whether Virtual Reality can technologically advance any further to produce the closest experience to playing team sports, such as Soccer, Basketball, or American Football.
Lucas W
