The concept of esports is nothing new, but there’s always been a divide between pro gaming and real-life sport. You’d probably get a funny look if you asked Premier League footballers to decide the result of the Championship with a game of FIFA, and rightly so. But in the Covid-19 era, the sporting community has proved surprisingly adaptive. Media channels have been broadcasting certain sport simulation videogames as a substitute for live events, giving fans and athletes a crucial outlet. Some of the bigger players in sports are even starting to think about how the lines between virtual and real sports might be blurring.
Even off-road motorsports are taking to simulations, with the European Truck Trials using gameplay from Nano Games’ Heavy Duty Challenge to keep fans entertained. But one of the most successful alternatives to real events comes courtesy of Formula 1, which is using Codemasters’ F1 2019 to stage virtual grands prix on race weekends. “China was the first race to be postponed,” explains Codemasters franchise director Paul Jeal, “so we had an idea to do a one-off exhibition race. The pandemic accelerated, so we had to change that concept and think, ‘How can we roll it out quickly enough to fill the seats?’ Now, seeing the drivers do battle in our game is the most amazing but surreal experience.” F1 drivers George Russell, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc have been joined on the virtual grid by game-loving celebrities, with the races bagging huge viewing figures - 3.2m people watched the Bahrain virtual GP across Sky Sports, Twitch and YouTube.
Now, seeing the drivers do battle in our game is the most amazing but surreal experience