Three Moves Ahead: Out of the Park Baseball
Three Moves Ahead is a strategy gaming podcast, and as such, usually discusses beardy wargames and impenetrable simulations of European empires. Nonetheless, they frequently delve into some pretty gritty detail about the mechanics of the games they cover, discussions that can be interesting even to people with no more than a passing knowledge of strategy games, such as myself.
This week however, they discussed the baseball management sim series Out of the Park Baseball. They don’t discuss the mechanics of the game very much, let alone the sport of baseball, and instead spend a lot of time talking about user interface design and the availability and presentation of information. However, they do still find some time to discuss how much detail is really required for a baseball management sim, how team or league management sims differ from dynasty modes in console sports games, and a range of other topics.
The discussion of management sims really demonstrates the unique ability of sports to support a range of different modes of interaction with the rules that make up the core of the sport design. From playing the game in real life, to managing a fantasy team online, to running a single player league of fictional players, people are constantly finding new ways to interact with sports. The sheer range and dedication that people have to these games shows the cultural impact that sports have. There’s a connection to something, something more than just what’s written in the rule books.
The Out of the Park episode of Three Moves Ahead can be downloaded here.
