If someone today asks you if you collected trading cards and you are a millennial like me then what comes to your mind? If you are anything like me then your answer would be Pokémon cards. For when we were growing up Pokémon craze was everywhere. From cartoons, video games to cards for some of us our lives revolved around Pokémon. But if you were to ask your grandfather about trading cards, his answer would probably be Major league baseball (MLB) Trading Cards. Collecting baseball cards has been a passion for millions across the United States for decades now. From Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth to Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays, MLB trading cards sell for millions of dollars and have become a source of infatuation for many a collector, like paintings of Picasso and Van Gough or rare coins and stamps collections would be for others. These trading cards are not only limited to Major League Baseball. While MLB trading cards might be the most famous, NFL, NHL, FIFA, NBA all have their trading cards and millions of collectors loyal to the said sport and these are just a few sports to name.
If you are a millennial like me, who’s a fan of the NFL or NBA or any other such game, then you are certainly a fan of fantasy sport. For those who are new to fantasy sports, it’s a game where players assemble player virtual teams based on real or proxy players of said sports and compete against each other over the internet. The performance of each teamis based on the performance of real-life counterparts in actual matches and the outcome of the virtual game depends on the outcome of real games played. Fantasy sports in its own right has become a major sports industry with billions of dollars being injected into the sport by players placing bets on their fantasy teams across different sports.
Again if you are a millennial like me then you probably grew up playing lots of video games. And one The particular genre of those video games is a sports-based video game. I for one was a huge fan of the Fifa series, for others it might be NBA or cricket, but to make the point sports genre has been a huge part of E-gaming for a long time now. Since the genre started, a lot of video game makers and released many titles with some becoming massively successful and others not so much. Some of the most successful sports video games are Fifa, Madden NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB the Show, pretty much all going by the name of their respective league and since they have been so successful since their inception each video game maker has released a new version of the game every year or so with the current versions being FIFA 21, NBA 21, NHL 21, etc.
What if I were to tell you that somewhere along the way when video game makers were releasing newer versions of the game, adding updates and new modes for us to play, They came up with the idea to combine the fun of collecting trading cards, creating fantasy teams, all while remaining in the realm of a video game, would you be excited or not. Well, that is exactly what they did. Pretty much all the titles mentioned above and many more games have come up with modes where players such as yourself can create fantasy teams and compete against friends and other players around the globe. For every title, the mode goes by different names such as Fifa FUT, NHL HUT, or Madden Franchise mode and has different play styles and game modes vary along with different virtual currency to buy or sell players for example Hut coins or Fifa points, etc. But the overall goal remains the same and these modes are not just limited to simply making teams and playing them against each other but comprise many other things. Different milestones can be achieved and rewards unlocked. You can spend your Hut coins or Fifa point to unlock player items or simply upgrade their states. You are constantly upgrading your players and teams as a whole, to keep up with other top-tier players. All year round the games have something to keep you entertained.
To conclude these modes are an exciting form of entertainment for fans of these sports and but at the same time, we should also remember that we must know our limits and should not get addicted to the game. We should enjoy it to the best of our limit but must not forget our responsibilities in real life and every other joy that life provides us.
