Per Baseball pc sims, I would say yes. In particular the last 3 per my favorite pc sim...Baseball Mogul. Add to that Digital Diamond Baseball & one has access to all the teams from past seasons; as well as editors to...adjust things if one desires.
Both these titles offer great value...plus they work,
I think it depends on how you define a “golden age.” You made a great point about all the resources we have today—websites, videos, forums—which really enhance the experience of playing these games. That kind of access goes hand in hand with the hobby now.
But I’d also say there’s a strong case to be made for the 1960s through the 1980s. Sure, there weren’t as many titles to choose from, and you didn’t have the convenience of the internet, but the impact these games had might have been greater back then. (Speaking for myself, I can really only speak from the 1980s onward.)
For one thing, if you wanted to play a game with real teams and players, these tabletop sims were pretty much your only option. Early video games didn’t offer that kind of depth, and while a few sports sims existed on computer, personal computers weren’t as common as we sometimes remember.
So the reach of these games was broader—especially among kids and teens. Even though it was still a niche hobby, I’d bet a fair number of boys who grew up in the ’70s and ’80s either owned one of these games or atleast played one at some point. And by the ’80s, a lot of us were also trying out early computer versions like MicroLeague Baseball or SSI’s line of games. I think the impact the early computer version had on this hobby is not always accounted for.
I tend to think of it this way: back then, the pizza was bigger but sliced fewer ways. Today, the pizza smaller, has more topping options and it’s divided into more pieces.
So if you’re judging it by what it meant culturally, that earlier era had something special—more widespread, more “mainstream” in its own quiet way.
That said, for those of us playing today, there's no question this is the best time to play in terms of variety, quality, and tools available. But it’s tough to match the sense of wonder and novelty those games had back then.
If you are just talking about the Sims themselves, there's no question. We've never had more choices, and the quality of some of the newer Sims is fantastic. Also, a lot of tools and easy access to data has opened up the gates to game design for a lot more people. And this is in addition to top-tier sims from the past that are still going strong. There are also revivals of some of the older Sims that didn't make it long-term, notably games from the 70's. But if you are talking about the hobby as a whole, the bulk of baseball sim gamers are advancing in age and are not being replaced by younger gamers in the same numbers. Just isn't happening. Potential younger players are usually hooked on other things or if they are into baseball gaming, with baseball Sims that are more graphics oriented. I'm not saying the hobby is dying out. There will always be enough gamers to play and talk about the hobby, and there is a wealth of game choices, both newer and retro. But to answer the question, I think the games themselves are in their Golden age, but the hobby is not.
I have heard this question posed on podcasts about the hobby or YouTube channels. I would say yes we are, there are so many options, plus the companies that have remained have renewed interests in their product. It's great to see folks enjoying this great hobby.
Ahsolutely. Back in the 70's new games like Extra Innings and a revived Replay were joined by Time Travel and some others. But in the last several years we've had some quality games: Season Ticket (which I play mostly), Deep Drive, Fall Classic, Field Day and a host of others I've forgotten.
People have been worrying about whether the hobby will die out with this generation of gamers and maybe it will as the video game generation comes into mid life. But for those who want to play there are enough games and seasons right now to keep going for a long time.
I agree about today, and one thing that makes it a golden age is how easily you can track down games and seasons via the Internet. And that medium allows us to connect globally. 1982 is a close second though:) There are always many copies of that year in SOM baseball on eBay. Plus it was my first season.
Per Baseball pc sims, I would say yes. In particular the last 3 per my favorite pc sim...Baseball Mogul. Add to that Digital Diamond Baseball & one has access to all the teams from past seasons; as well as editors to...adjust things if one desires.
Both these titles offer great value...plus they work,
I think it depends on how you define a “golden age.” You made a great point about all the resources we have today—websites, videos, forums—which really enhance the experience of playing these games. That kind of access goes hand in hand with the hobby now.
But I’d also say there’s a strong case to be made for the 1960s through the 1980s. Sure, there weren’t as many titles to choose from, and you didn’t have the convenience of the internet, but the impact these games had might have been greater back then. (Speaking for myself, I can really only speak from the 1980s onward.)
For one thing, if you wanted to play a game with real teams and players, these tabletop sims were pretty much your only option. Early video games didn’t offer that kind of depth, and while a few sports sims existed on computer, personal computers weren’t as common as we sometimes remember.
So the reach of these games was broader—especially among kids and teens. Even though it was still a niche hobby, I’d bet a fair number of boys who grew up in the ’70s and ’80s either owned one of these games or atleast played one at some point. And by the ’80s, a lot of us were also trying out early computer versions like MicroLeague Baseball or SSI’s line of games. I think the impact the early computer version had on this hobby is not always accounted for.
I tend to think of it this way: back then, the pizza was bigger but sliced fewer ways. Today, the pizza smaller, has more topping options and it’s divided into more pieces.
So if you’re judging it by what it meant culturally, that earlier era had something special—more widespread, more “mainstream” in its own quiet way.
That said, for those of us playing today, there's no question this is the best time to play in terms of variety, quality, and tools available. But it’s tough to match the sense of wonder and novelty those games had back then.
If you are just talking about the Sims themselves, there's no question. We've never had more choices, and the quality of some of the newer Sims is fantastic. Also, a lot of tools and easy access to data has opened up the gates to game design for a lot more people. And this is in addition to top-tier sims from the past that are still going strong. There are also revivals of some of the older Sims that didn't make it long-term, notably games from the 70's. But if you are talking about the hobby as a whole, the bulk of baseball sim gamers are advancing in age and are not being replaced by younger gamers in the same numbers. Just isn't happening. Potential younger players are usually hooked on other things or if they are into baseball gaming, with baseball Sims that are more graphics oriented. I'm not saying the hobby is dying out. There will always be enough gamers to play and talk about the hobby, and there is a wealth of game choices, both newer and retro. But to answer the question, I think the games themselves are in their Golden age, but the hobby is not.
I have heard this question posed on podcasts about the hobby or YouTube channels. I would say yes we are, there are so many options, plus the companies that have remained have renewed interests in their product. It's great to see folks enjoying this great hobby.
Ahsolutely. Back in the 70's new games like Extra Innings and a revived Replay were joined by Time Travel and some others. But in the last several years we've had some quality games: Season Ticket (which I play mostly), Deep Drive, Fall Classic, Field Day and a host of others I've forgotten.
People have been worrying about whether the hobby will die out with this generation of gamers and maybe it will as the video game generation comes into mid life. But for those who want to play there are enough games and seasons right now to keep going for a long time.
I agree about today, and one thing that makes it a golden age is how easily you can track down games and seasons via the Internet. And that medium allows us to connect globally. 1982 is a close second though:) There are always many copies of that year in SOM baseball on eBay. Plus it was my first season.