Soccer player Landon Donovan in Xsens MVN for EA Sports' FIFA Soccer 2011 game

The new “Xsens MVN” motion-capture technology allows for more natural movement from players in the FIFA games, producer Matt Prior said.

“This allows us to capture the athlete in his more native enviornment,” Prior said. “Traditionally, what we have is a motion-capture studio (in suburban Vancouver), which is a very different environment – it's very blacked out, no windows, no natural light, just the cameras, and it's a very enclosed space.

“You can capture all the motion, but obviously that's a very unreal atmosphere to a lot of professional athletes. What 'Mvn' does is it allows us to come to the glorious outdoors and capture them in a much more traditional environment. Like anything, if you're in your traditional environment, it feels that much more normal, that much more fluid, so you get a much more realistic depiction of how they would play on a regular field.”

Donovan can appreciate that, and his development as a player – and understanding of opponents – has been enhanced by video games, he said.

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Movie update:
See Donovan in Xsens MVN: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_tvAhoXNB4