Sports simulation

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Kolf, a free golf simulation

A sports simulation (colloquially also sports game) is a computer game genre in which one or more players can virtually practice a sport. There are now several computer game counterparts for practically every sport.

Differentiation from other genres and divisions

Early sports games, such as pong , did not yet offer realistic graphics and are therefore mostly considered games of skill .

To be distinguished from the normal sports games are sports manager games, which can also be counted among the business simulations. In contrast to boxing simulations, so -called fighting games ( beat 'em ups or fighting games ) form their own genre, as do racing games , racing simulations , flight simulations , dance games , music games and fishing simulations. Games like poker and computer chess are genres of their own.

There are also mini-games with sporty content and some overlaps with other genres.

A game in which the player has to participate physically is also known as exergaming . As fantasy sports with running a virtual league is called.

Sports games can be divided into individual sports and team sports in which the player can control multiple players. Football simulation is especially popular in team sports . Some games also offer a collection of sports games or are dedicated to Olympic disciplines as a so-called Olympic game. Furthermore, sports simulations can offer more or less realism or there can be deviations from the template.

Classic game modes are the friendly game, championship / tournament, career mode and training.

Playful requirements

Sports simulations often require a good reaction time and the practice of strategies or tactics. The game physics is usually presented in a simplified manner and limited to the essentials. In team sports games, the player must also lead and coordinate the team and must be familiar with the players and the environment. Often there is a reference to real teams, players, locations or vehicles.

historical overview

Pong (1972), a minimalist tennis game

The first sports game, and also one of the first computer games ever, was Tennis for Two in 1958 . Text-based games followed in the 1970s, as well as the well-known Pong and other arcade games in 1972 , some of them still in black and white and from a bird's eye view.

When home computers and increasingly game consoles appeared in the early 1980s , there was a wealth of different sports games. Popular computer games often corresponded to popular sports, such as football, tennis or athletics. There was also now the opportunity to imitate unusual, rare or elitist sports.

Most sports games were played in pairs, later there were also multiplayer adapters . In many games, one or more computer opponents can be selected so that you can play alone.

Corresponding video games often appear at major sporting events, such as the Olympic Games or various world championships.

Since 1993 licensed games have been released under the label of EA Sports ( Electronic Arts ), which still dominate the market.

Trend sports such as skateboarding and fun games are very popular these days . B. with Mario .

Two players play Wii Sports , here tennis.

In 2006, Wii Sports was released , which is included with the Wii console. With the help of the Nunchuk controller and the motion sensors it contains, correct movements can be performed instead of the usual operation using the controller, joystick, mouse or keyboard. It is one of the most popular exergames , a sub-genre of sports simulation in which the player has to move.

timeline

Important and innovative individual games (selection)

Rare symbiosis of real sport and sport simulation: Pong, controlled by bicycles.

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Ernest Adams: Fundamentals of Game Design: Fundamentals of Game Design_2 . New Riders, 2010, ISBN 978-0-13-210475-3 , chap. 16 ( google.de [accessed on September 26, 2019]).