One of the most-watched TV events of 2015 - the Super Bowl - will this year incorporate widespread AV to engage fans in celebrating its 50th anniversary. The NFL’s golden year will see motion capture games, data visualisation and VR come to San Francisco’s Bay Area’s Super Bowl City from January 30 onwards.
Last year’s TV viewership may have averaged more than 114 million viewers per minute, but it’s what fans are treated to behind the scenes at Levi’s Stadium that is particularly noteworthy about the Super Bowl 50.
This year’s Super Bowl Week will have AV technology at the heart of the entertainment its 1 million attendees can expect to enjoy. What host committee CEO Keith Bruce has labelled the “centrepiece” of Super Bowl City, the Fan Energy Zone, will be powered by SAP to immerse fans in the football action.
In partnership with Britelite Immersive and Helios Interactive, a series of interactive, motion capture games implement SAP’s HANA Cloud Platform to allow players to track performance and share their virtual football experience in real-time. Games including Amp It Up, Breakaway and Quarterback Challenge will measure participant’s football skills and excitement levels.
Visitors to the Fan Energy Zone can enjoy interactive music and dance game Amp It Up either on their own or as part of a team, and have their dance movements rewarded with cheers, chants and points.
They can also experience a game of interactive football, allowing participants to throw passes, dodge oncoming defenders and score touchdowns on a digital field when playing Breakaway. The pace of the game increases as players score more points, with the whole fan area transforming into a light and sound display when a fan makes significant progress.
The Quarterback Challenge incorporates VR to allow fans to experience life as a professional quarterback by simulating training drills and game-day scenarios when wearing a headset. Gaze detection technology allows users to choose which teammate they wish to throw to, with a handheld trigger measuring timing and accuracy.
As users play, the SAP HANA Cloud Platform processes data in real-time so results are displayed on a 50-foot by 15-foot video wall displaying the latest scores, alongside social media streams and video feeds of Super Bowl City. The SAP HANA Cloud Platform’s aggregated game performance data allows Britelite Immersive to update game leaderboards and provide a unique Player Card viewed on a Road to 50 mobile app. The app also allows fans to reserve playing games in the Fan Energy Zone onsite.