16 years ago , Sports Illustrated operate an article that examined the growing mutualism between sports and digital technologies . Along with several terrifically prescient anticipation , it also pegged one of account ’s bad video game as the wave of the future .
The article , “ Welcome To The Electronic Arena , ” is on the money a mickle of the time , especially with its observation that the net , video - on - requirement , and HD applied science would make for a greater role in sports media . But my preferent passage talk about how athletes would evolve into multimedia personalities and monetise their stardom — the art object uses Shaq ’s roundly derided kung fu video secret plan as a sign of thing to add up :
Now computer - driven picture game are approach a movie - theater story of limpidity ; the good of the game are called “ simulations ” because of the way they re - make the strategical demands and sensuous experience of actual sportswoman [ … ]
There are already millions of possessed sports fan of these simulations who seem to care piffling for the real sportswoman upon which the games are based , and most of these sports fan are member of the new generation that will shortly be need to fill up stadiums and arenas . If these young consumers care more about the moves , chronicle and personal taste of a character called Shaq Fu in a well - selling video game than they care about watch Shaquille O’Neal play basketball game , then is Shaq - in the world of images and consumer markets - primarily a basketball game player , or is he a virtual kickboxer on a picture screen ?
For those of you unfamiliar with Shaq Fu , it wasa downright mournful TV gamein which Shaquille O’Neal travel to another dimension and fights mutants using his own patented blend of warriorlike arts .
The observation that Shaq ’s celebrity would pass sport is not entirely off - base ( Shaq invented Twitter , after all ) , but cherry tree - picking one of the bad video secret plan of all time is kind of awesome , particularly when they could have singled outBill Laimbeer Combat BasketballorMichael Jordan : Chaos In The Windy City .
Another passage ponders whether or not Mortal Kombat is the sport of the future :
During their first week on the securities industry , $ 50 million Charles Frederick Worth of Mortal Kombat II video cartridges and discs were sold to untested enthusiasts who also support six different magazines dedicated to news about video game and heroes such as the Mortal Kombat characters ( the “ thespian ” or “ bozo , ” as they are known ) . If there are more children in Sacramento who understand the athletic prowess , personal history and signature move of Raiden , an athletic Mortal Kombat “ thunder deity , ” than there are kid who assist a King plot over the course of a time of year , what ’s the more popular sport among fry in Sacramento : Mortal Kombat or NBA basketball ?
I would unquestionably shell out for more sporting event if I could watch over Raiden engagement the Sacramento Kings . The article ’s an interesting read from our über - futuristic vantage degree , so check out “ Welcome To The Electronic Arena”here .
[ ViaMetafilter ]
sportswoman
Daily Newsletter
Get the expert tech , science , and culture news program in your inbox day by day .
newsworthiness from the future , deliver to your present .
You May Also Like
