Based on the title you may be wondering what a video game about cars, playing soccer and a muggle sport with players running around with PVC pipes between their legs can have in common with each other. And at first glance, the answer would be nothing.
Now you may be wondering why you bothered to click this article if I have no insight into how they relate. But beyond the surface, there are many similarities between these two games. They are both infused with strategy and the more time you spend playing the game, the better you will become. Now, to show how they relate I am going to take you through a Quidditch game to show similarities.
Every Quidditch game starts with "Brooms Up!" After the head ref says this phrase, the players run towards the center in an effort to get the Quaffle first and also to gain bludger control. There are many strategies that can be used in this scramble towards the center, but the most often used strategy I have seen is to send the fastest players on your team to get the balls. In Rocket League, the kickoff starts with a 3,2,1 type kickoff. Then the players drive their car towards the ball in the center of the field in an effort to accelerate the ball towards their opponents goal. There are many strategies that players employ in order to try to gain an edge in getting to the ball first, but the most commonly used is just a double jump into the ball.
In an attempt to relate Rocket League positions to Quidditch, I would consider the cars to be keepers. They have a main goal of scoring, but also have to make defense a priority in order to be successful. They have to be able to drive down the field and accurately assist or score, but then be able to get in front of their goal to block incoming shots or breakaways.
The best way to explain beating in Quidditch through Rocket League would be relating beating to when cars attempt to get in the way of an opposing car that is trying to defend. The same way that beaters attempt to remove opposing beaters and chasers so that their ball carrier can make a break towards the hoops, a car in Rocket League will often attempt to run into the other team's goalie or defender to make it easier for their team to score.
Now for how the two different games end a match. In Rocket League there is a set time of five minutes for each game. Unless the game ends in a tie, this is when the winner and loser are decided. In Quidditch there is quite a different way of ending things. The snitch is released onto the field at 17 minutes and a seeker from each team at 18 minutes. There isn't really a similar feature in Rocket League to explain this portion of the game, but there is a way to compare how beaters react once the snitch is released to game-play in Rocket League. For seeker beating, each team typically has a beater assigned to being part of the snitch game and attempting to beat the other team's seeker. Since the snitch is worth 30 extra points once caught, both teams have a large incentive to make sure they are the ones who make the catch. If a team is down by more than 30 however, they won't want to catch the snitch. They will attempt to just stop the other team's seeker from catching the snitch while also trying to get back within snitch range. In other words they attempt to gain time for their chasing team to get more goals. In Rocket League, time wasting and keeping ball control is one way to determine the good players from the great. If the team is winning as the game time runs down they will waste time by either passing with a teammate or hitting the ball in a corner. Using this strategy they can waste time and hope for their opponent to make a mistake in going for the ball which can lead to extra goals for their team.
So there we have it! The comparison no one knew they wanted, but are now glad they have had. If you can think of any other comparisons between these two very different games please let me know in the comments and never forget to enjoy these games with your teammates!
