Rocket League Turns Ten
Video Game About Cars Playing Soccer Old Enough To Research Neighborhood Middle Schools.
I remember when it was yesterday. Psyonix, the company behind the video game Rocket League was celebrating the title’s third birthday in 2018 by having a giant bash on the field of Petco Park, the home of baseball’s San Diego Padres. I was in town for San Diego Comic-Con, and I went with a friend to the ballpark because a couple of WWE wrestlers were going to be there for an autograph signing. The signing was fine…I guess, but I witnessed something that would alter my life forever on the jumbotron.
Do we even say Jumbotron anymore?
Rocket League, the sequel to the original entry in the series “Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars” (or SARPBC…yes, seriously) was simple in its execution. Imagine the game of 3 on 3 soccer, but the players aren’t people but rather futuristic-looking vehicles that had the ability to fly through the air. And while the premise is still beyond comprehension by the uninitiated, “RL” quickly became one of the most important esports ever.
Before I get to my testimonial, let me not bury the lede here. In short, esports is BIG BUSINESS these days. Pro esports athletes (typically ranging 11-25 in age) are a real thing, and everybody from community districts and colleges are trying to get kids to play for them. It’s also a boon for those parents who want to instill values like teamwork and accountability that goes with traditional sports while minimizing the risk of physical injury. Most esports tend to have some combative or inherent violence baken-in (especially in shooting, fighting, or strategy games). With the exception of games like FIFA or NBA2K, Rocket League kind of stands alone of being an all-ages game that schools and church groups can launch their esports programs around. So yeah, muy importante. And, if you put commentary in the mix, these players come off sounding like absolute ROCKSTARS. Case in point, take a look at this classic buzzer-beater goal moment that’s embedded in RL lore:
So I got into Rocket League because I was a failure at my job. I had a 9-5er and they unceremoniously let me go. I went into self-employment as a DJ in Los Angeles: A town that’s built on entertainment but never wants to pay for entertainment. During long work days of rejections and busy signals, I’d play a few rounds of RL until the start of the next hour. And since the games are quick (5 “in-game” minutes. About 8 “real-time” minutes), it became the most healthy way to keep my mental health in check when my friends would ask “Hey bro. Are you still doing that DJ thing?”
When the world shut down during the 2020 pandemic, I started playing RL among online communities. When everyone was feeling isolated, I had my first real “sports tribe,” well into my 30s. After commentating on some of those events, a few people asked if I thought about going into ‘shoutcasting,’ or esports commentary. I had NO idea what that was, but it wasn’t like I was doing anything else and so ‘Novanta’ was born. I’ve posted some of my commentary hits on here before, but check them out if you don’t remember.
And when I leaned into commentary, I felt I had to play competitively to really understand the game. And so…
That was terrible, but I felt I belonged with my non-professional, defensively lacking, lower-level, weekend warrior team. I did two seasons with a squad called the Dodgers but I had become synonymous with a team called The Hive. Which, I think is the best name ever. Why? Because it’s not just one bee but the whole swarm. I was the worst guy on the team, but we won the championship in my first season. I STILL GOT THE RING, BABY.
The confidence to commentate RL got me to perfect my voice for other sports and so that sort of thing still pays dividends today. For a game to give me all of that, and to still exist after a whole DECADE is pretty major. My closet is full of hobbies that I tried for a couple of months and gave up on. Shout out to my harmonica, bass guitar, motorcycle helmet and jacket, race simulator wheel, field podcast recorder, stand-up comedy notebooks, and my suspended professional wrestling championship belt collection. But this game still continues to be fun, it still continues to foster community, and it still continues to be one of the most recognizable titles on the market. You know what’s NOT recognizable things on the market? My stand-up.
The anniversary trailer:
The game is aging, as it runs on an engine that’s not really used anymore. And while the game is popular, it doesn’t compare to its 2016-2021 heyday. Still, if I could only play one game for the rest of my life…it would be Tetris. But RL would be second, and that’s cool.