3 Sports That Are Better As Video Games

I love sports.  I’ll happily wager a day’s salary on the biggest sporting event of the night, pretending to know anything about lower-league football or the intricacies around some obscure sports like Gaelic football or the NFL (only kidding – calm down!).

As a gamer, I dare say that some sports are actually better as video games.  Not because I’m too lazy to get off of my couch to go and play them in person (I am), or because I’m so in love with the sport in question that I want to relive it over and over again in a mammoth session (I’m not), but for…well, various reasons.

Here are 3 sports that are better as video games:

Football

Yes, football.  The soccer (real) kind.  And, yes, it’s better as a video game.  Hear me out.

Forget waiting for 5 agonising minutes while the oppositions over-paid left-back feigns injury for the umpteenth time.  Forget frustrating VAR calls and substitutions that seem to take half a decade.  Video games of football streamline the experience down to what actually matters: the football.

Whether you’re a FIFA fan or a PES fan (or is that ePES?  I lose track), you’re experiencing football at its best.  You get to control every player, take every kick, and take responsibility for what is happening on the pitch.

Unless, y’know, you lose, in which case the game is bugged and last year’s version is obviously better.

Horse Racing

Forget getting dressed up to go to major horse racing events when you can stay at home, have a cheeky flutter on Timeform then actually ride the darn horse yourself.  Well, without the smell, or the risk of being thrown off, or the years of practice and good nutrition.  I’m a gamer, not a saint (surprising, I know).

If I’m honest, I just don’t enjoy the in-person experience of horse racing.  I also don’t enjoy playing racing games at home.  But, give me Gallop Racer at an arcade and I’ll teach these kids whos boss.  Having fun is guaranteed, but with a bit of practice and time investment, you’ll see that there’s actually a lot going on under the hood of Gallop Racer and that it’s actually a darn good video game.  True story.

American Football

Gosh, I can sense the hate already.

Here’s the thing.  American football is slow.  There’s a little bit of drama, then an elongated, sponsored-mess of a pause while everyone gets back into position, then rinse and repeat.

I love a lot of the commercialism around American football.  It feels like the Hollywood of sports putting even real football to shame on that count.

Fortunately, video games capture the magic of the glitz and commercialism, while removing much of what makes being a spectator so frustrating.  Madden is AWESOME – if you’re even remotely curious about the NFL, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Sure, there is still an insane number of stoppages, but they’re over with in less than a second and games flow beautifully.

Shame about the real thing, right?

What sports do you think are better in video game form?  Let us know below!