Rollerball
If you can tell, I’m desperately trying not to use any pictures of Quidditch. We all know that one and I’m sure it was in the comments on Monday. It’ll show up here and definitely on Friday too. It is a good example . . . I think. There are flaws, but I’m not going to get into that. Only thing is it’s strange that the entire game basically depends on one player catching one object that nobody else appears to be allowed to grab. That’s like if a baseball game can be won at any point by the pitcher hitting a clay pigeon that’s being swung around the stadium. I mean, why try winning any other way? Seems like a good enough of a segue:
Scoring
Of course, you need to figure this out near the beginning. Even a sport that works off elimination might have some type of scoring. If not in the event, it could be to rank fighters to get a hierarchy. Within the game, you have to make this system consistent and sensible. Basketball is a great example. Basic shots are 2 points, free throws are 1, and shots from outside the arch (from far away) are 3 points. From what I can tell, these are based off difficulty. You don’t have to be that complicated too. Many sports have it that everything is one point. Then there’s American football . . . Look, many activities were designed while drunk. *points at golf*
I will say that having there be an action that creates an automatic win makes a scoring system rather moot. Yes, the game can end before that action is taken, but its existence in fiction makes it almost necessary for on-page games. Bringing attention to the possibility or set up for the action only to not have it happen can disappoint readers.
Team or Solo
This one is fairly simple because it’s the basis of the entire game. It depends on how you are going to use the sport in your story. If it’s to help a single character evolve or get something for a bigger story then solo might be the way to go. Having them join a team could introduce too many unnecessary characters. This is why tournaments and other single-person contests show up in the middle of quests. They don’t bog down the reader with anyone other than a smattering of one-time adversaries.
Team sports are helpful if you want this to be a bigger, more common piece of the story or world. Obviously, it helps when the setting is a school too. A benefit of team sports over solo is that you can create tighter bonds between heroes. It doesn’t require the main characters to work alone or against each other. Now, they have to demonstrate teamwork, which can carry over into other areas of their adventures.
Duration
How long does a game last? You don’t have to demonstrate every minute, but it helps to know the length of time. This helps figure out events occurring around the sport. Do the players have an early or late dinner afterwards? Can it go until the morning because there’s no way to break a tie? This area would also involve how the game is split to give players breaks. You have quarters, halves, innings, and more. All of this helps with pacing if you want to have the game be a central focus for a bit.
Penalties and Rules
As important as it is to know what you can do, it’s equally essential to know what a player cannot do. Even a violent sport like boxing has actions that can get someone disqualified and fined. Without penalties or someone to enforce them, the game is basically literary chaos for the author to do whatever they want. Readers who pay attention will notice inconsistencies or not have an interest in the sport if it returns. To make this a lasting and impactful piece of world-building, you need structure. For example, players in a fictional sport can’t punch or kick the other team. If they do, the limb they used for the attack cannot be used for 2 minutes. It could even be ‘sealed’ somehow.
The Hook
We tend to overlook this in real sports. A hook for a fictional sport is what will make people pay attention. It makes it different from everything else. This goes beyond the scoring and rules. It will determine how the field/stadium/arena looks and what equipment is needed. One could say that this is the core of the sport because removing this would cause the entire concept to collapse. A real world example in my mind is soccer not letting players (except the goalie) use hands. Hockey is another one since it’s done on the ice. Even the more relaxing sports like golf and tennis have aspects that make them unique.
Legends of Windemere 