The 15-year agreement between EA Sports and ESPN has already shown gamers great benefits. Live tickers, video highlights, and downloadable podcasts are just the beginning of the innovations to be included in modern sports titles.
This August will mark the beginning of real-time weather in sports titles – in-game weather that matches the current conditions in the real world. A snowstorm in Wisconsin will make the virtual Green Bay Packers have to play in the snow. Wind in Chicago (who could imagine that?) will influence the longball for the virtual Cubs. Real world weather will be accurately represented, bringing the authenticity of sports titles to the next level.
Beyond weather, plans to fuse real-world sports news with sports video games are already in motion. "So if a guy in the real world twists his ankle, you can’t use him in the game until he gets back," said ESPN VP of technology and product development Aaron LaBerge. "A baseball star on a hot streak temporarily could become a better hitter in EA Sports’ MLB title. A Cinderella upset in the NCAA basketball tournament immediately could be reflected in the March Madness video game," said LaBerge.
This all sounds incredibly interesting, and could be a big plus for sports fans. But could it also get annoying? Will a virtual baseball season be ruined for a player because he spent his entire payroll on A-Rod and Barry Bonds, only to see them placed on the DL because they pulled a hammy in real life?
Hopefully there will be some limits and controls for these live updates, so the players who don’t want it aren’t forced to.
