We have gone from a nation of physically playing sports to one that plays video games. Whether it be football, baseball, basketball, hockey, or any other sport we can find a video game with life-like players and stadiums to provide us with all-day entertainment. If we want to participate we buy a Nintendo Wii game system which allows us to interact physically. The Wii website states that it is a reason to get together with your friends and family and play today's hottest games."

Video games have been around since the 1960s. The first video game, Tennis, was created by Ralph Baer in 1968. Atari came out with their version called PONG in 1972. After this came Space Invaders, Asteroids, and Missile Command. Atari was challenged by handheld games and consoles from Coleco, Activision, and later Intellivision. Then came Nintendo, Game Boy, PlayStation, and Xbox. Now we have Nintendo Wii. Also, the first online games include the first appearance of jackpot city casino and games similar to this.

The first sports games for home consoles came out on Atari in the early 1980s and included football, baseball, basketball, and hockey. They were crude games with robot-like figures and only two, three, or four players in a team. The ball or puck was always square. The playing field, ice, or court was usually nothing more than a background with maybe a couple of lines or borders. Nothing that would make you not want to play outside. 

Then Nintendo began to get some animation. From there it was full teams, stadiums, and life-like playing conditions as games like John Madden Football, NBA Live, and others began to use modern technology and real-life players to create as much realism as possible. This has made video games much better for sure. But no matter how much you put into a computer there is one thing that it can not create. 

Spontaneity: Video games can not give us spontaneous plays that only humans can create. 

You can play all of the video games in the world and there is no way they can create a play like the 'Immaculate Reception' catch of 1972 when Pittsburgh Steeler Franco Harris caught a pass off of the ricochet and scored the winning touchdown in a playoff game against the Oakland Raiders. 

You can play all of the video games in the world and not be able to create a play like the one in the 1970 World Series when Baltimore Oriole catcher Elrod Hendricks tagged Cincinnati Red Bernie Carbo at home plate with his mitt but had the ball in his hand. Carbo was called out by umpire Ken Burkhart who was out in front of home plate, got tangled with Hendricks, and couldn't see the play. Carbo thought he was safe, but the replay showed that he never touched home plate. How could a video game ever duplicate that? 

You can play all of the video games in the world and not be able to create the hockey goal in which a Michigan University player by the name of Mike Legg took the puck and flipped it into the net like a lacrosse player would during the 1996 NCAA tournament. Legg went behind the net, raised the puck with his stick, and flipped it around the post for the goal. 

You can play all of the video games in the world and not be able to have a moment like Boston Celtic legend Bill Russell hitting the wire above the basket while in-bounding the basketball in a 1965 NBA playoff game against the Philadelphia 76ers. The wire was considered out of bounds at that time so Boston had to give the ball to Philadelphia. This led to the famous play in which Boston's John Havlicek stole the in-bounds pass to give the Celtics the win. 

You can play all of the video games in the world and not have played like New York Giant David Tyree's helmet catch in Super Bowl XLII, Carlton Fisk's game-winning home run in the 1975 World Series, Bobby Orr scoring the winning goal in the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals then flying through the air after being tripped or even Michigan University basketball player Chris Webber calling a timeout his team did not have in the 1993 NCAA Finals. 

Then think of all the plays which have occurred from our own personal sports experiences. Moments occurred that we had never seen before and probably won't see again. I remember hitting a baseball when I was a kid that skimmed off of the ground and flew ten feet over the third baseman's head for a base hit. Then there was the time we pulled the triple play because the other team thought the ball had been hit foul. We just picked up the ball and threw it around the horn while they all stood there. I remember playing a championship football game where we trailed by a touchdown and I had my receiver wide open. He slipped just as the ball got to him and it sailed over his head. 

You can play all of the video games in the world and not have things like that happen. Video games are nice. 

But if you want spontaneity the only way to get it is with the real thing.