Sports Video Games...Not fun anymore?

[Lancer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiYJ2vwIhMc

[sportdan30]

I definitely miss games such as NBA Street, NBA Jam, Virtua Tennis, and SSX. I'd be the first in line to purchase these games again.

That said, I've found a lot of recent enjoyment with games such as NHL 26 and NBA 2K26. They have just enough sim and arcade that I can overlook the negatives. I no longer pay attention to all the social media criticism of sports games. Play what makes you happy.

[pk500]

I definitely miss games such as NBA Street, NBA Jam, Virtua Tennis, and SSX. I'd be the first in line to purchase these games again.

That said, I've found a lot of recent enjoyment with games such as NHL 26 and NBA 2K26. They have just enough sim and arcade that I can overlook the negatives. I no longer pay attention to all the social media criticism of sports games. Play what makes you happy.

Mind-boggling that Virtua Tennis and Top Spin still are the two best tennis games, and both are more than 20 years old.

Hell, Rockstar Table Tennis is better than any tennis game since Virtua Tennis and Top Spin. It's the best racket sports game of the last 20 years, with ease. Not a high bar, I know ...

[MizzouRah]

I just want a college basketball game. March Madness was such a fun game.

[MUTTS]

Its been quite a few years since Ive done anything meaningful with any of the sports games except golf. We have them all because of my college aged boys but dont laugh, I find them "too complicated" in some ways....all the button presses to pull off moves in 2K hoops or all the pre snap adjustments in football. Probably also a function of free time too. I play one off games here and there.....think about starting a season but never do.

On the other hand, my tabletop sports gaming is off the charts. I've amassed quite a collection of games and enjoy them tremendously. I find computer simulations are just button clicking exercises so I avoid them but cards and dice sports games have my attention right now.

And yes a college hoops 2K revival with all of D1, not just the planned 20 teams or whatever theyre doing would suck me in.

Tony

[Lancer]

I've been buying all the sports games I sold off on PS2/XB360. they're more fun to play than today's games.

I liked NCAA 2K series but March Madness/NCAA Basketball EA Sports series is more fun for me because it's pickup and play. Also the CBS old school NCAA presentation can't be beat.

[pk500]

Its been quite a few years since Ive done anything meaningful with any of the sports games except golf. We have them all because of my college aged boys but dont laugh, I find them "too complicated" in some ways....all the button presses to pull off moves in 2K hoops or all the pre snap adjustments in football. Probably also a function of free time too. I play one off games here and there.....think about starting a season but never do.

On the other hand, my tabletop sports gaming is off the charts. I've amassed quite a collection of games and enjoy them tremendously. I find computer simulations are just button clicking exercises so I avoid them but cards and dice sports games have my attention right now.

And yes a college hoops 2K revival with all of D1, not just the planned 20 teams or whatever theyre doing would suck me in.

Tony

You'll be proud of me, Tony: I played Strat-O-Matic Hockey religiously from about age 14 until around age 25, so from around 1979 to around 1990. No idea why I stopped. Career, video games, other hobbies.

But I missed it. So, I bought Strat Hockey again and the entire 2024-25 season cards with extra players just before Christmas and am having an absolute RIOT. Didn't take long for all the rules to return to the front of my brain, and playing the game feels like a comfortable old shoe.

Like you, I think sports video games largely suck these days. I would rather play tabletop games like Strat!

[Leadfoot5]

On the other hand, my tabletop sports gaming is off the charts. I've amassed quite a collection of games and enjoy them tremendously. I find computer simulations are just button clicking exercises so I avoid them but cards and dice sports games have my attention right now.
Tony

Tony (and PK) - I've got my own tabletop sports gaming company, and I am also involved with helping Keith Avallone at PLAAY.com. (A couple friends and I are starting a PLAAY Games dedicated podcast this week as a matter of fact: www.plaaynationpodcast.com)

If you like Football games, my most popular game by far is Fast Drive Football. www.fastdrivefootball.com

Would be cool if I got some attention from the DSP crowd.

Al

[pk500]

Thanks, Al! I'll look into the games and check out the pod. Good luck!

[Danimal]

On the other hand, my tabletop sports gaming is off the charts. I've amassed quite a collection of games and enjoy them tremendously. I find computer simulations are just button clicking exercises so I avoid them but cards and dice sports games have my attention right now.
Tony

Tony (and PK) - I've got my own tabletop sports gaming company, and I am also involved with helping Keith Avallone at PLAAY.com. (A couple friends and I are starting a PLAAY Games dedicated podcast this week as a matter of fact: www.plaaynationpodcast.com)

If you like Football games, my most popular game by far is Fast Drive Football. www.fastdrivefootball.com

Would be cool if I got some attention from the DSP crowd.

Al

What's the name of your company? I'm looking for a good golf board game and the site you linked to has an interesting one History Maker Golf.

[MUTTS]

Tony (and PK) - I've got my own tabletop sports gaming company, and I am also involved with helping Keith Avallone at PLAAY.com. (A couple friends and I are starting a PLAAY Games dedicated podcast this week as a matter of fact: www.plaaynationpodcast.com)

If you like Football games, my most popular game by far is Fast Drive Football. www.fastdrivefootball.com

Would be cool if I got some attention from the DSP crowd.

Al

Al- you absolutely know me- Tony D- as I love the NCAA version of FDF.....have most of your scoreboards (waiting for the NCAA nameplate announcement lol) and of course I'm a long time PLAAY gamer.

PK- I cut my teeth on APBA football many years ago...just got my first tabletop hockey games (Inside the Crease from Inside Sports Games and Hockey Blast from PLAAY)

[grtwhtsk]

Can anybody recommend something for an old guy that lost his way and just got back home?

Hi all!

[Leadfoot5]

What's the name of your company? I'm looking for a good golf board game and the site you linked to has an interesting one History Maker Golf.

My company is 3d6 Gaming, just focused on Football and Baseball for now. www.3d6-gaming.com

For golf, you can't go wrong with History Maker Golf from PLAAY. I helped Keith with that one, so it feels awkward to "sell" it, but it really is a great tabletop golf game and you shouldn't hesitate to try it out. You can find it at www.plaay.com

Al

[Leadfoot5]

Tony (and PK) - I've got my own tabletop sports gaming company, and I am also involved with helping Keith Avallone at PLAAY.com. (A couple friends and I are starting a PLAAY Games dedicated podcast this week as a matter of fact: www.plaaynationpodcast.com)

If you like Football games, my most popular game by far is Fast Drive Football. www.fastdrivefootball.com

Would be cool if I got some attention from the DSP crowd.

Al

Al- you absolutely know me- Tony D- as I love the NCAA version of FDF.....have most of your scoreboards (waiting for the NCAA nameplate announcement lol) and of course I'm a long time PLAAY gamer.

PK- I cut my teeth on APBA football many years ago...just got my first tabletop hockey games (Inside the Crease from Inside Sports Games and Hockey Blast from PLAAY)

Hey Tony! So hard to connect real names to handles on all the Social Media sites. I think I saw you order my new 2024 and 2025 college sets today, thanks!!

[Lancer]

On the other hand, my tabletop sports gaming is off the charts. I've amassed quite a collection of games and enjoy them tremendously. I find computer simulations are just button clicking exercises so I avoid them but cards and dice sports games have my attention right now.
Tony

Tony (and PK) - I've got my own tabletop sports gaming company, and I am also involved with helping Keith Avallone at PLAAY.com. (A couple friends and I are starting a PLAAY Games dedicated podcast this week as a matter of fact: www.plaaynationpodcast.com)

If you like Football games, my most popular game by far is Fast Drive Football. www.fastdrivefootball.com

Would be cool if I got some attention from the DSP crowd.

Al

Have you considered selling your games at retailers like Target?

[Danimal]

What's the name of your company? I'm looking for a good golf board game and the site you linked to has an interesting one History Maker Golf.

My company is 3d6 Gaming, just focused on Football and Baseball for now. www.3d6-gaming.com

For golf, you can't go wrong with History Maker Golf from PLAAY. I helped Keith with that one, so it feels awkward to "sell" it, but it really is a great tabletop golf game and you shouldn't hesitate to try it out. You can find it at www.plaay.com

Al

I ordered it last night along with the 2025 players, course pack 1 and the book to make your own courses. I watched several play videos on youtube and it seems fantastic.

I've been working on a golf game for several years which is more shot by shot then History Maker. You're golfers traits and die rolls determine where their shots end up. I've just never tried to print it because without licensing which seems a headache I don't think it will sell well.

[Leadfoot5]

On the other hand, my tabletop sports gaming is off the charts. I've amassed quite a collection of games and enjoy them tremendously. I find computer simulations are just button clicking exercises so I avoid them but cards and dice sports games have my attention right now.
Tony

Tony (and PK) - I've got my own tabletop sports gaming company, and I am also involved with helping Keith Avallone at PLAAY.com. (A couple friends and I are starting a PLAAY Games dedicated podcast this week as a matter of fact: www.plaaynationpodcast.com)

If you like Football games, my most popular game by far is Fast Drive Football. www.fastdrivefootball.com

Would be cool if I got some attention from the DSP crowd.

Al

Have you considered selling your games at retailers like Target?

No, sports simulation tabletop games are too niche to be found in game stores, let alone retailers like Target. Economics aren't there. Best is to self publish.

[Leadfoot5]

I ordered it last night along with the 2025 players, course pack 1 and the book to make your own courses. I watched several play videos on youtube and it seems fantastic.

I've been working on a golf game for several years which is more shot by shot then History Maker. You're golfers traits and die rolls determine where their shots end up. I've just never tried to print it because without licensing which seems a headache I don't think it will sell well.

Let me know if you have any questions when you dig in, and make sure to check out my FAQ for the game too. https://sites.google.com/view/plaayfaq/ ... authuser=0

Your game sounds interesting. You might consider a version that doesn't require licensing if you just want to share it with the gaming community.

Al

[pk500]

PK- I cut my teeth on APBA football many years ago...just got my first tabletop hockey games (Inside the Crease from Inside Sports Games and Hockey Blast from PLAAY)

Tony: I'm a hockey fanatic, so please let me know what you think of Inside the Crease and Hockey Blast. I've read a lot of praise for Inside the Crease in forums. You and Al just exposed me to Hockey Blast for the first time, so I'm curious about that, too!

I'm in the midst of playing a March Madness-style, single-elimination tournament with all 32 NHL teams from the 2024-25 season in Strat-O-Matic Hockey. Brackets for each conference, seeded by their regular-season finish in the respective conference. Incredible fun -- far more entertaining than ANY sports video gaming experience I've had in the last five years.

Thanks. Keep rolling those bones and flipping the fast action cards, boys!

[pk500]

Have you considered selling your games at retailers like Target?

It's not as simple as calling Target and saying: "Hey, I have this obscure game in an obscure niche. Will you stock it, please?"

With total respect to Al and all tabletop sports gamers, our passionate hobby of rolling dice and looking at cards and charts is a TINY niche. It's nowhere near mainstream enough for a retailer like Target to consider stocking. Target is about big volume for big demand, not niches.

[sportdan30]

Have you considered selling your games at retailers like Target?

It's not as simple as calling Target and saying: "Hey, I have this obscure game in an obscure niche. Will you stock it, please?"

With total respect to Al and all tabletop sports gamers, our passionate hobby of rolling dice and looking at cards and charts is a TINY niche. It's nowhere near mainstream enough for a retailer like Target to consider stocking. Target is about big volume for big demand, not niches.

Very true, but nowadays there are so many board games that I've never heard of that are taking up a small portion of shelf space at Target and Walmart. A lot of them are slop. Perhaps a small company like Al's wouldn't necessarily be very marketable to the big stores (no offense), but a baseball or football strategy game made by a more well known conglomerate might see a bit of surge in popularity. There are still some small hobby shops around that might be interested in Al's games.

[Lancer]

focus on baseball videogames

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ntcTFIEw_4