Gamers the players in a sport run by computers

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

VIRTUAL SPORT

As fans and leagues alike look for some form of entertainment due to the lack of sport, virtual championships have come to the forefront.

Most major sporting competitions from around the world run an “e-league” parallel to their competition.

There is no set format for how the events are held. For example, NBA hosts their NBA 2k20 game with five gamers a team, each controlling the actions of one of the players on the court.

Heartland Championship has joined in the trend and has been running its own virtual league for the past three years.

This year the competition is being played on Rugby Challenge 4, which came out in July.

Heartland Rugby’s Kevin Hare said that the competition this year was based on the 2019 squads because of Covid-19 cancellations.

He said the games were run as simulations, with AI (artificial intelligence) controlling the teams.

“No one is actually playing; it is PC (personal computer) versus PC.”

The league has just completed its second round, and Poverty Bay have one win and one loss under their belts, while East Coast Ngati Porou have lost both their fixtures.

Next week is derby week, and the two teams from East Cape face off in the virtual realm.