Next Gen consoles have added a new dimension to the realism of many a sports game. But might we soon reach a point where life imitates art? Well, the developers of the successful PlayStation exclusive MLB 15 The Show have been in contact with the Houston Astros.
So far, it has only been to offer the Astros the images generated from the data they compile when rating players for the game, but could further collaboration be on the cards? In their quest for realism, the Sony team behind MLB even features a former Cincinnati Reds player and scout in the shape of Charles Gill, who had some interesting insights into the similarities between the real world and the gaming world.
“It’s a true simulation so we need to make sure the game behaves as close to real life as we can make it,” said Mr Gill. “We use real life stats to determine the hitters’ strengths and weaknesses for hot and cold zones, and batters fly ball/ground ball, pull/oppo tendencies to come up with our spray charts in game”. He even mentioned that “some MLB teams use the same stats company we [Sony] do for their scouting reports”. Could the wealth of data collected be sports game developers soon be put to use by other professional sports teams? Time will tell.