Olympics in video games

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The Olympic games have been featured in numerous sport video games officially licensed by the International Olympic Committee or not. These games have more than one event and/or several sports, and have an Olympic theme.

Contents

The Olympic sports sub-genre dates back to the 1980 title Olympic Decathlon and was popularized by Konami's 1983 arcade title Track & Field . Since then, numerous titles have been released, usually in the immediate run up to the Olympic Games each game is intended to cover. Official IOC licenses became a norm since the first official game, Olympic Gold , was released in time for the 1992 Summer Olympics.

This is unrelated to the discussion surrounding having video games be included as an Olympic sport. [1] [2]

Evolution and criticism

Companies like Epyx, Accolade, U.S. Gold and Konami developed many of the early games. The genre is often overlooked by the gaming industry and considered little more than a novelty or memorabilia attached to the event, with some considering it as purely an exercise in licensing and merchandise. Gameplay is the common target for detractors, since it usually consists of the 'button mashing' formula used in Track & Field or 'joystick waggling' as used in Daley Thompson's Decathlon .

However, since they are released at regular intervals, they can be used as a way to compare how graphics in computer games have changed over time: from the CGA graphics of the first Epyx titles to the ever-evolving 3D graphics of more modern titles such as Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, and London 2012. Forbes argued that while the genre doesn't evolve, they would like to see how the various sports are rendered on next generation consoles. [3]

From the 1980 Moscow Olympics up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, an official or unofficial Olympic tie-in game was released to coincide with each Olympic Games. [3] The game of Beijing 2022 did not have any accompanying console video games.

Kotaku argues that the 4-year cycle nature of such games results in each release being on a new console, becoming a first-adopter decision for Olympic video game fans. In addition, the site noted that these games never have an overarching sense of narrative, which essentially turns them into a series of minigames. Thirdly, many of the Olympic sports already have dedicated titles out there which would appeal to fans more than these minigame collections which contain simplified gameplay versions of their sports. The games also lack a career mode, which is common in many of their sports video game counterparts. [4]

Vice argues that prominently having successful Olympic sportspeople on the cover of Olympic games builds their public brand profile by introducing them to gamers. The site likened this to how some music-related video games can introduce gamers to new bands, or some media tie-ins can encourage gamers to explore the expanded universe. [5]

List of games

Official

GameDeveloperYearTypePlatformEventsTeamsScore
Hyper Olympic '84 Konami 1984SArcade (Official Olympic license in Japan only)7—
Olympic Gold Tiertex 1992SSega Game Gear, Sega Genesis, Sega Master System78—
Winter Olympics 1993WAmiga, Sega Genesis, Game Boy, SNES, Sega Game Gear, MS-DOS, Sega Master System1016
Olympic Summer Games 1996SSNES, Game Boy, PlayStation, Sega Genesis, 3DO1030
Nagano Winter Olympics '98 Konami1997WArcade, PlayStation, Nintendo 64161649
Sydney 2000 Attention to Detail2000SPlayStation, Windows, Dreamcast123257
Salt Lake 2002 2002WWindows, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance61655
Athens 2004 Eurocom2004SPlayStation 2, Windows256461
Torino 2006 49Games2006WWindows, PlayStation 2, Xbox112439
Beijing 2008 Eurocom2008SPlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows383260
Vancouver 2010 2010W142457
London 2012 Sega2012S313666
Steep: Road to the Winter Olympics Ubisoft2017WPlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows12—72
Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - The Official Video Game Sega2019SPlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Windows198071

Mario & Sonic

Unofficial

Critical reception

Slate argued that Olympic video games are generally forgotten quickly like the Olympic games they are based on, and thought the genre had remained stagnant from 1983's Track & Field up to 2K Sports' Torino 2006. [7] Kotaku noted that the Olympic brand is so huge that these video games are often non-entities by comparison while the event is happening. And once the event is over the game becomes obsolete too. [4]

Related Research Articles

A sports video game is a video game that simulates the practice of sports. Most sports have been recreated with video games, including team sports, track and field, extreme sports, and combat sports. Some games emphasize playing the sport, whilst others emphasize strategy and sport management. Some, such as Need for Speed, Arch Rivals and Punch-Out!!, satirize the sport for comic effect. This genre has been popular throughout the history of video games and is competitive, just like real-world sports. A number of game series feature the names and characteristics of real teams and players, and are updated annually to reflect real-world changes. The sports genre is one of the oldest genres in gaming history.

<i>Track & Field</i> (video game) 1983 arcade video game

Track & Field, also known as Hyper Olympic in Japan and Europe, is a 1983 Olympic-themed sports video game developed by Konami for arcades. The Japanese release sported an official license for the 1984 Summer Olympics. In Europe, the game was initially released under the Japanese title Hyper Olympic in 1983, before re-releasing under the US title Track & Field in early 1984.

<i>California Games</i> Sports video game

California Games is a 1987 sports video game originally released by Epyx for the Apple II and Commodore 64, and ported to other home computers and video game consoles. Branching from their Summer Games and Winter Games series, this game consists of a collection of outdoor sports purportedly popular in California. The game was successful and spawned a sequel, California Games II.

<i>Summer Games</i> (video game) 1984 video game

Summer Games is a sports video game developed and published by Epyx based on sports from the Summer Olympic Games. Released in 1984 for the Commodore 64, it was ported to the Apple II, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Atari 8-bit family, and Master System.

The Virtual Console is a defunct line of downloadable video games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.

<i>Summer Games II</i> 1985 video game

Summer Games II is an Olympic sports video game developed and published by Epyx in North America, and published by U.S. Gold in Europe, based on sports featured in the Summer Olympic Games. It is a sequel to Summer Games released by Epyx the previous year. Summer Games II was originally written for the Commodore 64 and ported to the Apple II, Atari ST, MS-DOS, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Amiga.

<i>Nagano Winter Olympics 98</i> 1997 video game

Nagano Winter Olympics '98, known in Japan as Hyper Olympics in Nagano, is a multi-event sports game from Konami. It is based on the 1998 Winter Olympics and features 10 Olympic events including skating, skiing, luge, bobsleigh, slalom, curling, halfpipe and snowboarding. The game is part of the Track & Field/Hyper Sports series and would be the last licensed Olympic video game released on a Nintendo home console until Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games about nine years later.

<i>ESPN International Winter Sports 2002</i> 2002 video game

ESPN International Winter Sports 2002, known in Japan as Hyper Sports 2002 Winter, is the name of two sports video games released in 2002 by Konami, one for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube, and the other for the Game Boy Advance. In Japan the game is part of the Hyper Sports series, known internationally as the Track & Field series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mii</span> Avatar on several Nintendo video game consoles and mobile apps

A Mii is a customizable avatar used on several Nintendo video game consoles and mobile apps. The name Mii is a portmanteau of "Wii" and "me", referring to them typically being avatars of the players. Miis were first introduced on the Wii console in 2006 and later appeared on the DS, 3DS, the Wii U, the Switch, and various apps for smart devices such as Miitomo. Miis can be created using different body, facial and clothing features, and can then be used as characters within games on the consoles, either as an avatar of a specific player or in some games portrayed as characters with their own personalities. Miis can be shared and transferred between consoles, either manually or automatically with other users over the internet and local wireless communications.

<i>Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games</i> 2007 video game

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is a 2007 crossover sports and party game developed by the Sega Sports R&D Department. It is the first installment on the Mario & Sonic series. It was published by Nintendo in Japan and by Sega in other regions, and released on the Wii in November 2007 and the Nintendo DS handheld in January 2008. The first official video game of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, it is licensed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through exclusive licensee International Sports Multimedia (ISM), and is the first official crossover game to feature characters from both the Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog series.

<i>Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games</i> 2009 video game

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games is a 2009 sports and party game developed by Sega. Like its predecessor, it was published by Nintendo for Japan and Korea and by Sega in the Western world. The game is officially licensed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through exclusive license International Sports Multimedia. The game is the third official crossover title to feature characters from both Mario and Sonic's respective universes, the first and second being the game's predecessor Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games and Super Smash Bros. Brawl respectively. It was released on the Wii and the Nintendo DS in October 2009, and is the first official video game of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

<i>Mario</i> (franchise) Video game franchise

Mario is a Japanese multimedia franchise created by Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto for video game company Nintendo which produces and publishes its installments. Starring the titular Italian plumber Mario, it is primarily a video game franchise, but has extended to other forms of media, including television series, comic books, a 1993 feature film, a 2023 animated film and theme park attractions. The series' first installment was 1983's Mario Bros., although Mario had made his first appearance in 1981's arcade game Donkey Kong, and had already been featured in several games of the Donkey Kong and Game & Watch series. The Mario games have been developed by a wide variety of developers including Nintendo, Hudson Soft, and AlphaDream. Mario games have been released almost exclusively for Nintendo's various video game consoles and handhelds, from the third generation onward.

<i>Mario Sports Mix</i> 2010 video game

Mario Sports Mix is a sports video game developed by Square Enix and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It was released in Japan on November 25, 2010, and in other regions in early 2011. It features volleyball, ice hockey, dodgeball, and basketball. The game features mostly characters and locations from the Mario series with a few guest appearances by characters from Square Enix's Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest series of games. Players can also opt to play as one of their Mii characters.

<i>Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games</i> 2011 video game

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games is a 2011 crossover sports and party game developed by Sega Japan. It was published by Nintendo in Japan and Korea and by Sega elsewhere. As the third instalment in the Mario & Sonic series, it was released on the Wii on 15 November 2011 in North America, 18 November 2011 in Europe, and 26 December 2011 in Japan. It was also released for the Nintendo 3DS in February 2012. Mario & Sonic is the official video game of the 2012 Summer Olympics and is licensed by the International Olympic Committee through exclusive licensee International Sports Multimedia. The game is the only Wii title to come in a yellow keep case.

<i>Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games</i> 2013 video game

Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games is a 2013 crossover sports/party video game for the Wii U. It is the fourth game in the Mario & Sonic series, the first to be released on the Wii U and is the official video game for the 2014 Winter Olympics that were held in Sochi. It was released on November 8, 2013, in Europe, November 9, 2013, in Australia, November 15, 2013, in North America, and December 5, 2013, in Japan.

<i>Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games</i> 2016 video game

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games is a 2016 crossover sports and party game in the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series, released for the Nintendo 3DS in February 2016 in Japan, March 2016 in North America, and in April 2016 for Europe and Australia, and for the Wii U worldwide in June 2016. The game is officially licensed by the International Olympic Committee, as are the other games in the series. It was developed by Sega, with assistance from Arzest and Spike Chunsoft, and published by Nintendo. It is the fifth title in the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series. The game is a collection of Olympic sports themed mini-games featuring characters from the Mario series and the Sonic the Hedgehog series.

<i>Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020</i> 2019 video game

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is a 2019 sports video game based on the 2020 Summer Olympics. It is the sixth game in the Mario & Sonic series, a crossover between Nintendo's Super Mario and Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog franchises, and the first since the Rio 2016 Olympic Games edition. It was developed and published by Sega for the Nintendo Switch in November 2019 and for arcade cabinets in 2020.

References

  1. ↑ "Video Games May Be a Part of the 2024 Olympics". Fortune. Retrieved 2017-12-26.
  2. ↑ Moosa, Tauriq (2017-08-11). "eSports are real sports. It's time for the Olympic video games | Tauriq Moosa". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2017-12-26.
  3. 1 2 Mazique, Brian. "Sports Video Games We Wish Existed: 'Rio 2016'". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-12-26.
  4. 1 2 "The Problem(s) With Olympic Video Games". Kotaku Australia. 2010-01-24. Retrieved 2017-12-26.
  5. ↑ "Why Is There No 'Proper' Olympics Video Game in 2016?". Vice. 2016-07-29. Retrieved 2017-12-26.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "The Weirdest Olympic Events in Video Games". Maxim. Retrieved 2017-12-26.
  7. ↑ Pollack, Neal (2006-02-17). "Olympic Video Games". Slate. ISSN   1091-2339 . Retrieved 2017-12-26.
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