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Pro Athletes Turn to Video Games to Practice and Prep for Real Life

by Caleb Johnson on April 7, 2010 at 08:10 AM

A couple months back, we told you about football coaches and players using 'Madden NFL' to practice and stay sharp year round. Apparently, this phenomenon isn't limited to a single sport. According to the New York Times, professional athletes in several major sports are now using video games as a practice tool.

The Times credits this trend to the increased level of realism in video games. From EA Sports' 'FIFA Soccer' series to its 'N.H.L.' games, athletes' real-life physical characteristics and on-field tendencies are now closely mimicked. To do this, developers suit-up former athletes with motion sensors and capture their body movements. Then, a designer tweaks those general movements to more accurately depict an individual athlete's skill set. As a result, Conor Chinn, a forward with the New York Red Bulls soccer team, plays 'FIFA Soccer' on his Xbox 360 before a match, and believes it helps him prepare. "It gets your soccer brain started that day," he told the Times. NASCAR driver Joey Logano logs onto iRacing.com, and tests out the track each week before a race. "The graphics are really close to the real thing," he said to the Times. "You get to experience any turn or bump."

It's true that sports simulations can be helpful to athletes, but we also know video games can do harm, too. Besides, there's no substitute for some old-fashioned hard work and practice. 'Armchair' athletes will never score the winning goal or point, anyway. [From: The New York Times]

Tags: athlete, athletes, ea sports, EaSports, FIFA, iRacing.com, soccer, sports, top, trends, VideoGames, Xbox360

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