Volvo Ocean Race Game is Sports Marketing Gold.

The Volvo Ocean Race online game is a phenomenon that really should get more coverage in media outside the sailing press. The success of the game blows away the cries of those who say that sailing is complicated. 200,000 players are now participating.

There is no other sport in the world, where people can play against the competitors in real time. It’s techincally possible. Imagine taking the NASCAR telemetrics and feeding it into the official NASCAR game. The tracks are mapped. The data is available.

The incredible thing about the Volvo Ocean Race Game is that it is not a 2 hour match, or game – this is a nine month commitment. Even the shortest legs are several weeks. This is complete audience engagement.

Camiel Kraan of UnitedGames said:
“It’s an incredible milestone we all can be proud of. Never before has a sailing game attracted so many players coming from all over the world. From children to professional sailors and from mums to captains of industry. Everybody is sailing their own course over the vast oceans for eternal glory and great prizes.”

The huge success of the game is due to the fact it allows gamers to put themselves in the shoes and the mindset of the Volvo Open 70 crew members. They race in identical weather conditions as the real race teams.

Mainly about strategy, the game is easy to use with a lot of ingame tools you can purchase to make life easier while sailing around the world.

Besides the overall prize of a Volvo C30, for the remaining legs, the Volvo Ocean Race and UnitedGames have combined to offer new prizes.

Winners of upcoming legs will be flown to stopovers in Galway, Goteborg, Stockholm and the finish in St Petersburg.

As the winner of leg five, Hedgehog, skippered by Jan-Jakob of the Netherlands, is visiting the Boston stopover to enjoy the atmosphere of the Volvo Ocean Race and maybe to pick up some tips from race crews.

Part proceeds of the revenue generated by advertising and player credits are donated to the Save the Albatross campaign. To date a total of 50,000 Euros has been raised. Sign up for the game now at the Virtual Volvo Ocean Race.

Follow the Monsoon Cup with Virtual Eye

The finale of the World Match Racing Tour, the Monsoon Cup, gets underway in Malaysia on the 3rd of December. Apart from deciding the championship, this event uses some of the latest technology to get the message around the world.

Apart from the Americas Cup, the Monsoon Cup is the only yachting event to utilise Virtual Eye; a real time, 3D sports graphics package for television and the big screen.

During the races, the technology tracks the boats live, by installing custom-built trackers in each yacht.

Virtual Eye helps the ‘unskilled eye’ to see the position of the yachts during races to allow spectators to keep track of the action, aided by computer graphic overlays.

Supporting features such as grid lines showing the yacht’s position, and circles indicating changes in speed, help viewers to understand the subtleties of match racing.

Like a video game, there are an endless range of camera angles, with fast-forward and rewind functions available for post race analysis.

For more information on the Monsoon Cup, visit: http://www.monsooncup.com.my/

Got a Spare 9 Months? Race Around the World Online

You have to hand it to the guys at the Volvo Ocean Race. They really are embracing the advancements in technology and offering fans the chance to not only follow the race but participate – at least in the decision making process.

Armchair tacticians will be able test their strategy skills against the best offshore sailors in the world with the launch of Virtual Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 – the race’s official game.

The virtual race will mirror the 37,000 nautical miles of the world’s premier ocean race and there’s a Volvo C30 up for grabs for the winner along with a number of other prizes.

Andrew Ferguson, head of Technology and New Media, added: ”To enhance the package further we are now giving race fans the opportunity to take part in their race, with our virtual game – the competitors can create their own nine-month, 37,000 mile ocean marathon, without the salt spray and freeze-dried food.”

Now we here at yachtsponsorship.com are big fans of multimedia and participating in the event in real time is something that no other sports have attempted. You can even find our mocked up TP52, Extreme 40 Catamaran and Americas Cup boats in online competitions using the Virtual Skipper game, but 9 months?

Set a reminder. Let’s see how many sailing nuts are left at the end.