The world of streaming: unconventional sports and gaming

With all major sporting leagues cancelling or postponing their seasons, there’s never been a better time to check out just a part of what makes the internet great: unconventional “sports”, gaming and E-sports. Whether you want to play (or watch someone play) a more conventional video game like the newly released Call of Duty Warzone or Animal Crossing: New Horizons, or watch something obscure like the Slippery Stairs World Championships, the internet is great because there’s always something for everyone.

The rise of the unconventional

We think everyone would agree that the lack of more mainstream sports has created the rise of some rather unconventional sporting events. Take the world of competitive marvel racing. Never have these small, glass, spherical toys brought so much excitement, upset or adrenaline into the average home. Check out Jelle’s Marble Runs on Youtube for some of the best content out there.

For more of the unconventional, check out content from ESPN 8: The Ocho. Based on the fictional TV station from the movie Dodgeball, The Ocho carries the best of unconventional sports. Death Diving World Championships, Axe Throwing World Championships, U.S. Pizza Team Acrobatic Trials, Chess Boxing, Sport Stacking…the list goes on.

From analog to digital

With their day job’s cancelled, many IRL sports stars have been taking their talents to the small screen. Events like the “Not the Aus Grand Prix” and “Not the Bahrain Grand Prix,” which both took place digitally on the same day the real version was slated to run, put the skills of some of the best F1 racers in the world to the test against top racing gamers for virtual glory. You can rewatch both on the official F1 Youtube channel.

If you’re looking to get your adrenaline pumping just a little bit, Canada’s Wonderland has a library of POV video of all their rides. Visit their channel on Youtube, pick your favourite ride, throw on some headphones and hit full-screen to get a hit of adrenaline from your couch.

Find your community

For those of us who loved watching siblings or friends play video games, the grown-up version is here for you. Twitch is the “world’s leading live streaming platform for gamers and the things we love.” On Twitch, you can watch countless talented and entertaining streamers on a wide variety of titles (Uno anyone?) or, if you’re up for it, you can easily start streaming yourself. Twitch is particularly great in that you can engage with those streaming and others watching in real-time, creating unique digital communities. So wholesome.

Relive some of your childhood favourites

If you’re yearning for a healthy dose of nostalgia, you’ve come to the right place. Here are some classic games, which happen to still be available to play online, that hopefully bring you back to the good old days.

• Crosscountry Canada: The greatest (Canadian educational) game ever made is now available to play in your browser. Delivering potash to Winnipeg has never been so riveting (just make sure to take your chains off or prepare to get pulled over). You can find the command list, which you’ll need to play, in the review section on that site.
• Neopets: This still exists?? You betcha. If you can’t remember the password to your account from when you were 13, don’t worry. You can always make a new one. Hopefully now that you’re older, wiser and have a more socially acceptable email address (we see you baby_gurl_4lyfe555@hotmail.com), you can mentally handle the emotional burden of leaving your Neopet unattended for a few hours.
• Runescape: If you haven’t played in a while, this game is still quite alive and well. Now available in an app that you download instead of an in-browser game, this game is still played by millions of people and was recognized by Guinness World Records as the “world’s most popular free to play MMORPG.” While they’ve created a sexy, new version with improved graphics, if you’re really looking for that blast from the past, check out Old School RuneScape.