I’m going to flat out say it. Sports and video games generate very similar experiences.
OK, now that I’ve actually made sure anyone who reads this will be angry with me, let me try and explain.
There is no doubt a difference in sports and games and the fans of each. Often time we think of sports fans as beer drinking, loud mouthed, always playing too rough guys who scream and yell. Often times people think a similar thing of gamers only it’s Mountain Dew drinking, loud mouthed when online, playing games too much and screaming and yelling at their systems. But I’m not here to focus on stereotypes. I’m here to talk about some actual positive effects that both sports and video games offer. They’re actually the same things.
Think of the sports hero. That player that has gone above and beyond. He or she is an example of physical prowess, sportsmanship and excellence. When the sports fan was a kid they idolized them, wanted to be like them, Now consider the gamer, who possibly played pretend as a kid, wanting to be Mario or Sonic or Chris Redfield or many of the other character heroes (the good guys). So they both provide the youth with dreams, sure you can argue that sports are more tangible than games but positive influences are a good thing. You could argue games aren’t as positive as sports are since you can play games like Grand Theft Auto or Hitman. My counter-argument to this are two famous names: O.J, Simpson and Michael Vick. I could easily list of a few more sports stars that are not good role models as well. So, even though both have bad examples of role models, good role models still exist and en masse, fiction or real.
Fantasy is definitely another comparison that both have in common. Easiest to pick out the video game part. Play any video game and you become that character, living in their world. It’s a game of pretend which allows for great creativity and imagination. This is even more proven in games where you create your character from scratch or upload your face to the character. Now, you are that character, you are inside that world. You’re not just assuming another character’s life.
Now for the sports side of this think of all the kids that have played baseball, football or whatever other sport exists. Remember hearing the kids cup their hands over their mouths, make a whispering sound in imitation of a crowd roar. The kids that point their finger like the professional baseball player or mimic Tebow and his prayer motion. They become that player and live in that world of the sports superstar. If you’ve ever done that yourself you know exactly what I’m talking about.
One more thing that both have in common is hope. This is actually a very big one. Hope is what gives anyone the strength to follow their dreams and pursue their goals. If even a glimmer of hope exists it can push a person to move forward and climb that metaphorical mountain. Seeing that underdog team win the championship or that swimmer recover from a life threatening injury to go to win a gold medal. That is exactly the kind of hope playing a video game offers. A feeling of finally conquering the evil demon or dragon. The savior of the galaxy. You are that underdog and that story brings hope just the same way.
So these are three of the examples that show how sports and video games are very similar and deliver similar and positive ideals. Positive influence, healthy fantasy and hope. It’s amazing how often both sides shun the other when they actually have more in common than one would think.
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