''Stadium Events'' is a

sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

fitness game Fitness game, exergame, and gamercise (portmanteaus of "exercise" and "game") are terms used for video games that are also a form of exercise. Fitness games rely on technology that tracks body movement or reaction. The genre has been used to chall ...

developed by

Human Entertainment was a Japanese video game developer and publisher founded in 1983. The company produced games for a number of platforms, including home consoles, portable consoles, and personal computers. Human declared bankruptcy in 2000 and disbanded. Its for ...

and published by

Bandai is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine ...

for the

Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...

. This and ''Athletic World'' are the two games in the ''Family Fun Fitness'' series, designed and branded for the short-lived ''Family Fun Fitness'' mat accessory for the NES. ''Stadium Events'' allows players to compete in four different

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

inspired sporting events, using the mat to move as they compete in running and jumping focused gameplay. The North American version was rebranded by Nintendo after its 1987 release. The game was re-released as ''World Class Track Meet'' and the new mat was titled the

Power Pad The Power Pad (known in Japan as Family Trainer, and in Europe and briefly in the United States as Family Fun Fitness) is a floor mat game controller for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is a gray mat with twelve pressure-sensors embedded b ...

. Original North American copies of ''Stadium Events'' are now considered to be among the rarest video games, leading to high prices in the secondary

video game collecting Video game collecting is the hobby of collecting and preserving video games, video game consoles, and related memorabilia. Most video game consoles, and their games, are considered to be collectors' items years after their discontinuation due t ...

market.

Gameplay

''Stadium Events'' is a

that allows the players to compete in four different sporting events:

100M dash The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...

110M hurdles The 110 metres hurdles, or 110-metre hurdles, is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is included in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the 100 metres hurdles. As part of a racing event, ten hur ...

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

, and

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down t ...

. The game utilizes the ''Family Fun Fitness'' control mat which supports up to two players simultaneously, although up to six alternating players can be registered for each event. The left side of the mat must be used for the dash and hurdle events, while the other events can use either side. The top speed of the player's runner is dependent upon which row of buttons on the mat is used. If the player lifts their feet slightly before the starting signal, it is considered a false start. The 100M dash event places two players against each other in a race. The 110M hurdles event is similar to the dash, but the players must jump when white box markers appear along the edge of the screen. The long jump has the players running and then jumping and staying in the air as long as possible to record a longer distance. The triple jump is similar to the long jump but includes three separate jump markers. In tournament mode, the player must compete against computer players at the 100M dash and 110M hurdle events. The player must beat each of the six computer players at both the dash and hurdle events in order to win. In this mode, three false starts results in a disqualification. In another mode, "

The Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...

", numerous players can compete in all four events consecutively. In this mode, the

Guinness Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in ...

1982 world track record is used as a reference for scoring standards.

Release

''Stadium Events'' was released for the

in North America in September 1987. Nintendo saw promise in the ''Family Fun Fitness'' technology, so purchased the mat and re-branded it as the

. ''Stadium Events'' was also re-released as ''World Class Track Meet''. The North American version of ''Stadium Events'' is considered one of the rarest NES games. The total number of copies sold to consumers is unknown. The standard minimum initial run for an NES game was around 10,000 copies, but collectors believe the game's scarcity is much higher. A popular rumor that the game was sold at one

Woolworth's Woolworth, Woolworth's, or Woolworths may refer to: Businesses * F. W. Woolworth Company, the original US-based chain of "five and dime" (5¢ and 10¢) stores * Woolworths Group (United Kingdom), former operator of the Woolworths chain of shop ...

store was proven false. Howard Phillips, a former spokesman for

Nintendo of America is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produced handmade playing cards. ...

, did not believe the cartridges were destroyed and claimed that reworking all of the cartridges would have been impractical. ''Stadium Events'' copies have been sold for up to in the

market. The 2015 documentary '' Nintendo Quest'' considered it the single rarest NES title.

Notes

References

External links

* {{moby game, id=/stadium-events 1986 video games Bandai games Fitness games Nintendo Entertainment System games Nintendo Entertainment System-only games Nintendo games Olympic video games Multiplayer and single-player video games Athletics video games Video games developed in Japan