How I started.. Playing Sports Sims

[crookedmacs 2]

Played Madden for years without playing the actual game. Spent all of my time simulating seasons, drafting and signing free agents.  As the game took morer and more away from the franchise mode, I was hoping there was a game out there that did only what I was into doing,  Turns out there's a bunch. Most suck.  But every once in awhile you find a keeper

[laniakea 3]

I also started playing from Commodore 64, my goodness how much time have passed, sometimes I can't believe that I'm all grown up

[mcalisp 1]

Hi,

Began playing NFL Head Coach all those years ago and nothing has ever really replaced.

[magic2mike 1]

I started playing these type games as a distraction for me during boring gen ed classes and I haven't stopped since. 

[DeViLzzz 9]

On 3/16/2018 at 10:18 AM, desix said:

I started with Omny Play Basketball on Commodore 64
 

Oh my goodness there is someone else out there that played this too.  Absolutely awesome game!

[DeViLzzz 9]

For me it all start with MicroLeague Baseball on the C64.  I didn't have anything but the base game but I have so many fond memories of players and teams from a time when life was kicking me in the arse.  This game helped me forget about life for awhile.  Now when I play baseball sims I gravitate right away to the teams I remembered playing as much as 35 years ago.  Also it is not long ago that I played a version of MicroLeague Baseball as on the net there are browser based versions you can play.  Finally in regards to the stat side of things I used to have this grey binder from my dad's workplace and it had all my written box scores and standings and whatever in it.  Unfortunately I did not keep this stuff.  Anyway that was my first taste of sim baseball and I am glad in recent years I have gotten back into sim sports through various companies.  It is relaxing and a replacement for pro sports leagues in real life that have gone to hell and I no longer follow.

[philthepat 1]

Been playing sports sims since I was kid playing football manager (or championship manager as it was...)... then got into american sport after a trip to Boston, started following the NFL and MLB... found MVP Baseball which I still play now and then OOTP. I don't really play any other games outside of sports sims... except the political sim I'm creating hah

[MadMonk 1]

Had a quick read through of some of these and had a good dose of nostalgia.

Then a terrible realisation - like many people here I started on football manager.  Only this isn’t the CM/FM behemoth series, I’m actually going back to Kevin Toms’ Football Manager, and the first real binge was Football Manager 2 on the Spectrum.

[pac1949 2]

I created my own paper and dice baseball game when I was about 10 and played it for many years and then happened on APBA baseball board game and then the PC version.  Eventually moved to OOTP where I have been since its second year.  

[EZstepper 1]

As far as sports games go, I used to keep my own set of stats from the original Tecmo Bowl but it was Tecmo Super Bowl that is the greatest game for me.  My first text based manager game was CM.  Even though I wasn't a soccer fan, I loved that game.

[[email protected] 1]

My first game was a simple baseball game back around 1980 when i was 10 years old.  I remember it was called "Baseball Manager", and all it was was a yellow magazine like booklet with some instructions, a couple of charts, and roster pages for some of the all time great baseball teams.  Each player had like 4 ratings (batting, power, speed, defense I think) and you rolled 2 dice and looked up each result.  Moved on to Avalon Hill and Strat-O-Matic from there.

[Skyboxer 1]

Played a lot of Strat-o-Matic  then into games on Amiga (Gridiron etc..) .

Still going and just a few years away from retirement.. Im really looking to get back into the sims more.

[SwinnDE 4]

I started with Front Page Sports Baseball back in the day and went to the APBA Baseball board game for a while.

Thankfully I discovered OOTP Baseball 4 and I've played almost every version since.

I don't spend much time on the PC anymore, so waiting for the quality of mobile sports sims to catch up.

[Free 2]

Started by playing strat-o-matic a few times then "graduated" to APBA.  Most fun I had with any card game and I still have the full 1976 set somewhere in the house!

[Jabito 1]

Beginning with sim Draft Football.. excited....

[rawi009 0]

Nice

[fatkruz 0]

NCAAF 14 coach mode was where it started for me. Control the recruiting and stuff and call the plays. Let the computer run them.

[JF_842020 0]

I remember how I got into sims - I was a big High Heat player way back when and I found the version out of OOTP that was being sold under a different name. I ended up figuring out that there was a yearly release under the real name and I've been playing GM Games ever since. I used to be in a lot of basketball sim leagues that someone would run off of NBA Live and we would all communicate via AIM. Those were the days.

[ngr49er 2]

Showing my age now but mine would have been the following and many more besides that have vanished from my memory.

Edited October 4, 2020 by ngr49er

[SecretAgentMan 37]

Fun topic!

I started with board games, though as a '90s kid, this was moreso a matter that it was what my Dad shared and played with me. Specifically, that meant All-Star Baseball (I saw someone else here had played that, too!), and Bowl Bound College Football (the old board game). Played a lot of sports video games as a kid and teen, and then got more into the sports sim world in college by searching online for Bowl Bowl College Football (the old board game) and stumbling across Bowl Bound College Football (the more modern Grey Dog sim game). Played in some leagues, and also played and ran a soccer league using the freeware ESMS+ software.

Not a lot of time to play anymore, but I like trying to develop stuff, and I'm hoping that as my young son gets older, I can do a 3rd generation of All-Star Baseball with him.

[housemurphy 1]

Started with Earl Weaver Baseball and have since moved on to OOTP (been playing since version 5), BBCF, DDS: CF, PF, CBB & PBB, FHM, FM, Greydog's MMA & wrestling games. I still play console games (mostly shooters & MLB The Show) but mostly I am a PC gamer right now. 

Edited October 21, 2020 by housemurphy

[relaxnmaxn 1]

I started playing real sports simulation with football manager 2020, then played alot of BBGM and FBGM made by u/DumbMatter on Reddit.

[relaxnmaxn 1]

On 3/23/2017 at 8:47 PM, pcc006 said:

APBA and OOTP baseball. Baseball is my first love, college basketball not being far behind. 

Im trying really hard to get into OOTP, the menus just feel sooo clunky although the end product is very nice. Any tips?

[fripkobef 2]

For me, it started with 2K games - not quite as intensive, but I realized quickly I was more interested in the growth and changes in the league as a whole.  Transitioned over towards Draft Day Sports around 15, as well as OOTPB and FM.

[Armige 2]

Sick of mainstream games giving Franchise or Career the flick for online multiplayer. So GM games were there to pick up the slack