7 Sports Which Are Underrepresented In Video Games
Which of these sports should be the next AAA title?
Different sports have been adapted into video games since their pioneering of the medium. The competitive nature of video games gives off the same atmosphere as sports, so translating that into gaming was an easy way to make a constant draw on the market. Despite the wide amount of sports on offer, however, the video games industry seems to focus on the same mainstream favourites.
Association football, American football, basketball, baseball and golf all see yearly releases featuring the latest players, or based around the most recent tournaments. As well as this, a variety of fighting games based around boxing, wrestling and MMA are also released consistently.
Because of this, there are a vast number of sports which see almost no representation in the world of video games. While the limited nature of certain sports stops them from being as popular as others, there are many sports which feature that same competitive atmosphere to that of association football or basketball.
Many of these sports have large audiences which the video game industry has yet to tap into. These are seven which are currently underrepresented in gaming, leaving a hole in the market that fans would love to see filled.
7. Pool/Snooker
This may seem like a weird entry on this list, as there are a variety of titles offering pool and snooker simulacrums. However, while at first glance the library seems expansive, many games on the current market offer sub-par experiences at best.
The best game currently available, at least in terms of visuals, is the 2019 game Snooker 19, currently available on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch. Snooker 19 was developed by ‘Lab42’, who seemingly have no other games to their name. While graphically the game is impressive, there are many complaints of players losing their save data, especially on the Steam version. Snooker 19, as the name suggests, is purely a snooker game, meaning fans of pool won’t find much of substance here.
While numerous other pool and snooker titles exist, they all feature some drawback which stops them from being a worthwhile investment to gamers. 2014’s Pure Pool has terribly unreliable online play, making the experience almost painful. 2013’s Pool Nation and 2015’s Pool Nation FX Lite are both single player games, taking away any competitive aspects from the experience.
Similar issues continue to plague pool and snooker titles released throughout the last decade. Games like the World Snooker Championship franchise, which ran from 2001 to 2011, were praised for their gameplay and it’s a shame to see recent pool and snooker titles fall short of their decade old predecessors.