Hello Sports Fans!
Sports is likely to change in a few categories in the next 5-10 years, including the introduction of spectrum of reality technology and the rise of eSports in videogames. In today’s blog, I want to go over these new advancements and what the future could be with their impact.
Creating a different reality is hardly new with the creation of books to movies and now to virtual reality. Virtual reality is “use of computer technology to create a simulated environment” (Bardi). This means that the surrounding environment is engineered by a computer and different than that of the physical realm. A person is transformed into a new world. In the movie, “Ready Player 1“, a whole new world is created and thousands of people are a part of it using the advanced technology of virtual reality. Glasses are used to transport you into the virtual universe, but also a suit is made so that you can feel what you feel virtually. In relation to sports, this could change the physical contact of a sport. Sports could be held in a different universe, using different avatars that might be nothing like our own bodies, thus reaching beyond our physical limits.
Another, more down to earth, advanced technology is the innovation of augmented reality. AR “brings elements of the virtual world, into our real world, thus enhancing the things we see, hear, and feel” (Reality). Meaning that through a lens of some sort, (phone, tablet, glasses) virtual objects could be sitting on physical objects. Some useful examples of this are in Snapchat and Pokemon Go. In both of these popular apps, people are introduced to how augmented reality can be used in everyday routine. In regard to sports, a fan can attend a live event and look through their mobile phone to see facts and stats on their favorite players or animations to entertain or safety precautions within the building.
Talking to a sports fan who loves the live experience, but doesn’t have the bank account to accommodate, augmented reality might be the answer. In the next couple of years, Microsoft HoloLens is looking to transform the stay at home watching game experience. Using the HoloLens, a fan could watch 3D replays on a nearby coffee table, stand next to a life size hologram of their favorite athlete, see stats while watching and even place bets during the game. Microsoft’s HoloLens “comes with the promise of not only synthesizing and integrating 3D virtual objects over the real environment around the user in real time, but also anchoring these holograms to certain objects in the world surrounding them or otherwise interacting with said objects” (Stropnik). This implies that animations will interact with the physical environment, such as an hologram athlete bursting through a wall or the playing field on a coffee table. There isn’t much you need in the kit, “the basic architecture of our solution consists of the data provider’s server with sports statistics, the mock server, the Hololens AR glasses and a PC/laptop with the display” (Stropnik). The HoloLens is the next big thing in augmented reality as it is comfortable to wear and has fantastic spacial mapping and eye contact gestures recognition.
The next topic I want to press ‘start’ on is videogames. ESports is a “form of sports where the primary aspects of the sport are facilitated by electronic systems; the input of players and teams as well as the output of the eSports system are mediated by human-computer interfaces” (Hamari). In short it is competitive gaming. The debate is if eSports is considered a real sport. It is very controversial. Under an Instagram poll, “Is eSports a real sport?” the result was a landslide for ‘no’.
I consider it an extension of sports as it is “a mental game, we have to think fast and strategize. We have coaches who drill us and we train for about four hours, four to five days a week,” said by Josh Bruce a Mackay eSports player (Cureton). ESports allows players to not be limited by their physical ability, but be challenged by the mentality of each sport. Now when I think of eSports, I think of Madden and NBA versions, but there is so much more. ESports can be molded into any game being played for hours and watched by thousands. The most popular ones according to the Dallas Observer, includes League of Legends, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Dota 2, Overwatch and Super Smash Brothers. Video games have become a daily trend in today’s world and there is no stopping it, just embracing it. Sports today is
There isn’t an immediate goal for eSports to become part of the Olympics, but there has been some talk. According to BBC.com, “Esports will be a medal event at the 2022 Asian Games – a traditional sporting event – while the Premier League, Uefa and Formula 1 are among the sporting organisations who have launched their own esports leagues”, which is a start. Maybe in 10 years time, someone will win an Olympic gold medal for eSports.
In both of these categories, sports is the playing field for new developments made to be used in everyday life for a better life. Glasses that can take you anywhere in the virtual world can be the new way of travel. See the world without leaving the comforts of your home. Holography can be the new way to communicate. Generations to come might never know texting or an email. Years from now, an introduction of eSports in the Olympics could redefine the definition of a sport, not necessarily requiring the physical part.
As an addition to the post I also want to talk about sports and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). According to Techopedia, artificial intelligence is “an area of computer science that emphasises the creation of intelligent machines that work and react like humans. Some of the activities computers with aritfical intelligence are designed for include, speech recognition, learning, planning and problem solving” (Techopedia). AI is rising in the realm of sports. Firstly in the subject of advertising. Many sport companies use the AI algorithms for viewers experience. Much like Facebook and Amazon, sport channels are also using ‘cookies’ per say, so that they know what the viewer is interested in. One specific AI is a chatbox. ‘Give Me Sport’ is a website that has heaps of sports information, and uses a one dimensional chat box. The builders of the website are working on creating a more intelligent chatbox, recording massive amounts of data and using content that the fan is interested in. So that the user’s experience will be pleasurable. (Campaign) AI is also assisting in the referee realm. According to the academic journal by P. Morkhat, AI is better at refereeing than humans. Morkhat and colleagues have developed a “robotic referee” that is more equipped to judge sports. A robotic referee is a “physical machine equipped with lasers, high-resolution video-cameras, advanced information and communication technologies and modern artificial intelligence elements with the relevant hardware and software for a high-quality refereeing service in sport events, including football matches” (Morkhat). These machines take to the sky with a 360 degree view of the playing field that have camera lens better than the human eye. The robotic referee can process imperfect data and secure high efficiency data at top speed. (Morkhat). The future of AI is to fully replace referees. Games will be more fair as AI machines are unbiased and programmed to give all data at advanced communication.
References
Bardi, Joe. (2019) “What is Virtual Reality?”. Marxent.com https://www.marxentlabs.com/what-is-virtual-reality/
Cureton, Aidan. (2018). “Video-games-the future of sport?”. Daily Mercury. https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/video-games-the-future-of-sport/3389488/
Gallagher, Danny. (2017). “You Think It’s Just a Game? 15 of eSports’ Most Popular Video Games”. Dallas Observer. https://www.dallasobserver.com/arts/15-of-esports-most-popular-video-games-10075907
Hamari, Juho & Sjöblom, Max. (2017). What is eSports and why do people watch it?. Internet Research. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306286205_What_is_eSports_and_why_do_people_watch_it/citation/download
Liberatore, Stacy. (2016). “A quaterback on your couch and replays that take over your room: Microsoft’s HoloLens demo shows the future of sports”. Dailymail.com https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3430767/A-quarterback-couch-replays-room-Microsoft-s-HoloLens-demo-shows-future-sports.html#i-f0da4ad9aafbc490
“Snap Betting Big on AR Advertising” Youtube.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRyy1GLO8ks
“Snorlaz fless in new Pokemon Go augmented reality mode”. Youtube.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i6zXHtrIh4
“Ultimate Guide to Understand Augmented Reality Technology”. Reality.com https://www.realitytechnologies.com/augmented-reality/
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