Last night, the final Sport Industry Socials of 2023 ‘Through The Ages: Sports Gaming’ took place at The Department Store in Brixton, London.
The evening saw Sport Industry Partners, Members and guests take a trip down memory lane to explore the long-running relationship between gaming and sport.
The South London gallery was packed full of history’s greatest gaming consoles, with special guest speakers debating how the two industries have become so intertwined.
THE GAMES
The oldest console on display was the iconic Atari, but it looked right at home in the 1970’s living room setting with Pong drawing a crowd.
Button bashing was the strategy of the day as guest tackled 1984’s Track & Field on the NES.
The original PlayStation was also exhibited, and Jonah Lomu Rugby proved that at least one rugby game found success.
There was some US sport representation on show too, with NBA Jam Tournament Edition on the SNES.
Football fever took over the UK in 1996 when England hosted the Euros. But it also saw the release of one of FIFA’s most iconic games. FIFA Soccer 96 on the Sega Mega Drive was a winner of the night.
The PlayStation 2 boasts a plethora of legendary games, but Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 is high up on that list. As expected, all guests choose to play as Mr. T.
Like rugby, cricket has struggled to translate to the gaming scene, but Brain Lara International Cricket bucked that trend and proved popular on the PS2.
Gaming was revolutionised when Nintendo dropped the Wii in 2006. With Wii Sports loaded, guests got off their seats and got moving, with tennis drawing the biggest crowds.
As well as looking back, we also had a sneak peek at the future of gaming with Meta’s Oculus on display. The Thrill of The Fight got guests in the ring and throwing punches, and Beat Saber tested everybody’s natural rhythm.
The latest game on display was EA Sports FC 24 on the PS5, the first edition of EA Sport’s iconic football game since the franchise’s split with FIFA. As expected, this one got people animated!
Membership
THE SPEAKERS
The evening also saw us joined but four expert guest speakers who shared their own personal gaming stories, their thoughts on the evolving gaming landscape, and what is coming next…
Will Pithers – Strategic Partner Manager – Sports Partnerships, Meta
“The Quest Three gives you a glimpse of the future, but I think that augmented reality is where the future lies. And by that, I mean when you put the thing on, you’re not completely cut off from the world around you.”
Sehrish Mumtaz – Campaign Lead UKI, EA SPORTS FC
“EA Sports and FIFA parted ways for the right reasons. We’ve been working on this next step for over 18 months now and we were ready for this huge change. I still think people think the game lived with FIFA and not EA Sports and that is an education piece we are focusing on.”
Kristoffer Lewis – Head of Esports, Gaming and Metaverse, City Football Group
“I probably have the worst understanding of European football than ever now that I don’t play FIFA anymore. When I was younger, titles like Ultimate Team taught me so much about the game and gave me real life sports knowledge that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.”
Savannah Ross – Strategy Consultant, Ear to the Ground
“My first memories of gaming come from Wii Sports. I absolutely loved it. For me, it was an opportunity to be able to play with friends and really get involved!”
Access to Sport Industry Socials is exclusive to Sport Industry Members. Sport Industry Members are able to attend SIG events, enjoy discounts to attend the FEVO Sport Industry Awards and receive free award entries every year. Find out more here.
