The common stereotype regarding sports gamers seems to be that of loud, ignorant bros who sit around a TV playing Madden, chugging beers, and hi-fiving each other whenever anything happens. While that description certainly applies to some of the people who play sports games (and other types of games that thrive in casual settings), other "sports gamers" are drawn to different aspects of these attempted recreations of reality. Operation Sports' Tim Martin has a nice article up about the engrossing -- and dare I say, enriching -- experience that is the text simulation.

While a lot of time and energy is spent focusing on their graphically-enhanced cousins, text sims have always happily done their thing in relative obscurity. As someone who enjoys playing a game of virtual soccer or football, but really enjoys the thrill of recruiting, making trades, and signing free agents, I'm grateful that a niche exists for gems like Football Manager and Out of the Park Baseball. Maybe spending countless hours staring at a bunch of words, numbers, or some dots moving around a green rectangle hasn't been the most productive use of my time, but I don't regret a moment of it.

Well, okay. There was that season with FC St. Pauli. That was pretty dreadful.
(I failed you, Freibeuters.)