This Could Have Been Big

Back in 2012, Lego released their fourth set of specialized minifigures that were to capture the hearts of children and grown-up children around the world. There were some rather unique minifigures that Lego included in the set including a geisha, a pandemically-dressed guy in a hazmat suit, and some sports minifigures like an ice skater, a soccer player, and the pictured hockey player. Despite the raging sexism in that only the figure skater is a female minifigure and is only one of three female minifigures in a set of sixteen, the hockey player appealed to me in that I thought Lego could have really had some fun with hockey-based Lego, only to see that the Danish company's efforts were limited to a handful of off-putting sets that makes hockey look like a robotic war.

Yes, I get that there are nuances that likely couldn't be captured in brick form through Lego that one would find in hockey, and that's ok. I'm not here to suggest that we should have had more brick-based sets produced where kids can use Lego to play hockey. I mean, if they can produce art with Lego that one would hang on the wall, they probably can think outside the box for hockey too. But I digress.

Instead, I was thinking more along the lines of the wildly-popular-with-kids Lego video games! Lego has produced Star Wars video games, Batman video games, Indiana Jones video games, and more all with their usual minifigures at the center of the story in a world made entirely of Lego. In these games, puzzles are solved while villains try to disrupt the heroes, and these villains often die by having the minifigure characters explode into a pile of bricks. You might already know where I'm thinking they take this idea, but could you imagine a Lego hockey video game where big hits result in exploded opponents? Think Lego meeting Mutant League Hockey!

It would give Lego a chance to really create something unique - a hockey league that features a handful of teams with actual minifigure players that Lego could market and sell based on the popularity of the game. If Lego wanted to ressurect its licensing deal with the NHL, that would be up to them, but I would create entirely new characters and players on which to base this game so that Lego has its own stars like they do with the Lego Ninjago sets. Choose your team and character, and hit the ice!

This doesn't just have to be a male minifigure game either. Put female minifigures in the game as playable teams and give girls a reason to play the game as well. Have fun with Olympians and NHL players by offering them as special unlockable characters. Make the game playable online and let players from around the world compete against one another. The offerings and potential for this game seem limitless, and it makes me wonder why Lego wouldn't be working on something like this considering the popularity of EA Sports' NHL series.

In any case, maybe Lego can come up with some additional minifigure sets to have complete teams for those kids who like to imagine their own Leg-based hockey arenas and games? That would be ideal until this idea of a Lego hockey game comes to pass.

If you build it, they will play.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!