When I was a kid I spent a lot of time playing video games with family and friends. The graphics and gameplay drastically improved every single year. In many instances, people thought I was watching a live game, and were shocked to find out I was playing sports video games like NBA 2K or Madden NFL. Video games are so realistic that people can’t tell the difference.

However, video games always had the upper hand on showing data and visualizations on the screen. For example, NBA 2k will give you a shot meter to tell you the probability of the shot going in, or when you are running a play, each player is guided to complete their positioning and actions in the play.

Now the tables are turning. Videos games are starting to look more like real life with a stronger emphasis on using data and visualizations in the game. Instead real NBA games on national television are injecting some of the same features that are thought to be seen in video games, but in real time.

A few days ago I was in my room checking out a few different NBA games on my iPad. I came across the Los Angeles Lakers vs. New Orleans Pelicans game via ESPN3. When I started to watch the game, I immediately noticed that there were real-time data overlays on the screen that immerse you into a live set like never before. I began to investigate what this new feature was doing on my screen and it took a few minutes to realize all its capabilities.

ESPN is delivering a new and special broadcast called Full Court Press - Second Spectrum. According to ESPN Media Zone, Second Spectrum enables new and compelling content and experiences through interactive applications and augmented video that helps media, teams, and fans visualize and add context to stories about the game.

The Full Court Press - Second Spectrum presentation featured 3 different viewing modes: Coach mode, Player mode, and Mascot mode. Each mode has its own flavor to it, and this enables the viewer a choice to watch the game in the experience of their liking.

Coach mode is a full X's and O's analytical presentation of the game with on-court diagrams as if you are watching the coach draw up a play on a whiteboard.

Player mode features the scoring probability of the five offensive players on the court and throughout the offensive possession the data overlay changes in real-time.

Mascot mode is the most fun and entertaining presentation of them all. It features unique fire graphics when the team is on a long scoring streak , a 3D brick may appear if a player misses a shot and many more interesting overlays on the court.

Stephanie Druley, ESPN executive vice president, event and studio production stated, “We’re excited to present a completely distinct and innovative way to watch a highly-anticipated NBA game to fans. There are several ways to tell the story of a basketball game, and through this collaboration with Second Spectrum, and the great work of our production team, we can offer new ways to reach all NBA fans.”

As Stephanie mentioned, this is a new and innovative way to watch games, and usually when you try out new things for the first time it brings for some challenges. There were a few hiccups during the game that could’ve knocked some people the wrong way. The broadcast went out a few times with technical difficulties, so I had to restart it by changing the mode to get back to the game. I also tried to switch to my iPad into portrait orientation to view the statistics of the game, and it cut off the entire right side view of the court.

Nonetheless, the overall experience is one that will not only transcend sports but will be seen across many live broadcasts across the globe. The way we watch live sports will be a thing of the past, and we will now watch sports in the future as if we were playing a video game. This is great for beginners to a brand new sport. This is supportive for players and coaches to learn and improvement their game. This is entertaining for the fans who love to watch the game. This is a beautiful example of immersive experiences!

Second Spectrum deserves a huge amount of credit for putting together a fantastic team to actually make this a reality. Not only do I think this is the future of sports but fans have spoken about the experience as well. People are beginning to take notice of how powerful this innovative solution can be in many different use cases. Fans on Twitter are loving the new data overlay. They want to see where this will take us in the future and so do I.

Fans talking about the new viewing experience with ESPN x Second Spectrum: