From the original PlayStation and Xbox era to modern consoles, every generation has gathered players around one question: how realistic have the games become? This is because technology has evolved rapidly, giving developers enough room to add as much authenticity as they can.

While the triple-A narrative-based titles such as Red Dead Redemption 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 deliver unmatched details and life-like atmosphere, sports games are no different. Over the past two decades, we have seen a huge leap in terms of realism.

Whether you compare NBA 2K13 with NBA 2K26 or FIFA 14 with FC 26, there is a night and day difference in every aspect. However, while realism is the core selling point, it can sometimes have an opposite effect. As once easy-to-play franchises transition into simulators, they risk eliminating the very essence of fun.

The Burden Of Excessive Simulation

First of all, what’s the reason for video game consumption? There could be many answers to this, but one thing that stays constant in the background is escaping from reality. We boot up our gaming machines to chill, have fun, and distract ourselves from the everyday challenges and problems.

But if our favorite titles try to follow reality too closely, they’ll become more of a burden than a relief. I am not saying simulators are bad; millions are invested to deliver something nearly as real on the screens. Though it can be too much for mainstream gamers.

Putting sports games aside, even the story-based games like Red Dead Redemption 2 are reportedly “slow” for many. Comparing this blockbuster with its predecessor, the second installment is no doubt visually pleasing and a masterpiece, physics-wise. But sometimes even moving the horse or taking cover can be overwhelming because of how realistic the animations are.

Authenticity Or Gameplay Obstacle?

Jumping back to the world of athletes and the problems remain constant. No matter what type of sports you are into, its modern-day video game adaptation will strive to provide you with an authentic experience. We all appreciate that, but at the same time, we don’t welcome too much realism.

Sure, Kyrie Irving looks cool around the paint with life-like animations. However, the excessive simulation exposes control flaws. These real game-day features with heavy wear-and-tear mechanics, such as those of Madden 26, sometimes turn smooth actions into tiresome slogs.

This might not be the case for a particular audience, but for the majority, it remains a challenge. Here are some of the renowned sports franchises that can be exhausting due to their authenticity.

• EA Sports F1: Being an arcade-simulator, track limits and damage physics annoy players who just want to play in peace.
• NBA 2K: Stamina and fatigue offer a real-life exhaustion behavior that is a turn-off for aggressive players. Similarly, chasing for best builds in MyCAREER is another headache as attributes behave realistically.
• EA FC: Red card player bans, injuries, and unforgiving rules sometimes create an overbearing experience.
• Gran Turismo: Another sim-arcade franchise. Offers true-to-life throttle and braking response with weight shift that is too much for casuals.

All of these are famous franchises that almost everyone has been playing for ages. Each follows an annual or semi-annual tradition of dropping a new entry, which keeps on improving in terms of realism.

Is Chasing Realism Always Necessary?

Being player-friendly doesn’t mean developers should ditch the factor of authenticity entirely. However, they should respect video game boundaries and try to achieve an equilibrium between fun and realism.

All the basic rules and regulations for the actual sport should remain intact, but they should be forgiving enough to the point that it still feels like a video game. Take Forza Horizon 5 as an example. The game is very arcade-ish in nature, but once you set up the best racing wheel, it has all the right settings to crank up realism.

That’s what the industry should do. Globally, there are over 3 billion gamers, where roughly 40% prefer playing sports titles. It’s a huge audience from which the majority wants an authentic yet fun game to feed their hobbies. By releasing sports games that don’t chase realism and allow players to choose between authenticity or fun, developers can win the hearts of the wide majority.

For in-depth simulation? Well, there’s a reason we have iRacing, Assetto Corsa, and similar titles. These are separate franchises, with a sole purpose of replicating on-track physics and driving behavior. They cater to a different audience who either own a high-end simulator or want to practice for their racing career.

In other words, there should be separate simulation titles for the hardcore enthusiasts, while mainstream sports games should avoid becoming too realistic in order to preserve fun.

Skateboarding is a matter of precision, skills, and showing off. You can master every head-turning move, but without an audience, you won’t be able to flaunt it. And if you are performing them virtually in a game like Skate, there’s no audience to witness your unicorn of a trick unless it’s captured and posted online.

For that, getting into replays is your best bet. After all, it’s not just skateboarding games — sports titles in general deserve a decent mechanic where getting into the meat and potatoes of your highlight moments is possible. Luckily, with the Season 2 update, EA has got you covered.

Skate players are in for a treat as the game now offers an all-new replay editor. Whether it’s just an ollie over the bench or a full street line, this fresh addition makes any scene cinematic. While it’s not as complex as a full-fledged video editor, here’s a quick tour of all the tools it offers.

Opening The Replay Editor

Before firing up the replay editor, keep in mind that only the past 15s, 30s, 1 minute, 2 minutes, and 5 minutes of the gameplay will be available for you to revise. If the desired moment sits within this time range, then you are good to proceed.

The fastest way to access the editor is by holding the View or Create button. Once you prompt the main screen, it will show basic editing options. As the basics are self-explanatory, we’ll focus on advanced editing tools. Press X or Square to gain command over advanced tweaks.

Trim

Since you won’t be editing the whole 60 seconds anyway, the first thing the editor greets you with is the “Trim” menu; you can also access it in the basics section by pressing R1 or RB.

Here, you’ll have a complete 1-minute timeline that can be shortened to the desired scene. Just put a starting point with D-Pad left and an ending point with D-Pad right to select the part you want to edit. After that, press the right bumper again to jump to the real deal, the Keyframes.

Keyframes

Now this is where all the magic happens. The game allows you to put keyframes on the timeline, each bringing a unique type of shot with it. With decent camera options and adjustments, the replay editor can really tap into the cinematographer in you. Players can access the following options by pressing X or Square.

• Camera: Orbit, Free, and Tripod. Here, the Orbit will follow you around, and Tripod will act as a fixed recording point. On the other hand, a Free camera allows you to move the view yourself, keyframe-by-keyframe.
• Target: This is going to be your focal point. Players can choose between Head, Body, and Skateboard.
• Field of View: You can increase or decrease the overall view of your footage.
• Tilt: Move the frame up and down.
• Roll: After tilting, you can also rotate the frame according to your shot’s nature.
• X-Offset: Move the camera from the center to any part on the X-axis.
• Y-Offset: Move the camera from the center to any part on the Y-axis.

Those were all the camera controls. After choosing your desired layout and changes, the next part is to add keyframes. Simply hover on the timeline and put a keyframe by pressing the D-Pad down.

The layout you planned is saved till this key point. For the next shot, make changes to your view and proceed to the end of it, and simply add another keyframe. These two keys, once played, will show different shots in the same footage. You can keep adding more keys to add more creativity, or jump to the next and final part, exporting.

Save/Export

With all the keyframes finalized, the last step is to export your footage. Here, you have the following things to consider before getting the video:

• Video Format: WebM or MP4
• Frame Rate: 24, 30, or 60 FPS
• Resolution: 360P, 480P, 720P, 1080P, 1440P, or 2160P

Once you have chosen your desired format, frame rate, and resolution, press the View or Create button to open drafts. From here, just press X or Square and wait till your footage exports.

That’s it for this new, cool feature. You can also head to the editor’s settings and tailor it according to your liking. Changes such as timeline hovering speed, turning off nearby players, and other handy tweaks are available for players to make. After this update, there’s really no better time to perform high jumps or Laserflips and show them off with flashy replays.