Tennis for Two

Two Halves of Play: Simulation versus Abstraction and Transformation in Sports Videogames Design

Sports videogames do not simply simulate reality; they map it onto gameplay through two mediating processes.

• Sports videogames are best understood as simulations built for play rather than accuracy: developers depart from reality wherever doing so improves the experience, relying on players' willing suspension of disbelief.
• Kayali and Purgathofer identify three mediating mechanisms (simulation, abstraction, and transformation) and evaluate games across four categories: rules, player control, course of action, and presentation.
• Transformation keeps real-world elements functional while changing their form, as when judges' scores become collectable items, and control schemes on digital buttons almost always require it.