The Wake

For those who can’t seem to function when the Twins lose and subsequently use their bedroom as a personal jail cell to ponder the reasons for the loss, ESPN’s new virtual “Play-by-Play” may just be the new remedy.

The new visual aid, which has been in the works for a full year, combines virtual athletes—for example, Madden NFL players—with real live anchors to demonstrate scenarios for upcoming games and replay past sequences. The idea is to help audience members understand team-specific strategies
and plays.

What if Tavaris Jackson from the Minnesota Vikings escaped that tackle at the 25-yard line? Virtual “Play-by-Play” could simulate an exact replica of the play, demonstrating what could have happened if Jackson completed the pass to Adrian Peterson.

Debuting during ESPN’s “NFL Countdown,” the new improvement will serve as an aid to a variety of sports including soccer, baseball and basketball.

Ryan Statz, a University of Minnesota student, avid sports fan, ESPN viewer and gamer, thinks the new addition to ESPN is not only creative, but puts a new perspective on sports programming.

“I like that it shows real-life situations instead of just having an anchor describe it. I like that I can actually see how the play is breaking down,” Statz said.

Although most people agree that virtual “Play-by-Play” peaks on the coolness scale, some think the new visual aid is another gimmick that distracts viewers from the actual game.

Football, like most sports, is built on excitement and spontaneity. Some believe ESPN’s newest attempt to attract a wider audience takes away from that spontaneity. John Price, a 47-year-old Green Bay Packer fan who has been watching ESPN since its debut almost three decades ago, thinks that “predicting the game and all of its possible outcomes is like ruining a good story.”

Phil Hart, a student video technician for CLA TV Studios, agrees with Price: “I think it’s a really neat piece of technology, but it’s a little indulgent. If people have all these scenarios played out for them, they won’t be able to appreciate what is actually happening in the real game.”

Originally, ESPN anchors used simple X’s and O’s to describe what was happening on the field. Does Play-by-Play offer a distinctive difference?

Tim Moore, a studies in cinema and media culture major, doesn’t think the new technology offers much of a distinction.

“The intent of this (virtual ‘Play-by-Play’) is a visual aid, butit’s not much of a dramatic step from X’s and O’s.”

Moore does see the new aid as a logical progression, but nothing that comes as a surprising alarm, especially when taking into account the rapid growth of media and gaming technology.

The new advancement raises another question: Will a system develop where ordinary gamers can enter
video game simulations just as ESPN anchors can?

Yes is a probable answer to Moore, who estimates that in 10 to 15 years players will be able to enter their video games and play alongside their favorite athletes.

The expansion of motion-censored technology in the form of video games is exploding, and Nintendo Wii is just the beginning for sports fans and gamers alike.

Brad VandeVoort, a student invested in video game technology, considers the possibility of being able to play inside a game “revolutionary for gamers.”

“It would be really cool to be able to catch a pass from Brett Favre,” he said.

Frivolous gimmick or not, virtual “Play-by-Play” is the first of its kind. It offers an experience guaranteeing to wow sports fans, technology gurus and gamers across the globe.