The Evolution of Baseball Video Games

Baseball is much more than just a sport. The national game of the US is connected with many other industries, from television to gaming and sports betting.

One of the most successful of those connections is the gaming one. It has led to the development of numerous memorable and entertaining baseball video games over the years.

It has also led to the creation of baseball games for online casino sites, such as MLB-themed slot games. The legalization of casino gaming in much of the US means that this aspect is just getting started.

There are sites where you can read more about the best places to play those games in states where it is legal. This article is going to cover the console game element of the baseball gaming industry though.

History of Baseball Video Games: Early Days

The history of baseball video games runs parallel to that of the video game industry itself. When that industry started to take off in the US during the mid to late-1970s, baseball games were among the first to be launched.

The one that has the honor of being the very first is Videocart-12: Baseball. By the standards of today, this 1976 game is remarkably primitive in terms of its graphics.

It was a cartridge video game played using a Fairchild Channel F. The players on the screen were little more than stick figures colored blue and green, with restricted movements.

However, it did feature a system for pitching that was highly innovative and that became the norm for baseball games. It involved turning the console right or left to steer a pitch and backwards or forwards to determine its pace.

The next big leap forward in baseball video gaming was Home Run. This 1978 game was for the Atari and was the first mass-market baseball game. Despite its commercial success, it came in for criticism though.

That was because of the liberties it took with the reality of the sport. Players moved in tandem with each other and there were just three for each team. It had established a market for baseball gaming, but a better actual game was needed.

That came in the shape of Major League Baseball in 1980, for the Intellivision console. This was a huge improvement and the adverts featuring baseball journalist George Plimpton emphasized how much closer to real MLB play it was.

It was clear that baseball fans wanted video games. Like most sports fans, they need off-season hobbies, so the industry would keep growing if the games kept getting better.

What actually followed for much of the rest of the decade was a slump though. It was due to gaming companies letting too many quickly produced and slapdash products onto the market, leading to disillusionment among fans.

The Second Coming of Baseball Video Games

It was not until the mid-1990s that sales of baseball games started to pick up again. That was because games technology had improved and both the consoles and game graphics were now vastly superior.

1994 produced two classic games that became genuine milestones. Those games were Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball and World Series Baseball.

The first introduced statistics that were more in-depth than ever before and had a star MLB player’s name attached. The second boasted player movements that were more fluid and realistic.

Both games featured graphics that better replicated the look of an actual baseball game too. World Series Baseball became a successful franchise and set the standard for realism in baseball games.

Baseball Video Games in this Century

There was a period around the end of the 1990s when baseball gaming lost its way again. Although consoles were developing rapidly, the baseball games released for them were not keeping pace.

That frustrating period finally came to an end in 2009. This was a watershed year, as the title many consider the best ever hit the market.

The game in question was MLB ’09: The Show. Launched by Sony, it took the realistic approach pioneered by World Series Baseball and created something unbeatable.

It featured graphics that provided players with a precise simulation of a real baseball game. The players even had shades and other accessories, while the backdrops and color were flawless.

MLB ’09: The Show is still viewed by many fans as the gold standard. It is the last real defining moment in baseball video game history to date, and it is hard to see how its quality can be surpassed. There is always hope that another era-defining game will come along though.

The evolution of baseball video games has been slow, with bumps along the way. The games of today are so realistic it can feel like you are out there on the field though.