indiegames
February 4th, 2010, 18:40
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/kotaku/2010/02/murphy.jpg Surfer Magazine (http://kotaku.com/tag/surfermagazine/) wants a new surf video game. And they have a point, why don't we have more games about riding the waves?
But Surfer associate editor Alex Wilson's opinion piece is driven more by the desire for video gamers who surf to have a chance to train out of the water to perfect their ability to read the water. Something that most would-be NFL players seem to do these days.
"It's entirely possible that video games can train surfers' minds to re-visualize what's possible on a wave in the same way they're beginning to remold the actions of NFL players on the field," Wilson writes.
And there's some surf precedent for this as well.
Dane Reynolds, possibly one of the greats freestyle surfers of our age, talked about how he made playing Kelly Slater Pro Surfer a regular part of his training routine.
Wilson argues that while video games didn't make Dane, it likely influenced the 24-year-old and perhaps even made him a better surfer.
The thing about surfing is that you don't have the time to analyze and reanalyze a wave or the mistakes you make on one. A video game could change that.
"We only get a few seconds in the water to read a face, paddle, standup, and decide how to react," Wilson writes. "But what if we spent hours visualizing and testing hundreds of different scenarios? "What happens when I do a frontside stalefish straight off the drop and then pull in? Or vice-versa?"
Wilson says that an updated surf simulating video game could help incite progress in the sport, getting surfers to try out and land more tricks.
But, he writes, despite skateboarding and snowboarding having their share of recent games, surfing remains out in the cold.
Not so fast Wilson.
The rising popularity of board sports and the advent of games that use custom peripherals to control them means the likelihood of a new surf game is at an all time high.
In fact Tony Hawk (http://kotaku.com/5426335/tony-hawk-still-optimistic-about-more-ride-future-board-support) was just saying how much he's love to see a modern-day revival of Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer (http://kotaku.com/5411467/tony-hawk-keen-on-kelly-slater-revival).
Fingers crossed.
OPINION: IT'S TIME FOR A NEW SURFING VIDEO GAME (http://surfermag.com/features/onlineexclusives/time-for-another-surfing-video-game/) [Surfer Mag] [Pic - Rick Griffin (http://www.rickgriffinink.com/index.php) ]
http://ads.pheedo.com/img.phdo?p=1 (http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?p=1)http://a.rfihub.com/eus.gif?eui=2226http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/kotaku/full?d=yIl2AUoC8zA</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/kotaku/full?a=3lCrH7Pr4Dw:rCXRIxNM38w:yIl2AUoC8zA) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/kotaku/full?d=H0mrP-F8Qgo</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/kotaku/full?a=3lCrH7Pr4Dw:rCXRIxNM38w:H0mrP-F8Qgo) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/kotaku/full?i=3lCrH7Pr4Dw:rCXRIxNM38w:D7DqB2pKExk</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/kotaku/full?a=3lCrH7Pr4Dw:rCXRIxNM38w:D7DqB2pKExk) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/kotaku/full?i=3lCrH7Pr4Dw:rCXRIxNM38w:V_sGLiPBpWU</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/kotaku/full?a=3lCrH7Pr4Dw:rCXRIxNM38w:V_sGLiPBpWU)
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/kotaku/full/~4/3lCrH7Pr4Dw
More... (http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/3lCrH7Pr4Dw/surfer-mag-we-need-a-new-surf-game-for-fun-for-training)
But Surfer associate editor Alex Wilson's opinion piece is driven more by the desire for video gamers who surf to have a chance to train out of the water to perfect their ability to read the water. Something that most would-be NFL players seem to do these days.
"It's entirely possible that video games can train surfers' minds to re-visualize what's possible on a wave in the same way they're beginning to remold the actions of NFL players on the field," Wilson writes.
And there's some surf precedent for this as well.
Dane Reynolds, possibly one of the greats freestyle surfers of our age, talked about how he made playing Kelly Slater Pro Surfer a regular part of his training routine.
Wilson argues that while video games didn't make Dane, it likely influenced the 24-year-old and perhaps even made him a better surfer.
The thing about surfing is that you don't have the time to analyze and reanalyze a wave or the mistakes you make on one. A video game could change that.
"We only get a few seconds in the water to read a face, paddle, standup, and decide how to react," Wilson writes. "But what if we spent hours visualizing and testing hundreds of different scenarios? "What happens when I do a frontside stalefish straight off the drop and then pull in? Or vice-versa?"
Wilson says that an updated surf simulating video game could help incite progress in the sport, getting surfers to try out and land more tricks.
But, he writes, despite skateboarding and snowboarding having their share of recent games, surfing remains out in the cold.
Not so fast Wilson.
The rising popularity of board sports and the advent of games that use custom peripherals to control them means the likelihood of a new surf game is at an all time high.
In fact Tony Hawk (http://kotaku.com/5426335/tony-hawk-still-optimistic-about-more-ride-future-board-support) was just saying how much he's love to see a modern-day revival of Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer (http://kotaku.com/5411467/tony-hawk-keen-on-kelly-slater-revival).
Fingers crossed.
OPINION: IT'S TIME FOR A NEW SURFING VIDEO GAME (http://surfermag.com/features/onlineexclusives/time-for-another-surfing-video-game/) [Surfer Mag] [Pic - Rick Griffin (http://www.rickgriffinink.com/index.php) ]
http://ads.pheedo.com/img.phdo?p=1 (http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?p=1)http://a.rfihub.com/eus.gif?eui=2226http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/kotaku/full?d=yIl2AUoC8zA</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/kotaku/full?a=3lCrH7Pr4Dw:rCXRIxNM38w:yIl2AUoC8zA) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/kotaku/full?d=H0mrP-F8Qgo</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/kotaku/full?a=3lCrH7Pr4Dw:rCXRIxNM38w:H0mrP-F8Qgo) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/kotaku/full?i=3lCrH7Pr4Dw:rCXRIxNM38w:D7DqB2pKExk</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/kotaku/full?a=3lCrH7Pr4Dw:rCXRIxNM38w:D7DqB2pKExk) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/kotaku/full?i=3lCrH7Pr4Dw:rCXRIxNM38w:V_sGLiPBpWU</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/kotaku/full?a=3lCrH7Pr4Dw:rCXRIxNM38w:V_sGLiPBpWU)
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/kotaku/full/~4/3lCrH7Pr4Dw
More... (http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/3lCrH7Pr4Dw/surfer-mag-we-need-a-new-surf-game-for-fun-for-training)