(This is a mirror of "A Sportslike Manifesto" on our website, where it has a cooler background.) This is our game design manifesto arguing that traditional sports games ignore too many aspects of sports, and thus, have stagnated and offer little to gamers today. One way to make better, fresher, newer sports games is to coin a new genre with new expectations and norms - and maybe this genre could be called "sportslikes."

THE SPORTS GAME -cant- think about sports.

• The Sports Game ignores our everyday experiences of sports. The Sports Game doesnt take kids to practice, laugh at memes in the group chat, or scream at the TV.
• The Sports Game flattens athletes into pawns with no lives. The Sports Game cant prank teammates on the bus, struggle to fall asleep before a match, or tie shoes five times for good luck.
• The Sports Game pretends society doesnt influence sports. The Sports Game will never address sports betting or steroids - powerful forces shaping every pro league today.

THE SPORTSLIKE -can- think about sports.

• The Sportslike is much like a Sports Game.
• However, The Sportslike is not a Sports Game.
• Because its not a Sports Game, The Sportslike can think about sports and sportspeople.

How to think about sports with SPORTSLIKES

Where to find SPORTSLIKES

• Backyard Baseball (1997) is a game about children playing baseball.
• Golf Story (2017) is the story of a golfer, forced to give up all that he holds dear for one final shot at accomplishing his dream.
• Blaseball (2020-2023) was a baseball simulation horror game about sports betting taken to its logical conclusions. It was great.
• Roller Drama (2023) is a narrative and a strategic real-time sports game about five girls playing roller derby in an oppressive and surveillance-based society.
• Sudden Death (2024) is a romantic sports fiction visual novel about a renegade Australian Rules Football club in a speculative future league.
• Beastieball (2024) is a turn-based volleyball RPG where you coach a sports team of Beasties - ok technically not people or are they??
• Despelote (2025) is a slice-of-life adventure about childhood and the magical grip soccer held over the people of Quito, Ecuador in 2001.

You were just a tourist visiting New Zealand - but now you're managing an underdog rugby club somehow.

Everyone expects you to fail. You've never even played rugby before! But you'll prove them wrong, challenge the champs, and win the Ramphorlie Shield.

TACTICAL TURN-BASED AUTO SPORTS

• Fresh blend of tactical RPG, auto battler, and sports genres.

• Build the perfect squad from 15+ recruitable characters and dozens of skills inspired by real-life rugby.

• Outsmart other teams around the city across multiple seasons in a fully featured story mode.

• RUGBY KNOWLEDGE IS OPTIONAL. (It's OK, many rugby players don't know anything about rugby either!)

MANAGE A SPORTS CLUB

• Search for club sponsors and fundraise for new equipment.

• Recruit new members. You'll need a secretary, treasurer, and patron too.

• File paperwork and send emails. Argue with the bank! The possibilities are endless.

CHOOSE YOUR OWN PATH

• Experience a branching story full of love, betrayal, and community sports. 

• Even if you lose a match, the story mode continues, just like in real-life.

• Manage relationships, gradually earn your players' trust or make them hate you.

LIVE IN VIRTUAL NEW ZEALAND

• Explore an embarrassingly authentic 3D recreation of Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland, the 5th largest city in Australasia!*

• Keep your day job, pay the rent, and feed your dog.

• But definitely DO NOT fall in love.

(*) as ranked by urban area provisional resident population, June 2024.

• OS: Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 64-bit or newer
• Processor: Intel Core i7 CPU 920 @ 2.67GHzMemory: 8 GB RAM
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 5770 or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
• Storage: 6 GB available space