One of the most impressive things about video games is the way they can bring the imagination to life with just a simulation. Unlike movies or cartoons, video games are interactive. Naturally, this leads game developers to think about how to make video game worlds engaging for players.
The inclusion of multiplayer aspects or in-game sports and tournaments are common additions developers come up with for their creations. When creating fiction, it’s helpful to use a common point of reference for viewers. But even if the framing makes the fictional phenomenon familiar, it might not be something that’s viable in reality. There are plenty of fictional sports in video games with some being more feasible than others.
10 Could Exist – RIGS: Mechanized Combat League Could Be The Future Of Contact Sports
RIGS has a couple of points working in its favor. First off, it utilizes PlayStation VR, making the game experience more realistic and therefore easier to imagine in the real world. And secondly, the tech in the game could potentially exist if technology comes far enough. Physical damage in sports is highly regulated and there are only a handful where full-contact moves can squeak by without a penalty. Having the Rigs take the place of people solves the problem of causing any serious damage while allowing more violent play.
9 Couldn’t Exist: Blitzball Is Too Magic Based To Actually Exist (Final Fantasy X)
For Blitzball to work the same way it does in Final Fantasy X, science would need to figure out how to simulate the spherical stadia made with the magic of pyreflies. There’s also no science currently out there that could be imagined into allowing people the kind of freedom underwater that Tidus and other Blitzball players have while playing the sport. And on that note, playing sports underwater with all that water resistance? It’s hard to imagine, considering that humans aren’t well-equipped to deal with underwater activity.
8 Could Exist: Light Cycle Races Could Become A Reality (Tron)
With the technology and work being put into electric cars, it’s easy to imagine a future where functioning light cycles could exist. Figuring out how the light trails would work is a bit more complicated, but it’s possible to invent another method for deciding how another racer would violate the light trails of their competitor(s).
Light cycles have captivated human imagination enough that they’re constantly appearing in various media and have been redesigned more than once since Tron originally released in 1982.
7 Couldn’t Exist: Pokémon Poses Too Many Ethical Problems
Technically speaking, if genetic science continues, it might be possible to have Pokémon-esque creatures… but pitting them against each other is unnecessarily cruel. Just as dogfighting or rooster fights are socially frowned upon, Pokémon battling probably wouldn’t make it outside of the realm of fantasy. Part of what makes it appealing is the fact that it’s purely rooted in fantasy. Forcing actual creatures to fight each other on the whims of humans is too unethical to gain traction.
6 Could Exist: Windjammers Is A New Take On Air Hockey
Windjammers is a classic game released in 1994 featuring a one-on-one sport that resembles air hockey, or perhaps competitive frisbee. Players take turns tossing a disc back and forth trying to land it in the other player’s goal. The trick to Windjammers is that the disc speeds up every time it’s thrown, so players need to be nimble to keep up. Interestingly, Windjammers is popular enough to net a sequel game for 2021. An exact release date has yet to be announced.
5 Couldn’t Exist: Griffball Requires Too Much Advanced Technology (Halo)
Some futuristic games feature technology that’s close to modern-day tech, or at least conceivable in the near future, but Halo is not one of those games. Griffball requires not only the high-tech suits that Spartans wear but also needs energy swords and gravity hammers. Retrofitting Griffball to fit real-world physics wouldn’t make it much different than existing sports, so Griffball will have to remain a far-off dream. Fans will have to settle for rugby and leave Griffball to Halo.
4 Could Exist: Blitz Isn’t Too Different From Currently Existing Sports (Deathrow)
Blitz is the central theme of Deathrow, as it’s the game’s most popular in-universe sport. The fictional sport takes inspiration from several existing sports, including hockey, basketball, and full-contact American football.
It’s worth noting that the game will likely need regulations since it’s a brutal full-contact sport that encourages striking the opposing team. In fact, players can get points for knocking out opposing players, so the real-world version would need to be significantly toned down.
3 Couldn’t Exist: Terror Is Reality Can Only Exist In Fantasy (Dead Rising 2)
The world of Dead Rising 2 is overrun with zombies, allowing for a unique game such as Terror is Reality to exist. It’s basically a gladiator-style free-for-all that involves killing zombies for points. This sport is deadly by its very nature, so it’s unlikely to ever see a real-world version. But in the unlikely event that the planet is ever overrun by a zombie apocalypse, Terror is Reality might be a fun way to blow off some steam against the zombies.
2 Could Exist: Rocket League Could Utilize Drone Technology
Rocket League‘s take on soccer is surprisingly fun and not too hard to imagine in a real-world setting. Remote control and drone technology is already pretty advanced, so it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine rocket-powered cars as drone devices. Rocket League was first released in 2015 to positive reviews. The multiplayer-focused game is fun enough to have garnered a dedicated player base and has sold over 9.5 million digital copies.
1 Couldn’t Exist: Twisted Metal’s Demolition Derbies Would Create Way Too Much Waste
Twisted Metal is pretty satisfying to play as a video game, but a real-world version brings up a lot of questions. Since the goal of Twisted Metal is to destroy other vehicles with ballistics and other weapons, it’d be impossible for the vehicles to be manually operated by people. And even if the vehicles were somehow remote-controlled, the debris created by this sport in both damaged vehicles and weapons isn’t worth the trouble. It’s best to leave modern demolition derbies as they are.
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