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In August 2008, four separate versions of a single game took up four of the top 10 spaces in NPD's monthly game sales report, including the three top spots. These sales were seemingly unaffected by the previous month, when a similar game in the same genre took two of the top 10 sales rankings spots, including the top spot. During the summer release doldrums, you'd think that such sales domination would merit blanket coverage in the gaming media -- coverage of the sort seen for marquee releases like
Halo 3 or
Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Even best-selling Madden gets the brush.
For one reason or another, though, the gaming press largely ignored top-sellers
Madden NFL 09 and
NCAA Football 09 this summer. For the most part, it focused instead on
yet another fighting game sequel, a
long-expected, arguably overhyped role-playing game and, of course, the upcoming holiday releases. The press' cold shoulder for this year's football releases is just the latest example of a consistent pattern of neglect that the big name publications routinely have for sports games. Despite better-than-healthy sales and a huge fan base, sports games, for some reason, can't seem to get any respect from the gaming press.
"Sports games have a huge audience -- thus, they should be covered hugely. Yet, they aren't. They're covered decently, at best." So says Todd Zuniga, a freelancer and host of 1UP's Sports Anomaly podcast. Part of the reason for this lack of coverage, Zuniga says, is that the people who make up the gaming press by and large aren't sports fans. "I think in large part, the people in power at gaming websites and, before that, magazines, weren't 'sports guys,' and few have had the foresight to acknowledge sports as a viable income-maker. I also think there's this nerd versus sporto mentality that's pervasive, and unfortunate -- like the people who like sports games are going to beat up the RPG lovers or something."
It's not like a gaming publication can throw just anyone onto the sports game beat. Covering sports games requires detailed knowledge of not just the games, but also the history and strategy of the sports themselves. "Being a flight [simulation] critic requires some know-how, [and] I'd never review a flight sim because I have no idea what I'm doing," says longtime freelancer and sports gaming specialist (and Crispy Gamer contributor) Bill Abner. "Just watching SportsCenter once a week and playing in your office fantasy football league isn't enough. I think you need to have a grasp on some of the finer points of the sport you are critiquing."
Todd Zuniga recorded Sports Anomaly on his own time to prove there was an audience for sports games discussion.
Unfortunately, many gaming publications just don't feel that it's worth devoting time or effort to this kind of specialized coverage. "Sports can't really be denied as a viable moneymaker for these venues," Zuniga argues, "[but] the idea on the inside is sports games are going to sell anyway, so there's no sense in promoting them. Most sites are already stretched desperately thin providing the content they provide. To add a sports element into the mix is more work, and if it's not an area of expertise, then that's even more effort."