| Sometimes at night, while I sleep, I dream that I | | | | remembers Kay-Jay Harris, another WVU tailback |
| am the point guard on Michael Jordan's Chicago | | | | you can find in NCAA Football '05, starring as "HB |
| Bulls. Other nights, I bat cleanup for the Chicago | | | | #1." "[Davis] never looked like he was running that |
| White Sox. If that isn't busy enough, I still often | | | | fast, yet no one could catch him. Our running |
| find time to quarterback Jimmy Johnson's Dallas | | | | styles are similar." |
| Cowboys. | | | | Most athletes play video games the way most |
| The bad thing about my dreams: they end. | | | | gamers play: as entertainment, for fun. In WVU's |
| By no means am I a professional athlete. Yet | | | | football player lounge, a PlayStation2 (PS2) is |
| almost every night, I watch myself on TV | | | | plugged in next to the team TV. Several players |
| draining three pointers, hitting towering home runs, | | | | take the games they play on the screen as |
| and throwing sky scraping touchdown passes with | | | | serious as the games they play on the field. |
| the best in the game. | | | | Ray Lewis, whose spastic pre-game dances and |
| I realize all my sports dreams are make believe. I | | | | primal, near death-causing hits on the field make |
| live for life's little pleasures. | | | | him one of the most intimidating players in the |
| The tiny light at the end of my tunnel is thanks to | | | | NFL, is also known to be one of the most |
| today's digital technology. I can become a | | | | competitive video game players in the league. |
| professional athlete by creating myself in a video | | | | Lewis hates to lose at anything he does. Thanks |
| game. | | | | to his competitiveness on the field and in front of |
| I'm not the only person to do it, or to have ever | | | | the screen, Lewis became the first defensive |
| done it. | | | | player to be chosen as cover man for the 2005 |
| Joffrey Lupul is a winger for the Anaheim Mighty | | | | installment of EA's Madden NFL series in August. |
| Ducks. In addition, he is also a featured athlete in | | | | Video game popularity with athletes has soared |
| EA Sports' NHL 2004. | | | | because of the free time they have in the |
| "I used to create my own player and try to | | | | off-season. |
| make it look as much like me as possible," said | | | | "[Games are] relaxing. It's pure entertainment. This |
| Lupul in an interview with John Gaudiosi of ESPN | | | | is the way you kill four, five hours," Lewis said in |
| Gamer. "I guess now I won't have to do that." | | | | an interview with Matt Wong of ESPN Gamer. |
| Sports video games have been evolving since | | | | "You have your boys over, you have your kids |
| "Pong," a tennis-like game where two players use | | | | over, and you have a big tournament. We might |
| long bars to defend their end of the screen from | | | | have three TVs going." |
| what vaguely resembles a ball. It debuted on the | | | | "I played [EA Sports'] MVP Baseball 2004 all |
| Atari game system in 1976. In 2003, the | | | | summer long, and Rasheed Marshall and I played |
| top-selling game of the year was EA Sports' | | | | MarioKart on [Ninetendo] Gamecube for a week |
| Madden NFL 2004, which sold over 1.3 million | | | | straight," said Harris. "I could play games like that |
| copies in its first week. | | | | all day, 10 straight." |
| Unlike me, many athletes today do not need to | | | | Games are clearly the best cure for the |
| create a digital image of themselves to be | | | | off-season blues, but many athletes see the |
| featured in a game. Today's popular sports video | | | | benefits video games have as recruiting tools. |
| games have the characteristics of all active | | | | "Video games can be a positive influence for |
| players. Professionally licensed games even have | | | | younger kids, who might not have started skating |
| players' accurate height, weight, and hometown. | | | | yet," said Minnesota Wild center Pierre-Marc |
| The best games even feature individual | | | | Bouchard, in an interview with Gaudiosi. "If you |
| trademarks of certain players, like Vince Carter's | | | | get into the realism of the video games, kids |
| classic double-handed sky point after a furious | | | | might try street hockey and eventually graduate |
| dunk, or Ichiro's bailout first step as he swings at | | | | to the rink." |
| an inside pitch. | | | | The National Hockey League has been entrenched |
| "When I was a little kid, everybody could do the | | | | in a lockout since Sept. 16. With no end in sight, |
| same dunks and lay-ups," said Jay Williams in an | | | | holding the interest of young fans will be crucial to |
| interview with Patrick Hruby of ESPN Gamer. | | | | its future. While it seems possible that the entire |
| Williams, formerly an NBA point guard, plays video | | | | 2004-2005 season could be cancelled, fans can still |
| games daily as a diversion from the rigors of | | | | find excitement by turning on their PS2. |
| rehabilitating his left leg following a 2003 | | | | "It's tough to replicate the battles along the |
| motorcycle accident. "I remember last year, the | | | | boards in video games," said Eric Staal in an |
| game version of me was doing the same hand | | | | interview with Gaudiosi. Staal plays center for the |
| gestures I do." | | | | NHL's Carolina Hurricanes. "But if kids don't know |
| The NCAA prohibits endorsement by its amateur | | | | anything about hockey, [video games] are fun to |
| athletes, but that doesn't mean collegiate athletes | | | | play because it's up and down action and scoring |
| are less fortunate. All the player attributes are | | | | goals." |
| there, only the names are deleted to protect the | | | | Microsoft's Xbox, PS2, and GameCube allow |
| unpaid. | | | | sports to be played year round. Fans can get |
| Jason Colson is a 6'1", 215 pound, sophomore | | | | their fix at any time of the year with a simple flip |
| tailback who proudly wears No. 24 at West | | | | switch. Indeed, they are simulated, but the World |
| Virginia University (WVU). In EA Sports' NCAA | | | | Series can go on in the dead of winter, and |
| Football 2005, his name has been changed to "HB | | | | hockey games can hit the ice in the scorch of |
| #24," but the height, weight, and class rank are all | | | | summer. |
| the same. When No. 24 steps into the backfield, | | | | For athletes, video games can help them stay |
| the game player knows they are about to hand | | | | entertained, or distracted, when they aren't on |
| off to Mr. Colson. | | | | the field. |
| "As a youngster, I never pictured myself being in | | | | For future athletes, gaming consoles provide the |
| a video game," said Colson. "It's cool playing as | | | | ultimate first step to falling in love with a sport. |
| yourself." | | | | Video games allow all who play to live outside |
| Today's younger athletes have grown up in the | | | | themselves. Armchair quarterbacks become |
| video game generation. All of them have | | | | heroes. On the field quarterbacks get the |
| memories of playing games as kids and teens. | | | | opportunity to dominate their most hated rivals. |
| Many still play. | | | | Everyone can live out dreams in cyber world they |
| "One of my favorite game players growing up | | | | never could on the field. |
| was Terrell Davis in the Madden games," | | | | |