FUNDAMENTALS OF GAME DESIGN, SECOND EDITION
The Game World
The setting of your game will be the normal venue for the sport, usually a stadium or an arena. It adds a great deal of verisimilitude to present these as accurate copies of real places. Players enjoy being able to recognize the architectural details of their favorite stadiums. Some sports, such as basketball or American football, require a playing area of a fixed shape and size, but others do not—different baseball fields famously have different effects on gameplay. Some sports, such as skiing and bobsledding, take place in venues that vary enormously and require a great deal of practice to learn.
The crowd also contributes significantly to the setting. Although you won't want to devote a lot of graphical resources to spectators, the sounds of a crowd add greatly to the atmosphere. Increase the volume at tense moments. Let the players hear chants if it's the kind of match at which spectators chant; add cheering after a score by the home team and a sudden silence after a score by the visitors. Horns, whistles, and vendors calling out, "Ice-cold beer here!" are all part of the experience.
