Pickleball Meets the Metaverse
How will pickleball play out in VR ?
By Rick Cipes
I was playing tennis the other day when targets started appearing over the net . I aimed for one of these targets , and when I connected , my tennis racket turned into a baseball bat . My next return did not go easy on my opponent . Welcome to the Metaverse ! And a virtual reality game called Sports Scramble .
Dismissing the Metaverse now would be like dismissing the invention of the personal computer , or the mobile phone . Many of us did , but all of us came around and eventually bought one . The only difference this time is in the scope of the Metaverse . It is going to swallow EVERYTHING . Social life , business life , gaming life , everything . My question is : How will pickleball play out in VR ?
Currently there is a great pingpong game called Eleven Table Tennis on the Meta Quest 2 ($ 300 to own the device ), in which you compete against others from around the globe while developing a ranking . There is also the aforementioned Sports Scramble , and a solid tennis game , but no pickleball . That will eventually change . And , if I ’ m creating a VR pickleball game , I ’ m taking it out-of-the-box .
For instance , what about giving players one nuclear option per game in which a fire-breathing dragon swoops out of the sky to torch the ball ? One of the followers of my Facebook group said they ’ d like to be able to eat a mushroom and have their avatar grow in size . Personally , I ’ m hitting it at that giant ’ s feet , but in any case , the sky ’ s the limit ! Actually , there is no limit in the Metaverse . If you can imagine it , you can build it .
OK , so that ’ s all fun and games , but is there any value in helping my real pickleball game in VR ? Yes ! As an example , one of the most popular games on the Meta Quest is called Beat Saber . You have a lightsaber in each hand and the objective is to slash objects flying at you . The more you can hit the objects on the beat of the music , the greater the point value . Not only does this game make you sweat , but it really helps to develop hand-eye coordination and can easily be carried over to when you ’ re getting fired on at the NVZ .
A VR pickleball game will be the same thing . Not only will you be able to play against friends , but you ’ ll be able to work on dinking , volley battles , adding slice to the ball , and so much more . “ It ’ s coming ,” said senior pro Dayne Gingrich . “ Pretty soon , no one will even be out on the courts ,” he added jokingly .
Out on the actual courts , that ’ s the other way the Metaverse is going to play out . Instead of watching pro events on YouTube , we ’ ll all be in VR . I ’ ve been to a couple of NBA games in VR , and it ’ s amazing . Zane Navratil , soon to be known as “ Gucci ” in the Metaverse , says he looks forward to people seeing “ just how fast the ball moves at the pro level .” He feels the current video technology doesn ’ t capture that . Will VR ? Oh , heck yes . It ’ ll not only capture that , but one day , your heart . •
Rick Cipes has written for more than 40 outlets including ESPN Magazine and the L . A . Times . Check out his website for game tips , videos , and the coolest pickleball swag around , at
innergameofpickleball . com .