Almost all of the world's best- attended sporting and entertainment events have strong footholds in video gaming.
Consider this year's Super Bowl. It attracted nearly 75,000 people. Its sport is represented by one of the most popular gaming franchises ever: the Madden series.
The World Series was seen in person by nearly 250,000 people and has had a host of game franchises over the years.
Even World Wrestling Entertainment, whose signature event, WrestleMania, was seen in person this year by more than 70,000 people, has more than 50 video games under its (championship) belt.
But what about the Kentucky Derby, which drew more than 150,000 fans to Churchill Downs, or the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, which had attendance this year of more than 500,000? Well ... um ... not so much.
Horse racing and equestrian sports attract lots of eyeballs in person but have never made a splash in video gaming.
As millions of eyes tune to watch undefeated Zenyatta during this weekend's Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs, it makes some people wonder why the "sport of kings" can't boast anything worthy of a crown in gaming.
"Video games are pretty good at serving niche markets, but that one would be so obscure," said Shaun Conlin, editor in chief of Evergeek Media, which provides news coverage of the gaming industry. Conlin said he has ridden horses, and it's tough to adapt it to gaming. "If you're a horse rider, the video game isn't going to do it for you, and if you're a fan of racing, it's just you looking at a horse."
Read the complete story at kentucky.com
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