Sport, like video games, is ultimately defined by play.
Despite all the contrasts between the two, they share deep foundations forged from game design concepts and rule systems. The parallels, however, are deeper than those apparent when one takes a ludological look. From the presence of fan communities to their relationship with brands, the two entities share many points in common.
This is perhaps most striking evidenced by the rise of esports; a literal rapprochement of the two. But beyond the spectacle of these competitive arenas, a global industry veteran has a career that in itself speaks to the closeness of sports and games in a way that has much to teach us all.
Peter Moore, Nifty Games & Unit
Peter Moore has served as president and COO of Sega’s US operations, vice president of Microsoft’s interactive entertainment business, and chief operating officer and chief competition officer of Electronic Arts. He also served his beloved Liverpool Football Club as CEO for three very successful years and started out in sportswear such as Reebok and Patrick. Now, Moore is back with games, serving on the board of mobile sports studio Nifty Games, while taking on the still-mysterious role of ‘SVP and General Manager of Sports & Live Entertainment” at Unity.
More directly, video games and sports have been his life. As a result, he developed a captivating and insightful enthusiasm for their intersection and ability to inform each other.
“During my three years at Liverpool, I was able to bring a lot of my gaming experience to how we ran the club, how we engaged with fans all over the world, how we acquired data to make our football club more valuable to the lives of fans in Thailand and – damn it, you name it – across Europe and all of Africa,” Moore offered, during an interview during from our recent GI Live: Online event. “It’s a global football club, as you well know. My gaming background held me together well while I was at Liverpool.”
The interview was conducted by our very own Chris Dring, and you can watch the entire session below.
And in this case, this synergy works both ways. His work in sports has profoundly influenced his approach to guiding and directing game projects.
“Managing hundreds of millions of people is something that we do in football both – as you know, in the Premier League the big clubs have hundreds of millions of fans all over the world – and that’s the same thing in games,” says Moore. . “We ‘manage’ and add value to the lives of hundreds of millions of people. [There is] the perspective of what our experience offers people every day and how we learn from it.
“What does a sports license give you? It gives you the players you recognize, the teams, the stadiums, the uniforms. It’s pure authenticity. It’s not cheap, but you have to believe in your product”
“Nifty is actually a mobile sports game developer with NFL and NBA licenses, so understanding sports, the emotion of sports, the passion of sports and how you can bring it to life for people on different platforms using different technologies [this is very important].”
Moore makes a fascinating point. For all the rules and gameplay that underlies sports and video games, it’s really about the people playing and watching. It could even be argued that serving matches and managing wider football operations are to a large extent acts of community management – even beyond the conventional role of ‘community manager’. And maybe that’s what puts such potential in sports-themed video games.
“The mobile space offers the greatest opportunity to be able to get into esports,” Moore asserts, as he reflects on the opportunity that esports games present to a large pool of developers. “Yeah, it’s great to have the NFL Shield, like we do at Nifty when the game loads, because it gives you authenticity. What does a sports license give you? It gives you gives – if you have the Players Association too – the players that you recognize, the Tom Bradys of this world. You have the teams that you recognize, like my New England Patriots. You have the stadiums, you have the uniforms. It’s pure authenticity.
“It’s not cheap, but you have to believe in your product. You have to believe that the authenticity and paying for it is worth it, and the brand that is the NFL shield or the NBA logo when it appears, it screams authenticity, it screams that you are about to experience the real players, the real stadiums, the real uniforms and so on.”
Authenticity may be the biggest draw for sports fans, allowing them to fulfill their greatest football (or other sports) fantasies from the comfort of their own home.
This authenticity, Moore believes, is a powerful force in engendering a true intersection of sports and games. At EA, Moore strove to make FIFA not just a hit game, but part of the culture of football fandom – and it’s hard to say he failed in that regard. He also sees sports games as a potential educator and gateway to real sports. At the same time, however, Moore notes that not all successful sports games have to be purebred like FIFA or Madden.
Basically, real-world sports provide templates for games that have appeal far beyond die-hard fans of football, tennis, cricket, or any other such activity. Watch Pong or Wii Sports’ rise to pop cultural phenomenon obviously if you have any doubts about it.
“The greatest opportunity for us is in sports, to apply video game technology to consumer and real-world sports experience”
“If you have a fun, engaging, engrossing, easy-to-use mechanic – then you’re hooked,” Moore suggests, referring to his belief that the sport offers appeal that can transcend player demographics. “You start to forget, you know – in some cases – that ability to have authentic players and uniforms. You just have fun. Authenticity fades into the background.”
Moore points to the rich history of golf games that did not rely on licenses or real players. While EA Sports reigned supreme with the Tiger Woods series, releases as distinct as Everybody’s Golf and the minimalist masterpiece Desert Golfing show how a sport can create a template for game design for creations that connect to a vast audience that exists beyond the core of the real-world pursuit. Fans.
However, although you can take the football fan out of the beautiful game, you cannot take the beautiful game out of the football fan. Despite Moore’s optimism about the sport’s potential appeal to gamers who don’t devote their Saturday nights to the match of the day, he can’t quite shake his preference for authentic sports games.
“If you have the ability to get a license, absolutely – it has a huge impact and effect on hardcopre sports fans,” he asserts.
Another place Moore sees parity between video games is the rise of subscription services, where sports can have an edge, with closed-circuit television competitions beginning to explore fan will. to pay for their passion right from the start. 1948. As such, games may have a lot to learn as the likes of Games Pass, PlayStation Network and Apple Arcade become mainstays.
“[Subscriptions are] just a change in business model,” says Moores. “You have to make a decision. [We] buy a Sky Sports subscription because we like to watch football. I can’t remember – it’s £35 or something, and you say ‘yeah, it’s worth it for me to watch Leeds’. But you’ll also watch Liverpool and you’ll watch all the big games.”
Golf in the desert is a great example of how sports play patterns can make for a compelling game even without licensed players and other aspects.
And therein lies the potential of game subscription. They’re not just a way to connect players to the titles they love; they present a powerful and already well-functioning discovery platform for games. So what any new games subscription service has to do is offer added value, just like Sky Sports allows Leeds fans to watch all the Liverpool games they want. As much as subscriptions thrive on their purpose, this must be balanced with diversity if we are to see such platforms enjoy a history as long as the world of sports.
Finally, there’s the not too small matter of Moore’s new job at Unity, about which he jokes that it’s nice to get a full-time job back. He’s not in a position to reveal everything, but the clues he gives point to the perfect culmination of both career paths, and perhaps the ultimate intersection of video game technology and sports consumption.
Firstly, Moore points out that FIFA matches can actually give viewers a better experience than TV football, as the former offers features like full camera and replay control – something broadcast doesn’t. explored only tentatively through rudimentary interactive television services.
“Imagine if you had that kind of power on a platform; to be able to experience sports in a real-time 3D element,” Moore suggests, bristling with energy. “That’s the kind of stuff we’re working on here at Unity. Early days yet, but eventually in the months to come, I’ll be able to show a little glimpse of what we’re doing. But I think this is the best opportunity for us in sports to apply video game technology to consumer and real-world sports experience.
Whatever Unity’s vision for how gaming technology can support sports fandom, one thing is surely set in stone. Peter Moore will never be far from video games or sports. And his work at the engine maker may still shatter the very definitions that separate sports from video games, just as esports has done before.
You can watch the full interview below:
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