The Predicting Power of Playstation

The Predicting Power of Playstation

Can a computer game and a bunch of students really change the way we predict the outcome of this year’s World Cup?


IN THE AGE of technology, where blogs and downloads rule over old-fashioned methods of information-spreading, everybody is in an almighty rush to know everything. Patience is no longer a virtue, but a sin. Even this very article is available for your reading pleasure online – bothering with all that printing business is just too slow! So why should football be any different? The 2006 World Cup is upon us, yet we are no closer to knowing who will emerge victorious. Surely technology can help us find an answer….


Enter Sony Playstation game Pro Evolution Soccer. Playing every World Cup fixture on this computer game will result in an estimate of this summer’s events. With the same matches, actual possibilities for repeats in Germany are possible. So, one games console, 16 men’s temporary adoption of each World Cup competing nation, and one night of competition is all that is needed. Once the matches are played, we would know the stars of the forthcoming World Cup, the upsets, the goal-scorers, the losers and, ultimately, the World Cup winners….wouldn’t we?


The group stages had already been completed by the time 16 men entered the arena with the weight of their countries on their shoulders. Sadly, the Halls of Residence bedroom that was the host stadium for the tournament has a capacity crowd of 20, so to say the atmosphere was electric would be hyperbolic. Nevertheless, by the time Germany got the 2nd Round under way by beating Sweden, there was a definite aura of expectation swirling around the air.


With spirits high, England went into their clash against Poland full of confidence. However, they stuttered to a 1-0 victory, not boding well for their quarter-final clash with Holland, who had looked powerful in their defeat of Portugal.
Elsewhere, there was Brazilian flair aplenty in their 5-0 demolition of USA, while Spain were embarrassed by the lesser-fancied South Korea. Andriy Shevchenko scored twice to take Ukraine past the French, as the crowd kicked every ball, or pressed every button, as it were.


Many readers will recall simulating World Cups in days gone by with the classic football game, Subbuteo. However, the decision to update the age-old tradition of mimicking our footballing heroes to the computer console was proving successful. So far, the ball hadn’t once been lost under the sofa after a particularly wayward shot, and nobody had called their mum to help iron out the creases on the long-neglected artificial pitch. It appears the undoubted charm of flicking little men at a miniature plastic ball has been replaced by the excitement of hitting little buttons as hard as one possibly can.


Exciting it was though; Germany and Argentina had both cruised through to the quarter-finals, and fireworks were expected when they met – or at least enough stimulation to keep the notoriously lazy student participants of this World Cup simulation awake. Argentina didn’t disappoint, as Hernan Crespo and Juan Roman Riquelme produced graphical poetry to inspire the South Americans to a 4-1 humbling of the host nation.


Wayne Rooney fired England in front in their quarter-final with Holland, scoring a dipping shot from 30-yards. Pro-Evolution’s inability to account for injuries was certainly working in the Three Lions’ favour. However, this just enraged the Dutch, who went on to score three times against a disappointing English side.


The other quarter-finals were images of the World Cup’s most successful nations failing to translate this pedigree onto the computer screen. Brazil paid the price for accommodating all of their star forwards as they were caught on the break twice by South Korea. Could it be a similar story for Ronaldinho and co. this summer? Meanwhile, Italy were unlucky to lose out in a thriller against Ukraine as Shevchenko helped himself to another brace in a 3-2 triumph.


This set up two semi-finals pitting the Dutch and Argentine footballing superpowers against the surprise packages of Ukraine and South Korea. The progress of these two unfancied countries suggests the form book could be about as reliable as Jonathan Woodgate. Argentina left it late to sneak through 3-2 against battling Ukraine, snatching a 90th minute winner. South Korea attempted to stifle the creative talents of the Dutch, but the Europeans held their nerve in the penalty-shootout to book their place in the Final.


This meant that Holland met Argentina in a repeat of 1978’s World Cup Final. With both teams playing fluently, Ruud Van Nistelrooy gave Holland the lead with a characteristic close-range effort. However, Argentina made it 1-1 with a header from Javier Saviola. With extra-time looming, Arjen Robben and Philip Cocu produced some incisive combination play (I think it was Square, Circle, R1, Circle, X) and Cocu drilled the ball home to spark wild celebration from the Dutch contingent that had travelled to Flat 10 to witness the game.


Holland were crowned World Cup champions amid joyous scenes, as the country who so often underachieve on the big occasion came through to take the biggest prize of all. Will this be the outcome this summer? Will England and Brazil flounder so disappointingly? Maybe, maybe not. Technology, or anything else, can’t give us the answers to football, which is part of the beauty of it. It seems we will all have to wait with baited breath until the World Cup begins. In the meantime, Pro Evolution anyone?

Greg Rose