FUNDAMENTALS OF GAME DESIGN, SECOND EDITION
The Presentation Layer
Sports games offer some of the most beautifully realistic graphics and audio of any genre, and their presentation features borrow heavily from those seen on television. TV sports presentations have their own particular look and feel, which change from time to time, and many game art directors take their cue from them.
The interaction model in sports games varies considerably depending on the sport, but in most cases, the player controls an avatar who is an athlete in the match. In one-on-one sports such as tennis, this is straightforward, but in team sports, the player's control typically switches automatically from one athlete to another as the focus of play changes. In basketball games, for example, control switches to the athlete who has the ball. If the player's team is on defense, most games allow the
player to choose which athlete to control and allow him to switch quickly from one athlete to another as conditions change. This often requires significant changes to the user interface as play progresses; the functions of the buttons have to change if the player assumes control of an athlete with a specialized function—for example, switching from the thrower to a sweeper in curling after delivering the rock.
