Summary
Sports games are one of the pillars of mainstream gaming. Often, the bigger the sport, the more potential it has as a video game. A sport like soccer is so popular that not only are games based on it popular, like FIFA, but even titles that focus on the business side, like Football Manager, are colossal moneymakers.
However, niche sports have already proven to be foundations for fun games and sleeper hits. Pong, a game based on table tennis, was the catalyst for video games becoming a popular hobby. Mario Kart is one of the highest-selling series of all time. With greater online connectivity and advancements in virtual reality, many niche sports serve as templates for incredibly fun games.
Notable Competitions
World Chase Tag, Ultimate Tag
The simple game of running around trying to tag someone else when you’re ‘it’ has evolved into a complex and exciting professional sport. Tag has transformed from its origins on the school playground into a sophisticated competition where athletes employ elements of strategy, sprinting, gymnastics, and parkour to navigate elaborate stages.
A major tag video game could serve as a great exercise in developing a fluid and enjoyable physics engine. Tag could also excel by incorporating fantastical elements rather than sticking strictly to realism, such as utilizing sandbox environments resembling Marvel’s Spider-Man for competitive play.
NXL World Cup, Major League Paintball
Before airsoft took over, paintball was the major way for people to get a taste of warfare without any of the harsh realities associated with it. Airsoft is more realistic than paintball, which means a video game version of airsoft is just another shooter in amarket already filled with quality shooters, while paintball can have its own spin on the genre.
Paintball can differ from most shooting games in that ‘damage’ is equal between all guns, and shooting your opponent is about gaining points as opposed to eliminating opposition. The physics behind shooting paintballs can give a paintball series its unique feeling. In addition, the colorful aspects of paintball can lend itself to a strong artistic expression, akin to a series like Splatoon.
Pro Kabaddi League, Kabaddi World Cup
One of the most played sports in India is kabaddi. This quirky sport combines elements of tag and rugby. Kabaddi is one of the most popular team sports in the world that does not have a major video game. Kabaddi involves sending one teammate into the enemy’s territory, where they have to tag as many opponents as possible before getting back to their territory without being tackled.
The key element of kabaddi is that the attacking player has to do it in one breath; thus, that person is chanting ‘kabaddi’ over and over again the whole time as proof to the referee that they have not taken a breath yet. Kabaddi would not only make for a novel experience for Western audiences, but it would also give the emerging Indian market a game they can sink their teeth into.
The Olympics, Fencing World Championship
Virtual Reality is key to creating a successful fencing-oriented series. There are smaller games that play around with the idea of sword fighting, but nothing major has penetrated the market. Fencing is a sport that is practiced all over the world and has three types of swords, which can work as three different ‘modes’: Épée, Foil, and Sabre.
The major hurdle to producing a VR fencing game has to do with latency and realistic physics. An épée, for example, is the heaviest sword, so figuring out how to make its strikes slower while still adapting your movements is pivotal to creating an exciting fencing-oriented series.
CMLL, AAA
Thanks to WWE and AEW, there are many pro wrestling games. However, Mexico has its own distinct professional wrestling culture known as Lucha Libre. Lucha Libre stands out with its colorful costumes, making the wrestlers look like superheroes.
Lucha Libre has a heavy emphasis on acrobatics, submissions, and brawling. Wrestling games with a Lucha Libre twist would be much faster-paced than games like the WWE 2K series. A Lucha Libre series could also showcase wrestlers from the two major promotions in Mexico, AAA, and CMLL.
The Olympics, World Archery Championships
Virtual reality gaming generates incredible potential for one of the most popular precision sports: archery. Archery is a relatively simple sport but requires a great deal of patience. A VR archery game can provide you with the ability to practice at home without needing extensive setup.
An archery VR game can borrow elements fromracing simulators to create a realistic physics engine. Another crucial component that would enhance an archery game is a custom controller modeled after a bow, similar to those used for wheels in racing games or guitars in music games.
PSA World Championships, The British Open
The net is the element that binds most racket sports together, but squash replaces a net with a wall, creating a distinctive and unpredictable dynamic. Squash is played within a room, where players can hit the ball off any wall as long as it ultimately hits the front wall.
Squash is challenging to play in real life due to its requirement for a very specific court, making a video game an ideal way for squash fans to enjoy the sport from the comfort of their couch. A major squash video game could offer a faster-paced experience akin toarcade-style tennis gamessuch as Virtua Tennis. The strategic angles available to attack opponents in squash could potentially add more depth to the gameplay than any other sports game.
The Olympics, FIVB Volleyball World Championship
Volleyball is one of the major sports that hasn’t seen a major video game release in years. Both volleyball and its variant, beach volleyball, have primarily appeared as mini-games within larger series such as Dead or Alive and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games.
Volleyball is one of the sports that can easily transition into a major video game, given its functional similarity to tennis. What sets volleyball apart is its emphasis on teamwork, unlike tennis. The game involves mechanics such as setting up teammates with passes, dynamic blocks, and dives, keeping everyone engaged and alert.
Ntoable Competitions
AFL Premiership, State of Origin Series
Commonly known as ‘Aussie Rules,’ Australian Rules Football is the most popular sport in Australia. Similar to how America has its own version of football, most famously associated with the NFL, Australia has the AFL. Unlike the NFL, however, the AFL does not have a major annual video game series akin to Madden.
Australian Rules Football involves many players running around tackling each other, similar to football. However, a major distinction in Aussie Rules is that players aim to kick the ball into the goal and can only move the ball forward by running, kicking, or dribbling it across a vast field. This dynamic results in highly acrobatic plays, such as the speckie, where a player jumps on another player’s back to catch a high ball in the air.
K1 Grandprix, Rise, Glory, One Championship
After boxing and MMA, kickboxing stands out as a major striking sport. The primary distinction between kickboxing and traditional boxing lies in the incorporation of kicks and knees. Japan, renowned for housing some of the world’s top video game developers, boasts kickboxing’s largest market.
The aspect most people enjoy in UFC games is the dynamic punches and kicks. A kickboxing game can refine these mechanics with precision. Kickboxing matches are typically shorter, lasting only nine minutes, allowing developers to emphasize a fast-paced and offensive style in the video game. Additionally, the game can include fighters from renowned promotions such as K1, ONE, Glory, and feature guest appearances from UFC and PRIDE stars.
