It played ball

April 10, 2012 8:35 AM

Bedridden, bored as all hell, and finally surrounded by a rare quiet, [John Burgeson] thought about the IBM 1620, and how its algorithmic alacrity bordered on self-learning, and realized, maybe deliriously, that the machine had the capability of making a little baseball simulator.

The Lost Founder of Baseball Video Games
posted by griphus (3 comments total)

In Lasewicz's view of it, IBM was a haven for "creative types" who used their technical backgrounds to make fun stuff. "Burgeson's game fits right in with the rest of those guys. He was a product of a very vibrant culture," he tells me. "Makes total sense."

Sometimes the good old days actually were good at times. :)
posted by Celsius1414 at 8:50 AM on April 10, 2012

As somebody who has spent way too much time playing Out of The Park Baseball, I really enjoyed this. Thanks!
posted by COD at 10:11 AM on April 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

Fantasy baseball is interesting because it's like a precursor to D&D.

A bit of trivia: Kerouac was obsessed with it.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 12:26 PM on April 10, 2012