The drive behind sports video games

For many years, sports fans have gravitated towards playing their favourite sports games to live out their sporting fantasies. Over time, with technology becoming more advanced, this has allowed games to become more realistic, meaning more and more games have appeared on the market for fans to choose from.

Every sports fan has had dreams about scoring that winning goal, getting that final touchdown or coming first place in that race. However, for most fans, these will always only be just a dream as we won’t get to experience that in real life. For fans, the games allow players to experience what it’s like in real life, bringing them closer to the action than ever before.

But what exactly is driving all these video games to be released, from football games to sports-themed slot games and live casino online from Virgin Games, we’ll be looking at the drive behind sports video games and what brings so many fans to enjoy them each year.

Living out that childhood dream

Every football fan dreamt about becoming a football superstar when they were young. For me, there was nothing better than to be in the playground pretending to be Steven Gerrard playing football with my friends. However, now we are older and thanks to technology advancing, we can actually live out our dream and play a game like EA FC 24 and become virtual football players.

Not only that, any scenario you can think of, you can recreate. Fancy taking a small local team to the big leagues? Or what about managing a powerhouse and continuing its glory, the options are virtually unlimited and something you can do for hours on end.

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New opportunities for fans

When we all were growing up, the internet was only really starting to blow up and was a fraction of what it is today. However, today youth have the fantastic opportunity to turn these sports games into a career. Streaming and making videos on sports games has never been bigger, and there’s no sign of it slowing down.

There have been numerous examples of young people just enjoying making videos of their favourite sports games, ending up making a career out of it because it’s something they enjoy. With how big streaming is these days, there are career opportunities available in this field, and ones that should be taken seriously. 

There have also been examples of people who stream sports games as their career, slowly transitioning into talking about the actual real-life game, with some even moving into television and broadcasting to discuss real sports topics. This shows that just by playing sports games, you can open up a whole world you didn’t think was possible.

Not only is it a career option to go into streaming, but playing sports games professionally is also an option. Whilst this is a harder route to get into as you have to be one of the best of the best, if you’re able to get into it, there can be some serious opportunities for you. 

There are regular Esports tournaments where the best sports game players will compete to be the best, with there being multiple options including solo tournaments and even ones where you’re scouted for real-life clubs. For example, Diego Jota, a player for Liverpool FC is one of the official Esports players for Liverpool. This means he plays for them both in real life and virtually.

 If you’re lucky enough to win one of these tournaments, there can be large cash prizes up for grabs, however, you’ll be competing against some of the best in the business, so you’ll need to ensure you’re at the top of your game.

Being social

Another big factor around playing sports games is there is the facility to play with your friends and encourages being social. For example, EA FC 24 has a Pro Clubs mode, where each player will create their own virtual player, and everyone will join one team and compete against other groups to see who becomes the best. 

Some of my most enjoyable moments with friends have been over Pro Clubs, scoring that winning goal for your team, or someone missing the last kick of the game, these are where memories are made!

Sports games are really for anyone who wants to play, and for some, they mean more. To you, a sports game may just be something to pass the time, whereas, to another person, it’s an escape into a world of dreams and excitement. Whilst sports games have been around for years, the hype and demand for them has only grown over time, with no end in sight and the want for these games continuing to rise, it’s no wonder there are so many to choose from.

But what’s your favourite sports game and why do you enjoy playing them?